Setting

   You are a Christian freedperson, originally from Colossae, now doing missionary work in Asia Minor. Following the precedent of the case of Onesimus, your community considered your baptism to entail legal emancipation.
     Now one of your churches has received a copy of the First Letter to Timothy, which claims Paul's authority for telling baptized slaves to remain submissive to their masters, even if they are Christians (1 Tim 6:1-5). The church is confused by this doctrine because they learned that Paul taught that "one who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedperson of the Lord" (I Cor 7:22a). Also, they know Jesus' saying that Christians are not to "lord it over" one another (Luke 22:24-26; cf. Rom 12:16 and 2 Cor 1:24).
     Write your own epistle to respond to this dilemma. As above, beware the anachronism. Remember to support your stance by using as much direct reference to the primary sources as possible, but restrict yourself to whatever would have been available to the audience at that time.

Options

    You have been trying to decide how to respond to this situation, and have discovered three main alternatives:

1. Paul has really not changed his mind; the ecclesia had misunderstood his teaching before this, and 1 Tim clarifies what Paul meant.
2. Paul has changed his mind; the ecclesia must follow along with this change so the gospel will be heard and respected.
3. Paul could not possibly have written 1 Timothy because it sells out the gospel to conform to the social structures of "this present evil age." Even if Paul were the author, the ecclesia must reject this message because it contradicts fundamental elements of the gospel message.

Assignment

1. First introduce your character, giving a brief description of your social location (sex, class, ethnic origin, clan, etc.)
2. Then, speaking as that person, respond to the following questions:
   1. Given your own knowledge of the teachings and actions of Paul and his earliest disciples, what will you encourage your Jesus-ecclesia to do when faced with this situation? Remember, they are coming to you for advice, so you cannot "cop out" by saying they have to make up their own minds. Besides, how they act will have consequences for you because you are known as members of the same worshipping community.
   2. Which of these three emphases do you think has more support in Paul's own theology? Or, if you find none of these options desirable, what would be your response based on Paul's teachings?
   3. Where are at least five specific examples of sayings or actions of Paul or his earliest disciples that support your responses to these questions? (Give the Biblical citations in parentheses in your text.) Remember that these examples must come from sources or texts that antedate the time when you are living. You can assume that your character knows all of Paul's authentic letters, since they have had enough time to make the circuit of the Pauline churches, but the deutero-Pauline letters are not likely to be known (except for 2 Thess, by oral tradition), and the Pastoral Epistles have not yet been written. Selections from The Acts of Thecla are available in oral tradition.
3. In a post-script, reflect on your character and her/his response to the situation. How does it compare to the way Paul lived and the gospel he preached? In what ways do you agree or disagree with Paul?
4. To prepare to present your paper in class, outline your responses to the following questions (on a separate sheet of paper):
   1. What was your experience writing this paper?
   2. How did this process affect your view/understanding of the Pauline and other NT materials?
   3. What issue(s) did the process raise that you would like to explore further?
   4. What is the most important thing you learned by doing this exercise?

Questions for Class Discussion

Sample papers (but beware the plagiarism demon; DO NOT PRINT OUT THESE FILES):

Angela Carpenter, 26 April 1999
Mike Johnston, 27 April 1998

to see the Grading Protocol for these assignments