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  • From: Edgar Krentz <ekrentz AT lstc.edu>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Disputed Pauline letters
  • Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 15:52:16 -0600


>I'm wondering whether recent discussion of the authorship of the disputed
>Paulines has altered the assumptions and vocabulary employed in the study
>and teaching of Paul. E.g., do folks now refer to the "seven undisputed
>letters" rather than the "genuine letters"? (In addition to not prejudging
>the question, I find that this terminology also reduces student resistance
>to entertaining the questions involved.) And has anyone's mind been
>changed by e.g. Luke Johnson on the Pastorals or by Markus Barth on
>Ephesians and Colossians? I'll start the bidding by admitting that I
>presently see no grounds for denying 2 Thess to Paul and very little for
>Colossians, and 2 Timothy seems quite debatable.
>
>I'm not at this point proposing an all-out debate on any of these examples,
>although that might be fun, just wondering about the current state of
>affairs in the study and classroom.
>
Jeff,

I have no problem with the term "undisputed"--though I also at times use
the term "authentic." I like Sheila McGinn's terminology of "disputed" and
"pseudonymous," which recognizes current debate. The new commentary on
Ephesians in the ICC series by Ernest Best gives a good survey of reasons
for thinking it is not Pauline.

I have great difficulty in thinking that Paul wrote 2 Thess; I detailed the
theological basis for that in a paper to the Theology of the Pauline
letters group of SBL, printed in volume one of the four volume series.

But there are also philological grounds for some of the difficulties. And
these have been best detailed in a work of William Wrede years ago,then
reinforced in recent years. I dealt with these in another SBL paper, still
unpublished after 25 years. But since John Hurd recently published his
paper defending the authenticity, I may have to dust mine off, bring it up
to date, and see if I can get it into print.



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Edgar Krentz
Professor of New Testament Emeritus
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
1100 E. 55th Street
Chicago, IL 60615 USA
773-256-0752
e-mail: ekrentz AT lstc.edu (Office)
emkrentz AT mcs.com (Home)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++






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