Chronological order of the Pauline Letters
Chris Cutler
Chrisc at powercall.co.uk
Tue Mar 30 17:20:51 EST 1999
Wes Williams wrote:
I have always had a desire to detail the chronological order of Paul's
letter.
[snip]
Is this a fairly accurate sketch?
Book Place Completed
1 Thessalon Corinth c. 50
2 Thessalon Corinth c. 51
Galatians Corinth or c. 50-52
Syrian Antioch
1 Corinthians Ephesus c. 55
2 Corinthians Macedonia c. 55
Romans Corinth c. 56
Ephesians Rome c. 60-61
Philippians Rome c. 60-61
Colossians Rome c. 60-61
Philemon Rome c. 60-61
(for those who hold to a Pauline authorship)
Hebrews Rome c. 61
Titus Macedonia (?) c. 61-64
1 Timothy Macedonia c. 61-64
2 Timothy Rome c. 65
Chris replies:
You may find the opening chapter of "Paul a critical life" (Jerome
Murphy-O'Connor 1996) useful.
Here are some of his biographical time lines for you to put alongside
yours:
c6 BC Birth
AD33 Conversion
34 Arabia
34-37 Damascus
37 Jerusalem
37-? Syria and Cilicia
51 Jerusalem (2nd visit)
Jerome fills in the years before the Jerusalem conference thus:
Winter 45-6 Antioch
April 46 Departure from Antioch
April-Sept 46 Journey to Galatia
Sept 46 - May 48 Ministry in Galatia
Summer 48 Journey to Macedonia
Sept 48- April 50 Ministry in Macedonia
April 50 Journey to Corinth
April 50 - Sept 51 Ministry in Corinth
Sept 51 Journey to Jerusalem
October 51 Jerusalem Conference
And after the conference:
Winter 51-2 Antioch
April-July 52 Journey to Ephesus
Aug 52 - Oct 54 Ephesus
Winter 54 - 5 Macedonia
Summer 55 Illycrium
Winter 55 - 6 Corinth
Summer 56 Journey to Jerusalem
57? - 61? Jerusalem - Caesarea
Sept 61 - Spring 62 Journey to Rome
Early Summer 64 Spain
64-66 Around the Aegean
67 Death in Rome
Hope this helps.
In the interests of stimulating debate, may I suggest the following:
Paul's conversion was "on the road to Damascus" when he was
pursuing/persecuting Christians.
The town of Damascus was outside his juristiction, Qumran was much closer
to Jerusalem, and certainly was not.
If, as has been suggested elsewhere, (sorry, can't remember where I read
it) Damascus was a cognomen for Qumran, the Journey to Damascus would make
more sense.
Could then if his early years 34-37 in Damascus really mean that he spent 3
years in the Qumran monastery?
Just a thought :-)
Chris
Chris & Ariane Cutler
What liberates is the knowledge of who we were, what we became; where we
were, whereinto we have been thrown; whereto we speed, wherefrom we are
redeemmed; what birth is, and what rebirth." (Exc. Theod. 78.2)
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