Corpus-Paul

[Yuri Kuchinsky <yuku AT globalserve.net>]

On Thu, 7 Oct 1999, Jeffrey B. Gibson wrote:

> "Perry L. Stepp" wrote:
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jimi Fosdick
> >
> > >> I have for some time been aware of the general scholarly concensus that
> > >> the so-called "pastoral" epistles (I&II Tim, Titus) are not 
> > >> authentically
> > >> Pauline, which is to say not written by HP. I am wondering what the
> > >>degree
> > >> of certainty is regarding the other letters of the Pauline corpus.
> >
> > I don't know if we can really talk about "certainty"--some of us still
> > regard the Pastorals as proceeding from the historical Paul.  I might 
> > point
> > out that I. Howard Marshall (author of the forthcoming International
> > Critical Commentary on the Pastorals) falls into that camp, as do/did
> > Bruce, Fee, Spicq, Guthrie, E. E. Ellis, and Luke T. Johnson--all 
> > respected
> > scholars.
> >
> 
> Having been "in on" the Xtalk discussion Jimi refers to, I think what
> he is really asking is either how seriously is the thesis of the old
> "Dutch School" that NONE of the epistles attributed to Paul are
> authentic or how certain can we be that the epistles as they stand
> have not been so seriously redacted/intepolated/rewritten by the time
> of out first manuscript testimony that they are in any way
> representative of what Paul first wrote?

Well, Jeffrey, the Dutch School (which the oft-sited by me Darrel Doughty
seems to be an adherent of) was really too far out on the critical side
re: authenticity, IMHO. And the modern (near) consensus it far too
conservative, also IMHO. So I do think Alfred Loisy has achieved the
synthesis that is closest to the truth.

Once again, I invite those interested in this subject to examine the new
additions to my webpage that include a brief analysis and the
reconstruction of the Epistle to the Romans based on Loisy.

Best wishes,

Yuri. 
                                                         
Yuri Kuchinsky || Toronto
                                
http://www.trends.net/~yuku/bbl/bbl.htm                  

"It is so much easier to assume than to prove; it is so much less painful
to believe than to doubt; there is such a charm in the repose of
prejudice, when no discordant voice jars upon the harmony of belief; there
is such a thrilling pang when cherished dreams are scattered, and old
creeds abandoned, that it is not surprising that men close their eyes to
the unwelcome light" -- W.E.H. Lecky (A History of Rationalism)