The following videos begin our shift from the gospels to the work of the apostle Paul. We start with Luke's vision of the unity of the early Jerusalem community after Jesus' death in Acts 2 and 4, and evidence elswhere in Acts and the New Testament that the reality was likely a bit messier. The development of ministries is outlined, and Paul is introduced, both in terms of his life story and in terms of his mission to the "nations." We explore the Roman Empire's attitude toward the nations as an important frame for understanding Paul's attention to the cross, his emphasis on his own suffering, and his effort to bring the nations into the Jewish covenant.
The six numbered videos are the most important material, corresponding to the slides. While you don't have to watch them, they may help you prepare for class or fill in gaps after. Below the numbered videos, you will find an additional video on the manuscript evidence for the Letter to the Galatians.
Use the links to the right to access pdf files of the slides shown in the videos. Two formats are available: 1 slide per page and three slides per page. Both versions have slides for all six numbered videos.
The videos below are thumbnails; to enlarge the view, click the play button and select at the bottom of the frame either "YouTube" (to watch the video on YouTube, which in some cases will be clearer) or the full-screen icon ().
1
Christian Community: Vision & Division
This video introduces the picture Luke provides of the early Jerusalem community—a picture of harmony, fellowship, and piety. This irenic portrait is in some contrast to the tensions we see between early Christian groups, both in Acts of the Apostles and in Paul's letters to Galatia and Corinth. Even in the gospels we saw some of these divisions play out in the way that various disciples are presented, and this evidence is summarized as well.
14.26
2
Early Church Ministries
This video introduces the various roles or ministries mentioned in Paul's letters and in the gospels, and the changes we begin to see in church offices by the end of the first century. It notes that in Paul's time, ministries took many forms, and almost all seemed to have been open to women as well as men. This begins to change in the late first century, as evidenced in the narrowing of roles and the rules established for choosing who would fill them that we see in the Pastoral Epistles and other early Christian literature.
10.46
3
An Orientation to Paul
This video provides an introduction to the life and legacy of Paul. It introduces his biography, traces the journeys he took as he brought the gospel to the nations, and sketches his impact on the New Testament, where 13 letters claim to be written by him (scholars now believe that only seven actually were).
17.11
4
Gentiles & Jews: The New Perspective
This video introduces the "old perspective" on Paul dominant since the Protestant Reformation, that interpreted his mission and ministry in terms of the faith vs. works debate. It then focuses on the "new perspective" that not only sees Paul as a Jew, but as one who seeks to bring the nations into the Jewish community, rather than to replace it. Paul's focus on the cross, his frequent reference to his own suffering and defeats, his use of female metaphors of mothering and labor for his own work, are presented as examples of his identification with "the nations," whom Rome had emasculated in their art.
24.05
5
An Introduction to Ancient Letters
This video introduces the types, functions, and form of ancient Greek letters, and indicates a few ways in which Paul altered the typical sections on the model of Jewish letters.
8.03
6
Rhetorical Criticism
This video introduces the elements of ancient rhetoric that can be identified in the letters of Paul. The species of rhetoric, its types of appeal, and five "canons" or steps of the rhetorical process are discussed. Examples from the Letter to the Galatians are offered to practice identifying these features. Finally, a resource for stylistic techniques on the course website is shown.
23.39
Optional Videos & Links
Manuscript Evidence for Galatians - This video introduces the manuscript evidence for Paul's Letter to the Galatians, with an emphasis on our earliest manuscripts. It also discusses how Paul's letters circulated in antiquity, with some variation in which books were included and attributed to him.
The following videos begin our shift from the gospels to the work of the apostle Paul. We start with Luke's vision of the unity of the early Jerusalem community after Jesus' death in Acts 2 and 4, and evidence elswhere in Acts and the New Testament that the reality was likely a bit messier. The development of ministries is outlined, and Paul is introduced, both in terms of his life story and in terms of his mission to the "nations." We explore the Roman Empire's attitude toward the nations as an important frame for understanding Paul's attention to the cross, his emphasis on his own suffering, and his effort to bring the nations into the Jewish covenant. 
).
