Back to the issue about human scriptures and humans making things up.
I want to get to the issue of the Sacred Measure or Canon as we look at the Christological issues as they relate to Paul.
Phat:
quote:
Thus I can see that this whole debate over Jesus being "only human" while on earth or whether there was, in fact, a Hypostatic Union between the Divine and Human has been going on long before jar and I found EvC. If humans do simply make this stuff up they expend a lot of time, effort, livelihood and passion in so doing. Personally, I agree with Faith in that there is more to it that many skeptics and unbelievers simply refuse to see. For them, solid evidence will always guide them and leaps of faith are forbidden. For believers, something or someone must have sparked their passion...it is not simply a wishful fantasy.
I want to quote from a work, which covers the Pastoral Epistles (1 Timothy, II Timothy, and Titus), and the issue of Christology comes up. That will be seen in my second paragraph, but my first paragraph will just be for context. (Sorry if this seems a little long, skip to my second quotation to get to the matter)
All quotes from 2004 Brill book, The Pauline Canon, Pauline Studies Edited by Stanley E. Porter Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario
(reference (small subscript) numbers removed from text)
My first quotation from the work.
kerygma means proclamation
quote:
In Titus 1:3 the entrusting of the kerygma to Paul is expressly said to be by the command of God the saviour, which highlights the divine origin of the proclamation and its consequent authority as passed from Paul to Titus and on to the other members of the church. What seems to separate 1 Timothy and Titus from 2 Timothy even more conspicuously is the concept of offices, qualifications for holding office, and the implicit handing on of the sound teaching of the church through these offices and the people who hold them (see 1 Tim 3:1-8; 4:14; 5:17, 22; Titus 1:5-9; cf. 1 Tim 1:12; 2:7), something only hinted in 2 Tim 1:6. Hence, in 1 Timothy and Titus the idea of an authoritative Pauline concept of sound teaching, perhaps even a canonical tradition, is developing alongside an emergent ecclesial structure that also has authority. In 1 Timothy and Titus, an incipient canonical process and a community structure are both in view and appear to work in tandem in the transmission and preservation of the Pauline tradition as it is projected into the church's anticipated future. 4 6 In that way, sound teaching can be preserved, error identified and hopefully corrected. Even within these narrative frames of reference, it would be inaccurate to portray the Pastorals, 2 Timothy in particular, as benignly passing on a fixed, received Pauline deposit of authoritative teaching.
Now the Christology of Paul.
Ýí ×ñéóôþ is "en Christon" or In Christ.
quote:
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The issue of Christology in the Pastorals is a good illustration of this dynamic. As we have seen, the expression Ýí ×ñéóôþ in 1 and 2 Timothy is clearly reminiscent of Pauline language and Christology and appears to root the christology of the Pastorals, at least on an internal referential and emergent canonical level, in the Pauline tradition. However, the Christology of the Pastorals is also dramatically different from the undisputed Paulines and much of the rest of the New Testament. This is the case in primarily two ways: the designation 'saviour' for both God and Christ, a designation for Christ found only in Phil 3:20 in the undisputed Pauline Epistles, and the language of 'epiphany' to describe the coming of Christ, once again
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terminology not found in the undisputed Paulines. To be sure, Christology anchors the Pastorals in the kerygma of the early church, but the way it is expressed and developed in the three Pastoral Epistles is peculiar. Considering first the saviour terminology, it is noteworthy that, in 1 Timothy, God alone is referred to as 'saviour', whereas in Titus the designation alternates between God and Christ. The single appearance of the term in 2 Tim 1:10 is also used in connection with Christ. In 1 Tim 1:1 and 2:3 God is simply referred to as 'our saviour' and in 4:10 God is identified as a living God who is saviour of all people. The verbal form of the word in 1 Tim 2:4 has God as the subject, whereas in 1:15 Christ is clearly the subject of the infinitive verb: '...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...' In Titus 1:3, 2:10, and 3:4, similar to 1 Tim 1:1 and 2:3, God is designated 'our saviour', whereas in 1:4, 2:13, and 3:6 Christ carries this appellation. In Titus 3:5 the subject of the verb 'to save', referring back to 3:4, also has God as the subject. In 2 Tim 1:9 and 4:18, the verb 'to save' is used; and in the first case God is the subject whereas in the second the 'Lord', apparently referring to God, functions in that capacity. With regard to the identification of the saviour, the Pastoral Epistles con-sistently apply that designation to God or Christ, unlike the remainder of the New Testament Pauline tradition where the nominal form of the term rarely appears. But within the three Pastoral Epistles, there are also some noticeable differences in usage. Titus is the epistle most ready to apply 'saviour' to Christ, whereas 1 Timothy does so only once in relation to the verb 'to save' and the activity of saving. 2 Timothy, on the other hand, is noteworthy for its relatively infrequent use of this terminology. The important point is that Paul's theological and christological language is thoroughly transformed into saviour terminology, especially in 1 Timothy and Titus, but to a lesser extent in 2 Timothy as well. A fixed, received christological tradition is not merely being handed on. Whatever the 'good deposit' is, it is not entirely disconnected from the christological traditions represented by Paul, but by no means is it a static replication of them either.
The only other New Testament document outside the Pastorals where 'saviour' occurs with some regularity is 2 Peter (5 times) and in that epistle the term is used consistently of Christ. In that series of occurrences the only ambiguous reference is 3:2, but even here it is most assuredly a reference to Christ as well.
The Parousia is related to Christology, it seems. So I will pick up where I just left off.
ðáñïõóßá is parousia (used by Paul)
ÝðéöÜíåéá is epiphaneia (used by the Pastoral Epistles) Epiphany
quote:
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While most of the New Testament writings, Paul's included, use ðáñïõóßá to refer to the return of Christ, the Pastorals use ÝðéöÜíåéá to designate the appearances of Christ, both past and future. This feature of the Pastorals has long been recognized, and as Jouette Bassler indicates these epiphanies do not designate a process that moves from lowliness to exaltation but rather a revelation of something previously hidden. She writes: The two epiphanies do not define a process—for example, from lowliness to exaltation. Instead, each reveals a previously hidden divine reality... At least when applied to Jesus' first coming, the epiphany language does not refer primarily to a revelation or manifestation of Christ but to the revelation, through the Christ event, of a reality about God. This does not mean that we should not speak of an epiphany Christology, but that when used of the Pastorals, we must understand it to refer primarily to Christ as the vehicle, and not the content, of the epiphany.
If this epiphany framework not only expresses the christology of the Pastorals but in some way restructures whatever received Pauline traditions the author(s)—assuming the letters are not from Paul—may have had, this illustrates once again the dynamic and creative quality of this deposit that is to be guarded. From an authorial perspective, we perhaps could conclude that the imitation of Paul in the Pastorals is simply not very good, but we might also conclude that the writers are much more creative and transformative of the prior tradition than appears at first reading. This also indicates that the issue must be considered on two different levels: the imagery of the deposit to be guarded in the narrative of the Pastoral texts, which can suggest a rather static image, and the reality of what happens to the Pauline tradition in the Pastorals as the larger narrative world of Pauline Scripture begins to come into view in the early church, which is considerably more innovative. Lest we incline to the view that the Pastorals are simply works of creative fiction with no reflection of Paul's theology or his controversies, we need to note some further Pauline images that surface in the narrative frameworks of these three epistles—that is, in
[ 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Tim 1:10; 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13; cf. Titus 2:11; 3:4. This term also occurs in 2 Thess 2:8. 50 See Bassler, ¢ Plethora of Epiphanies', 310-25, and Oberlinner, 'Die Epiphaneia des Heilswillens', 192-213. 51 Bassler, ¢ Plethora of Epiphanies', 313. 52 Oberlinner, 'Die Epiphaneia des Heilswillens', 192-313. ]
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addition to those connections between 2 Timothy and Philippians already identified. As we have seen in Titus 1:10-16, the Jewish character of the opposition in this epistle is identified in general terms. These problem people come especially from the 'circumcision', though apparently not exclusively so. They teach that which is improper to teach for shameful gain. The text goes on in 1:14 to say that those grounded in the true testimony should pay no attention to the Jewish myths and commandments of the people who reject the truth. In this regard, the narrative structures of Galatians and Titus have one thing in common. There is a problem with the Jewish law in both. But whereas two entire chapters are devoted exclusively in Galatians to the issue of faith and works of law, only three verses at most address the issue of the commandments in Titus. The place of the Gentiles in the covenant, so central in the Galatians debate, is nowhere to be found in Titus. 'Faith in Christ' is not juxtaposed to 'works of law' in the narrative world of Titus, even though Titus makes it clear in 3:5 that salvation is the result of divine mercy and not works of righteousness. The Pauline image at that point is unmistakable. 1 Timothy deals with an opposition that is identified with myths, genealogies, and speculations (1:4). More specifically, the author writes against teachers who teach about things of which they have little understanding (1:7). As in Titus, the law is the point at issue. In response, the writer says the law is good if it is used legitimately, that is, if one understands that the law is set forth for the lawless and not the innocent (1:8-10). Galatians 3:19, read on its own terms in the context of Galatians, appears to suggest a view of the law that is similar: 'Why therefore the law? It was given because of transgress i o n s . . . ' 5 In both texts, the function of the law is to deal with lawlessness and transgressions. In the narrative of 1 Timothy this is, of course, related to the ascetic problem of forbidding marriage and not eating certain foods. The opponents are presumably trying to impose these requirements on those in the community who are faithful. That is a misunderstanding and misuse of the law, according to the author. In 1 Timothy, this is not a theoretical problem, and it does not pertain to the place of the Gentiles and the promises of God in salvation history. There is to be sure an emphasis on training oneself
[ Cf. Rom 4:1-24; 9:30-10:4; Eph 2:8-11. See the discussion regarding the interpretation of Gal 3:19 by D.J. Lull, " T h e Law Was Our Pedagogue": A Study in Galatians 3:19-25', JBL 105 (1986), 482-86. 54 ]
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[ Lamark New Age: " ðáéäáãùãüò " is PAIDAGOGOS or teaching ]
[ LMA: " ôùí ðáñáâÜóåùí ÷ Ü ñ é í " is TON PARABASEON CHARIN ]
in godliness in 1 Timothy (4:7), but there is no correlation between the law and a ðáéäáãùãüò. While there is a structural connection in the way the law is understood in 1 Timothy and in Galatians—in both the law is given for transgressions and lawlessness—it should be noted that the law in Galatians is given because of or on account of transgressions (ôùí ðáñáâÜóåùí ÷ Ü ñ é í ) , whereas in 1 Timothy it is laid down for the lawless and disobedient. In the first instance the focus is on the transgressions and in the second it is on the transgressors. Once again, we hear the echo of Paul's words resounding through the words of 1 Timothy and Titus, yet at the same time they reverberate in quite new ways in the Pastorals. It is not necessary to exhaust these parallel images to establish the point that in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus concepts of sound teaching and the good deposit are coming to define how Paul and his teachings are to be remembered, preserved, and passed on. This is not simply a description of how the Pastorals conserved or transformed the Pauline traditions at their disposal. Neither is it a commentary on the Pastoral Epistles as some type of creative fiction made possible by pseudepigrapha as a type of literature. It is an observation about how an understanding of Pauline doctrine as a deposit is becoming a factor in the larger narrative world of Paul's teaching and its legacy. Of course, if there is ever to be a collection of Pauline Scriptures and in time a Pauline canon, there must be a remembrance of Paul and his teaching that is preserved. The claim that this legacy also has theological and christological authority only underscores its importance and urgency. But the point is that in the Pastorals we are witnessing the early formation of a larger narrative world that we might call the Pauline Scriptures or the Pauline canon. To that narrative world, each of the epistles eventually included in that Pauline legacy will contribute, but perhaps even more importantly each of the epistles will be read ultimately in light of that larger narrative world. The Paul of the Pastorals and the Paul of the community letters will start to be read in light of each other. When that happens, a Pauline collection of writings will start to function as a canon. The same principle came into play when the other letters attributed to Paul came to be read together instead of separately. It is at that point that the notion of a body of sound teaching or a Pauline deposit also has the potential to affect how the larger Pauline tradition is read. The letters may be read in church communities primarily for their doctrines and moral principles—in other words for the deposit of sound teaching—rather
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[ LMA: ãñÜììáôá is GRAMMATA]
[LMA ãñáöÞ is GRAPHE]
than for their contingent applications of the gospel in the context of the apostle's missionary work.
The author of 2 Timothy writes in 3:14-16: But for you, remain in what you have learned and believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings (ãñÜììáôá) that are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture (ãñáöÞ) is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
There is little doubt that what the author meant by sacred writings or God-breathed scripture are the scriptures of Israel. Even though we know that authoritative writings were beginning to emerge quite early in the church, it may well be anachronistic to think that the author had in mind a body of church produced writings that were now being referred to as God-breathed. In any case, the text gives us rather direct clues about the utility of scripture for the author: to make wise for salvation—for teaching, reproof, correction, and training. It may not be too much of a stretch to suggest that as an authoritative Pauline narrative and canonical world began to come into view, it was precisely these types of assertions about the usefulness and the divine authority of the texts that started to have an effect on how the Pauline texts and the good desposit were thought to function—at least among those inclined to include the Pastorals in the Pauline canon.
The idea of ALL SCRIPTURE being inspired clearly points to a time period (late 1st century) that used to be called the "Council of Jamnia" when a Jewish Canon actually might have existed. Otherwise ALL SCRIPTURE could mean almost anything.
But "Savior" used interchangeably between God and Jesus clearly indicates a move around 100 A.D. to see Jesus and God as the same thing, though it would take a while for the early Roman Catholic/Greek Orthodox texts (I Timothy, II Timothy, Titus) to trickle into broader Christian circles.
This might be 1 area where the Pastorals were actually consistent with Paul's views, as I feel that Paul did come to see Jesus as a God of some sort. The question of Paul's views on Christological issues is controversial though.
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