What happened to Paul after Paul? This book examines the relationships between Paul's undisputed writings, the Pastoral Epistles, and the Pauline legacy adopted and adapted by the early church. Book jacket.

Paul's influence on the history of Christian life and theology is as profound as it is pervasive. A brief survey of almost twenty centuries of Christian thought and practice will confirm the enduring importance of Paul for the life of the church in the Roman and Protestant traditions of the West as well as the Orthodox traditions of the East. Even as Christianity, at the dawn of its third millennium, has become increasingly global and traditions have come to develop and intersect in new and complex ways, Paul's place in the story of Christianity remains deeply rooted in the church's theology, worship, and pastoral life. In both past and present, Paul's influence on the Christian church can hardly be overestimated. Among the many intriguing issues generated by the historical Paul, his New Testament letters, and early church history is the question, what happened to Paul after Paul? Whether we think in terms of the reception of Paul's theology, or the ongoing legacy of Paul, or early Christian reinterpretation of his letters, the questions persist: what did the early church do with Paul's memory? How did it reshape his theology? And what role did his letters come to play in the life of the church? The focus of the present discussion is in the early decades and centuries of Christianity, a time when the memory and legacy of Paul came to serve varied and often competing interests in the emerging church. It was a time when Paul's reputation and importance to the church were being reinforced and when his epistles were gaining the authority that would ensure their place in the sacred library of Christianity. It was also the time when the Jesus movement forged itself into Christianity, a process in which Paul played a pivotal role and eventually also became an object of revision and transformation himself. What is virtually indisputable in this process is that Paul, during his lifetime and after, played a critical role in making Christianity what it was to become.

"This essay is an attempt to show how the language of the Pastoral Epistles can be used as a key to unlock the old secret of their origin. It is not a complete Introduction to these epistles, but only a contribution towards that larger subject. On the other hand, it includes rather more than a series of linguistic studies pure and simple. In the matter before us, language is only one of several factors which are closely interconnected and refuse to be kept in separate water-tight compartments. The full significance of each is only seen in its relation to the rest." --From the preface

The epistles of the New Testament provide insight into the realities of the life of the early church, guidance for those called to lead the church, and comfort in the face of theological questions. The Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century also found wisdom and guidance in these letters. In this RCS volume, Lee Gatiss and Bradley Green guide readers through a diversity of early modern commentary on the New Testament epistles.

This is a thorough, full- scale English commentary on the Greek text of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. While author George W. Knight gives careful attention to the comments of previous interpreters of the text, both ancient and modern, his emphasis is on exegesis of the Greek text itself and on the flow of the argument in each of these three epistles. Besides providing a detailed look at the meanings and interrelationships of the Greek words as they appear in each context, Knight's commentary includes an introduction that treats at length the question of authorship (he argues for Pauline authorship and proposes, on the basis of stylistic features, that Luke might have been the amanuensis for the Pastoral Epistles), the historical background of these letters, and the personalities and circumstances of the recipients. Knight also provides two special excursuses: the first gathers together the information in the Pastorals and elsewhere in the New Testament on early church offices and leaders; the other excursus examines the motivations for conduct in Titus 2:1-10 with a view to their applicability to present-day situations.

The capital city of the province of Asia in the first century CE, Ephesus played a key role in the development of early Christianity. In this book Paul Trebilco examines the early Christians from Paul to Ignatius, seen in the context of our knowledge of the city as a whole. Drawing on Paul's letters and the Acts of the Apostles, Trebilco looks at the foundations of the church, both before and during the Pauline mission. He shows that in the period from around 80 to 100 CE there were a number of different communities in Ephesus that regarded themselves as Christians -- the Pauline and Johannine groups, Nicolaitans, and others -- testifying to the diversity of that time and place. Including further discussions on the Ephesus addresses of the apostle John and Ignatius, this scholarly study of the early Ephesian Christians and their community is without peer.

This volume addresses the question of the Apostle Paul's literary and theological influences on Polycarp of Smyrna. To this end, the most detailed analysis in print of Polycarp's dependence on earlier literature--both biblical and extra-biblical--is undertaken in the first part of the book. This general analysis forms the basis for the study of three questions: 1) Is Polyarp an imitator of Paul? 2) Whom does Polycarp think is the author of the Pastoral Epistles? 3) To what degree is Polycarp influenced by the theology of Paul? This volume will be of particular interest to anyone studying the Apostolic Fathers, the reception of Paul in the second century, the concept of imitation, and the authorship of the Pastoral Epistles.

Original works by godly writers, tailored for the understanding of today's reader For hundreds of years Christendom has been blessed with Bible commentaries written by great men of God who were highly respected for their godly walk and their insight into spiritual truth. The Crossway Classic Commentary Series, carefully adapted for maximum understanding and usefulness, presents the very best work on individual Bible books for today's believers. Timothy and Titus were two of Paul's faithful associates. When problems arose in a church, Paul knew he could depend on either one of them to handle the situation. In these three epistles Paul encourages his younger colleagues in their roles as pastors. He advises them on worship, leadership, integrity issues, and generation gaps. With confidence the aging apostle passes the torch of faith and exhorts them to be Christ's representatives on earth. John Calvin's exploration of the key passages of these three pastoral epistles not only provides historical insight into the early church, but also guidance and encouragement for pastors and lay leaders today.