The Epistles of Paul remain largely untouched in today’s preaching and teaching, and if we hear about Paul at all it is often through Acts. To neglect Paul effectively shortens our New Testament. This course will help us take a fresh look at Paul the Apostle and his impact on the early Church. His letters are the earliest Christian literature preserved from antiquity. They are evidence of his labors in fledgling churches where he pioneered theology that shaped the Church of his own time and in the centuries to come. Together we will look at his body of work, in order to regrasp its basic content and to study critical scholarship of our time. New readings of Paul’s relationship with Judaism and with the colonializing power of Rome are given special attention. Finally, we will apply these insights to short studies that relate to current lectionary passages from the Epistles of Paul.
Instructor: Dr. Douglas Mohrmann
Dr. Douglas C. Mohrmann is an independent scholar and member of Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. He completed his doctorate at the University of Durham, England. Afterwards, he taught for many years at Cornerstone University as Associate Professor of Religion and Chair of the Bible, Religion, and Ministry Division. He was also the co-Director of the university’s Honors Program. His recent publications are articles on Romans 9-11 (2017) and the use of Speech Act theory for understanding New Testament preaching (2018). His current writing interest is a commentary on LXX Deuteronomy. He enjoys leading tours of students and church members on trips to Israel and Greece. He lives with this wife, Rebecca in the greater Grand Rapids area.