Seeking Saint Paul

Radical? Reactionary? Liberial? Conservative? Misogynist? Mystic? Homophobe? We will set Paul’s life in historic context; compare and contrast what is known of his life from the Acts of the Apostles and his Epistles; examine his thought and theology by comparing the epistles written by Paul to those whose authorship is disputed and those attributed to but not written by Paul.

Paul is the most important person in the spread of Christianity. Does Paul have anything to teach us today about equality, acceptance, love and community? Or should Paul be thrown overboard as a supporter of slavery, patriarchy, misogyny, and homophobia?

During this workshop participants will:
• Develop an understanding of the Apostle Paul in historical and cultural context
• Through reading Paul’s epistles, as they would have been presented to the churches of his time, gain an understanding of Paul’s thought and theology and see how it has been used and misused over the centuries
• Gain and understanding of the influence of Paul’s epistles on the development of Quakerism and our most treasured practices

We will:
• Explore the culture, social hierarchy, economy, and geography of the Roman Empire in which Paul lived and worked.
• Examine the economic upheaval of the time which supported the spread of Christianity
• Compare and contrast what we know of Paul’s life as related through the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s own writings
• Examine the change in thinking attributed to Paul by contrasting the epistles written by Paul to those whose authorship is in dispute to those penned in Paul’s name but which scholars agree were not written by Paul.
• See Quaker faith and practice as an outgrowth from Paul’s writings

The workshop format will be a combination of worship (40 minutes +/- each day), presentation, group readings aloud, and discussion. This is an interactive workshop where we will explore the subject together to develop our own understanding and appreciation of Paul’s influence on the spread of Christianity, Christian theology, and Quakerism.

Materials will be provided as handouts at the workshop. Participants are encouraged to bring their favorite translation of the Bible, but are not required to. Reading the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s epistles may be helpful, but is not necessary since we will read them aloud in the group before discussion.