Was St
Paul a priest? Answer: Yes, most
certainly; because as an Apostle, he is a bishop and more than a bishop.
Romans
15:15-17. But on some points I have
written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by
God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of
the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud
of my work for God.
In this
passage, St Paul speaks of himself as a “minister of Christ Jesus” and states
that he is “in the priestly service of the gospel of God.” Further, he speaks
of the “offering of the Gentiles” using the Greek word that commonly referred
to a sacrificial priestly offering.
Listen online [here] (part 1)!
and [here] (part 2)!
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The
Pauline Corpus
Adult
Faith Formation Series, June and July 2023
Session 2:
Was St Paul Catholic?
Class Schedule, Tuesdays, from 7
to 8 pm
June 20th - Who was St Paul?
June 27th – Was St
Paul Catholic?
July 18th – The Letter
to the Galatians
July 25th – The Letter
to Philemon
I. Review
A. Scope
and goals: This course will be primarily
a Bible study course. Most of the course will focus on gaining a basic
familiarity with St Paul’s Letters.
B. Who
was Paul of Taursus? A Jew and a Roman. Note the names Saul and Paul. Persecutor of the faith, turned Apostle. Note
the miraculous nature of the Apparition on the road to Damascus.
C. St
Paul’s missionary journeys. After three
years in the Arabian desert and fourteen years in prayer, St Paul begins his
public ministry of preaching.
Three
missionary journeys in Acts, and a fourth that happened after Acts and is
referenced in St Paul’s Letters.
D. St
Paul’s martyrdom. In about AD 65, both
Sts Peter and Paul were martyred on June 29th. Paul by beheading,
because he was a Roman citizen.
II.
Some additional points about St Paul’s life
A. Was
St Paul a priest? Answer: Yes, most
certainly; because as an Apostle, he is a bishop and more than a bishop.
Romans
15:15-17. But on some points I have
written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by
God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of
the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud
of my work for God.
In this
passage, St Paul speaks of himself as a “minister of Christ Jesus” and states
that he is “in the priestly service of the gospel of God.” Further, he speaks
of the “offering of the Gentiles” using the Greek word that commonly referred
to a sacrificial priestly offering.
Additionally,
St Paul was not only a priest but even a bishop, since he ordained Timothy “by
the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). Additionally, St Paul confirmed
many in the early Church – which is proper to the Bishop and can only be
administered by a priest or bishop.
B. When
did St Paul become an Apostle and a Priest?
Some
will say St Paul was only a lay preacher – but this does not seem reasonable at
all.
Others
will hold that Paul and Barnabas were together ordained/appointed as Apostles
and priest by the laying on of hands (those of Simon Niger, Lucius, and
Manahen) at Antioch in Acts 13:1-3. In
this view, St Paul only became an Apostle when sent to preach by the elders of
the Church and Antioch, and that he was ordained by their laying on of hands. This
would be about 17 years after his conversion.
However,
St Paul himself roots his Apostleship and authority in Christ alone: “Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by
man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.”
(Gal 1:1).
Perhaps
better to maintain that Paul was ordained at the same time he was converted on
the road to Damascus. Or that, when he was baptized shortly thereafter, the
Lord also miraculously impressed the character of Sacred Orders upon his soul.
III.
How do we approach the Letters of St Paul as Catholics?
St
Paul’s Letters are not the interpretive key of all Scripture, nor was St Paul
the founder of Christianity. Rather, because it is Jesus himself who founded
the Church and preached the dogmas of human salvation, it is the Gospels which
must serve as the heart and interpretive key of all Scripture. We do no read
Jesus’ preaching in light of St Paul, but rather St Paul in light of the
preaching of Christ. Hence, the Gospels
help us interpret St Paul and provide the framework within which we can read
and understand St Paul.
While
St Paul wrote more books than any other Biblical author – fourteen in total – it
was St John who wrote the most diverse collection of the New Testament (a
Gospel, three Letters, and the Apocalypse); and St Luke wrote by far the most
in terms of simple length (his Gospel and Acts are the two longest books of the
NT and are significantly longer than all of St Paul’s Letters – not to mention
that Luke probably helped also with writing Hebrews and 2 Peter, which means he
was involved in the composition of about 33% of the New Testament!
Still,
the influence and importance of St Paul is great indeed!
IV. The
Letters of St Paul
A. What
are the Pauline Epistles about?
Romans
– about Grace in itself, and the mystery of salvation through faith
1
Corinthians – writes of Church unity and the sacraments
2
Corinthians – the most personal of St Paul’s letters
Galatians
– that we don’t have to be Jewish in order to be Christian
Ephesians
– St Paul had set Timothy as bishop here and writes about Church unity
Philippians
– one of the first communities established by Paul, very dear to him
Colossians
– St Paul wrote from prison (like Philippians and Ephesians)
1
Thessalonians – about the Resurrection of the dead
2
Thessalonians – that the End of the World might not be too soon
1
Timothy – made a bishop by St Paul, a great deal about how to be a bishop
2
Timothy – written very late in St Paul’s life, shortly before his execution
Titus –
who had been made a bishop by St Paul
Philemon
– written to a civil ruler who owned slaves
Hebrews
– Grace in the Person of Christ, and especially his priesthood
B. St
Thomas’ division of the Pauline Corpus according to the proclamation of the
Grace of Christ
“For [St
Paul wrote fourteen letters, nine of which instructed the church of the
Gentiles; four, the prelates and princes of the church, i.e., kings; and one to
the people of Israel, namely, the letter to the Hebrews.
“For
this entire teaching is about Christ’s grace, which can be considered in three
ways: In one way, as it is in the Head, namely, Christ, and in this regard it
is explained in the letter to the Hebrews.
In
another way, as it is found in the chief members of the Mystical Body, and this
is explained in the letters to the prelates. In a third way, as it is found in
the Mystical Body itself, that is, the Church, and this is explained in the
letters sent to the Gentiles.
“These
last letters are distinguished from one another according to the three ways the
grace of Christ can be considered: in one way, as it is in itself, and thus it
is set out in the letter to the Romans;
in
another way, as it exists in the Sacraments of the Church, which is explained
in the two letters to the Corinthians—in the first [Letter to the
Corinthians] the nature of the Sacraments is treated; in the second [to
the Corinthians], the dignity of the minister—
and in
the letter to the Galatians, in which superfluous sacraments are
rejected against certain men who wanted to join the old sacraments to the new
ones.
In a
third way, Christ’s grace is considered in regard to the unity it produces in
the Church. Hence, the Apostle deals first with the establishment of ecclesial
unity in the letter to the Ephesians;
secondly,
with its consolidation and progress in the letter to the Philippians;
thirdly,
of its defense against certain errors in the letter to the Colossians;
against
existing persecutions in the first letter to the Thessalonians
and
against persecutions to come, especially in the time of anti-Christ, in the second
letter to the Thessalonians.
“He
instructs the prelates of the Church, both spiritual and temporal. He instructs
the spiritual prelates of the Church about establishing, preserving and
governing ecclesial unity in the first letter to Timothy,
about
resistance against persecutors in the second [to Timothy],
and
about defense against heretics in the letter to Titus.
He
instructs temporal lords in the letter to Philemon.”
C. Naming of St Paul’s
Epistles
The New Testament
contains the Pauline Epistles (those written by Paul) and the Catholic Epistles
(so named, because they do not address a specific community or name a specific
recipient: James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1 and 2 and 3 John, Jude). Note that St Paul’s Letters are named by the
recipient, whereas the Catholic Epistles are named by the author.
St Paul’s Letters
themselves are chronologically divided as follows:
The First and Second
Letters to the Thessalonians are the first letters of St Paul, written in
Corinth during St Paul’s second missionary journey. Next are the “Great
Letters” (Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Romans – these are the four
longest letters as well), which were written during the third missionary
journey. Then the Captivity Letters
(those written during his first Roman Captivity: Philemon, Philippians,
Colossians, and Ephesians). The Pastoral Letters (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus)
were written towards the end of St Paul’s life (2 Timothy, possibly written
from prison and only days before his death) – they are called “pastoral”
because Timothy and Titus are pastors and bishops of the early Church. Finally,
there is the Letter to the Hebrews, which has a character all its own.
V. Outline of the style
of St Paul’s Epistles
The letters follow a
style that was common to the era.
Each begins with an opening
in which St Paul identifies himself as the sender of the Letter, and also names
any other co-senders who were with him in writing the Letter. Additionally, the
community or individual to whom the Letter is sent is named.
St Paul then moves on to
a thanksgiving prayer in which he asks God’s blessing upon the
recipients of the Letter and praises them for the ways they have grown in the
faith. Note that Galatians, famously,
does not have this thanksgiving prayer (because St Paul was very upset with
them). Also note the 1 Timothy does not have a proper thanksgiving prayer, but
does contain words of great affection: “To Timothy, my true child in the faith”
(1 Tim 1:2).
Next comes the body of
the Letter, which is broken into two sections: First, the dogmatic/doctrinal
themes and then the exhortative portion in which themes of the moral life are
commended. (compare Romans 12:1 or Galatians 5:1)
Finally, there is the conclusion
to the Letter in which St Paul gives some personal notes and greetings to
various individuals. Sometimes, St Paul indicates his own signature to prove
the authenticity of the Letter (the Letters would usually have been dictated
and written out by a scribe). Sometimes, the scribe would even add a sentence –
Romans 16:22.
VI. St Paul’s Catholic
Theology
Key themes in St Paul’s
writings:
Life without Christ is a
life of slavery to sin and death. We do not live by the flesh nor by the Law,
but by the grace of God in Christ Jesus.
Salvation is found only
in Christ, through his redemptive act accomplished perfectly on the Cross once
and for all people. Christ is true God who became man. We are incorporated in
Jesus’ death through baptism and the sacraments. Christ not only died, but is
risen and reigns gloriously – he will come again.
St Paul emphasizes faith
and the grace of God. Also, there is value in suffering, and we are called to
self sacrifice so as to grow in holiness.
There is a profound
theology of the Church and the sacraments in St Paul’s writings. He speaks
clearly about the Eucharist and about the bond of unity and peace within the
Church (a unity which must be maintained by the lay faithful as well as by the
clergy). Writing to Timothy and Titus, he speaks of ordination and the
establishment of what would become dioceses. The Church is the body of Christ,
and it is only through the Church that men can be saved.
