• Pastorals--the terms "sin," "promise," "righteousness," and "to believe" never appear
• apostles--dead; Paul as THE APOSTLE (assumed in taking Paul's name),no "12"
• Eph 2:20: built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
• redemption--emphasis on cosmic reconciliation more than conquering sin & death; also forgiveness of sins
• Col 2:13-15: And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, {14} erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. {15} He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
• baptism--spiritual translation to heavenly realm
• Col 3:1-3: So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. {2} Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, {3} for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
• Col 2:12-23: when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. {13} And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses
• Col 2:20: If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world?

• the central Pauline term parousia never appears; substitution of the term "epiphany" (which never appears in the seven-letter corpus)
• gospel--truths of salvation (e.g., Col 1:5)
• faith--doctrine
• sacrificial death of Christ
• "ransom" idea
• 1 Tim 2:5-6: For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, {6} who gave himself a ransom for all --this was attested at the right time.
• but incomplete?
• Col 1:24: I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.
• ekklesia--more emphasis on universal church rather than local church
• ekklesia--Christ as head of body, not body as members of Christ (Col 1:18, 24)
• Col 2:19: and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
• cf. Eph 5:23-25: For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior.
• ekklesia--"household of God"
• 1 Tim 3:5: for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church?
• 1 Tim 3:15: if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.
• ekklesia--this "household of God" is modeled after patriarchal human household:
• This means reducing the number of female church leaders/employees and doubling the pay for men
• 1 Tim 5:16: If any believing woman has relatives who are really widows, let her assist them; let the church not be burdened, so that it can assist those who are real widows.
• cf. 1 Tim 5:3-14
• 1 Tim 5:17-18: Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching; {18} for the scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves to be paid."
• women responsible for sin
• 1 Tim 2:14: and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
• So, only men should lead prayer
• 1 Tim 2:8: I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument
• And women should be submissive to men in everything
• 1 Tim 2:11: Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. {12} I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. {13} For Adam was formed first, then Eve
• cf. 1 Cor 14:34-35
• And THERE ARE TWO TRACKS TO SALVATION, one for men and one for women
• men are saved through faith and baptism
• women must take the "mommy track"
• 1 Tim 2:15: Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

This page has been accessed  times since 31 January 2000 Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Religious Studies John Carroll University Last page update: 31 January 2000 This site designed and maintained by Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D. copyright © 1999, 2000 Sheila E. McGinn

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