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The Whole of Paul & the Whole in His Theology
Theological Interpretation in Relational Epistemic Process

  Paul Study

 

     Contents

 

Ch.1-Intro
Ch.2
Ch.3
Ch.4
Ch.5
Ch.6

Ch.7
Ch.8
Ch.9
Ch.10
Ch.11
Ch.12

printable pdf of entire study

Table of Contents

 

Scripture Index

 

Bibliography

 

Note:  page numbers correspond with pdf version of study

 

Chap 1  A Necessary Introduction to Paul........................................................... 1

       Critical Underlying Problem to Address      2

       Related Issues in Hermeneutical Impasse, Flow and Outcomes      7

       A Necessary Approach to Paul      12

       Doing Theology      16

       The Basis for Certain Assumptions      19

 

 

Section I   The Journey of Paul's Person

 

 

Chap 2  Paul's Journey Begins and Emerges..................................................... 23

       The Journey Begins      23

       The Journey Emerges      27

            Whom Paul Encountered      28

            The Nature of the Interaction      28

            Paul's Response to the Embodied Word      31

 

Chap 3  Development in Paul's Journey............................................................. 35

       Paul's Antecedents and Sources      35

       Knowing Christ and 'in Christ'      42

       Paul's Transition to Apostle (for the Whole of Humanity)      47

       Paul's Thought      51

       Paul's Gospel      57

 

Chap 4  Paul's Journey Matures......................................................................... 63

       The Whole of Paul and His Witness      63

       The Whole in Paul and His Theology      71

 

  

Section II   Paul and Theology

 

 

Chap 5  The Theological Paul.............................................................................. 87

       The Subject of Theology      88

       The Purpose of Theology      93

       Interpreting Paul's Theology      98

 

Chap 6  Paul's Theological Systemic Framework............................................ 105

       Cosmology and God      107

       Anthropology and God      111

            The Roots      112

            The Heart      118

            The Function      120

       Theology of Wholeness      124

 

Chap 7  Paul's Theological Forest – Part 1...................................................... 135

       Theological Forest Defined      135

       Sine Qua Non for the Forest      140

       The Forest Enacted      143

       The Forest Embodied      144

       Paul's Pleroma Christology      146

       Pleroma Christology Completed      156

 

Chap 8 Paul's Theological Forest – Part 2....................................................... 167

       Pleroma Soteriology      169

       Pleroma Soteriology Completed      176

       Theology of Belonging      183

       Theology of Ontological Identity      189

 

Chap 9 Paul's Theological Forest – Part 3....................................................... 195

Pleroma Pneumatology      196

       Participating in God's Life      206

Ecclesiology of the Whole      208

     Pauline Development      209

     The Roots of Ekklesia      209

Paul's Pleroma Ecclesiology      211

     Its Functional Basis      212

     Its Ontology and Function of the Church      217

     Its Functional Significance      221

     Its Functional Imperatives and Implications      227

 

Chap 10 The Church Alive in Wholeness......................................................... 235

       The Church on the Offensive      236

       Leadership in the New Creation      237

       The Church in Love      242

       The Church in the New Relational Order      245

       The Church as Equalizer from the Inner Out      248

       The Church in Its Own Difference      259

 

 

Section III  Further Theological & Textual Notes

 

 

Chap 11  Supplemental Theological Notes....................................................... 267

 

Eleven Interrelated Questions in Paul’s Theology............................................ 268

1.     How important is continuity and discontinuity in Paul?............................... 268

2.     Is reductionism a straw man in Paul's polemic which becomes reified as his

      discourse unfolds?.......................................................................................... 269

3.     How much of Paul's claim to have received direct revelation from God can be factored in

      to make definitive the whole in his theology, the development of which goes both further

      than Judaism and even deeper than the Jesus tradition.............................. 270

4.     How important was methodology to Paul's theology?.................................. 272

5.     What was the nature of Paul's faith-response to God's revelation and how did it differ from

      OT faith? Was Paul's view of faith (including for justification) any different than James'

      view?................................................................................................................ 273

6.     How did Paul see works and what did he mean by doing good, good works?....... 276

7.     As a Jew and a Christian, what was Paul's understanding of God's people?...... 278

8.     As a Jew and a Christian and an adopted son, to what extent did change

      need to take effect 'already' for his theology to be functional?............................ 280

9.     Since the influence of reduced human ontology and function limits this relational outcome,

      what was Paul's position on religio-cultural and sociocultural practices which may

      appear to be problematic, or not?..................................................................... 281

10.  Given Paul's emphasis on the relational outcome 'already' of God's relational response to

      the human condition, how is Paul's discourse on slaves congruent with this relational

      outcome, and his directives for them compatible with its function in transformed

      relationships together?..................................................................................... 283

11.  Equally important, if not more, how are Paul's new creation view of women and his

      prescriptions for them in agreement, and how are his directives compatible for

      the relational outcome of God's new creation family?........ 284

 

●  A twelfth question for all of Paul’s readers....................................................... 292

 

 

Chap 12  Additional Textual Notes................................................................... 293

       1 Thessalonians (294); 2 Thessalonians (295); 1 Corinthians (296);

       2 Corinthians (301); Galatians (304); Romans (307); Colossians (318); Philemon (320);

       Ephesians (321); Philippians (324); Titus (327); 1 Timothy (328); 2 Timothy (330)

 

Bibliography........................................................................................................ 333

 

Scripture Index.................................................................................................... 337

 

  ©2010 T. Dave Matsuo, Ph.D.                 back to top            home