Instructional objectives.

Overview Welcome to the " Epistles of Paul." Those who elect to walk the seldom traveled path of the Christianity of Jesus of Nazareth and the apostles Peter, Paul, John, and James, seek to follow in Jesus' footsteps. The Apostle Paul said to follow him as he followed Christ and to emulate his example of obedience to God. To do so requires an understanding of apostolic teachings and the will to live by the apostles' doctrine. Our collective task is the examination of the history, traditions, and myths surrounding the early church to arrive at a fuller understanding of the period and " for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints " (Jude 1:3). This course focuses on the teachings, message, background, purposes, and themes of Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians and Galatians with special emphasis on the understanding of core doctrines. Students encounter leading issues and engage in assigned readings, conceptualization activities, and vocabulary building. Course catalog description for this course This is the first of two courses focused on the Apostle Paul's life and writings including the background, message, purposes and theme of each of his epistles. Emphasis is upon the first four epistles addressed to specific churches (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Galatians). Upon completion, students should be able to use analysis tools to read, understand, and explain these biblical writings. Course credit Three (3) semester credit hours. On completion of this course, a student should be able to: 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the author, background, theme and content of each book; 2. Discuss important concepts contained in each book that relate to understanding the history and development of the New Testament Church and its doctrines; 3. Identify and discuss key points of books that are subject to textual criticism; 4. State and demonstrate the Apostle Paul's teaching on various doctrines and themes throughout all of his epistles and in particular his views on Christian living; and Paul spent 18 months in Corinth before the Jews of the city charged him with breaking the law and brought him before Gallio at the city's place of judgment (The Bema). The mention of Gallio provides an anchor for New Testament chronology as we know from Roman sources that Gallio was proconsul of Achaia from June 51 to May 52. Standing on this platform, the proconsul dismissed the charges against Paul as a dispute of Jewish law …