Unit III

THE
PAULINE
LETTERS
THE EARLY
LETTERS
 Objective:
Explain the
purpose why Paul
wrote the early
letters
Paul is first
introduced as
Saul in Acts
where he is
present at the
stoning to
death of
Stephen.
• St. Stephen
• First Christian
martyr
• He was
stoned to death
Paul was a
Pharisee,
educated,
intelligent, who
believed that
Jesus deserved
to die for
blasphemy.
When
Christians fled
from Jerusalem
to escape
persecution, he
followed them.
On the road to
Damascus, “a light
form the sky
flashed around him.
He fell to ground
and heard a voice
saying to him,’
Saul, Saul! Why do
you persecute me?’
And he asked,
“Who are you,
Lord?”
The voice
replied, ‘I am
Jesus whom you
persecute. Now
get up and go
into the city;
there you will be
told what to are
to do.”
Saul was
blinded by
the
incident.
Question:
"When and why
was Saul’s name
changed to Paul?"
The change is commonly linked to Saul’s
conversion on the Damascus Road, when
the Lord Jesus commissioned him to take
the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1–19).
However, at the time of Saul’s
conversion, Jesus still addressed him as
“Saul.” Later, Jesus told Ananias to find
“Saul” in Damascus and restore his
sight. goes on to describe “Saul” as
increasing in spiritual strength and
understanding of Jesus as the Messiah.
The answer is that Saul’s name was
also Paul. The custom of dual
names was common in those
days. Acts 13:9 describes the apostle
as “Saul, who was also called Paul.”
From that verse on, Saul is always
referred to in Scripture as “Paul.”
He chose to use his name, Saul, until
sometime after he began to believe in
and preach Christ. After that time, as “the
apostle to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13), he
used his Roman name, Paul. It would
make sense for Paul to use his Roman
name as he traveled farther and farther
into the Gentile world.
Adopting his Roman name would allow
Paul to approach the Gentiles to whom
he was sent and speak to them in their
own language, becoming as one of them
and setting them at ease. It is also
possible that Paul gave up the use of his
Hebrew name, Saul, with its connotation
and chose to use his Roman name, Paul,
meaning “little” or “small,” because he
desired to became smaller in order to
present Christ as greater.
Saul, now
called Paul,
became a
tireless,
dedicated and
passionate
apostle of Jesus
Christ.
He was
imprisoned and
beaten, driven
away from cities.
He sailed to
distant places
together with
other disciples
like
Barnabas, Mark,
Luke, Silvanus,
and Timothy, and
established
Christian
communities in
various places.
Paul is called
the “Apostle
to the
Gentiles”.
Thirteen letters in
the New
Testament are
attributed to Paul
although only
seven of them can
attested as
authentically
written by Paul
himself.
 Seven letters (with consensus
dates)
• First Thessalonians (c. 50 AD)
• Galatians (c. 53)
• First Corinthians (c. 53–54)
• Philippians (c. 55)
• Philemon (c. 55)
• Second Corinthians (c. 55–56)
• Romans (c. 57)
In these letters,
he answers
specific concerns
in the various
Christian
communities.
LETTERS TO
THE
THESSALONIANS
The letter to the
Thessalonians is
the oldest
among all the
New Testament
writings, dated
around 50 AD.
The Christian
community in
Thessalonica was
founded during
Paul’s second
missionary
journey,
accompanied by
Silas and
Timothy.
Thessalonica is
now known
as Salonica.
 After praising the community for
“the work of your faith, the
labors of your love and your
endurance in waiting for Christ
Jesus our Lord”(1th 1:3), several
important issues were addressed
by Paul:
1. “We urge you to live in a way
that pleases God” (1 Th 4:1)
• “to live, not in impurity but in
holiness, and those who do not
heed this instruction disobey,
not a human, but God himself
who gives you his Holy Spirit(1
Th 4:7).
What does the Church tell us
about the virtue of chastity?
Chastity puts order into our
sexual drives, much as telling the
truth orders our speech. This
means that it channels our sexual
energies toward a positive,
affirmative service of love and
fostering of life.
2. “We believe that Jesus died and rose; it
will be the same those who have died in
Jesus. God will bring them together with
Jesus and for his sake” (1 Th 4:14)

• Paul exhorts those who grieve

over loved ones who have died
that all will be resurrected be at
the coming of the Lord.
3. “Therefore encourage one another and
build up one another…be thankful to
those who labor among you, who lead
you in the way of the Lord and also
reprimand you.
• Paul gives specific instructions in
how to live together as a church even
in the midst of persecution, how to
regard the leaders of the community,
and to “rejoice always pray without
ceasing”.
4. In the 2 Thessalonians, Paul warns
the community to beware of those
who deceive with false teachings
regarding the return of Jesus Christ
but “to stand firm and hold to the
traditions that we taught you by
word or by letter” (2 Th 2:15).
The Letter of the
Thessalonians
shows us the
love and care of
the Church for
the early
Christian
communities.
St. Paul instructed
the new Christians
in Thessalonica on
how to live out
their faith in Jesus
Christ. He tells
them to live a life
of holiness and
chastity, to love
one another, and
to work hard.