Author Archives: gabriel

Paul’s Epistles, Part 1: Colossians, First Timothy, Galatians, Romans, Ephesians

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Saint Paul Writing His Epistles | All Works | The MFAH Collections
Saint Paul writing his Epistles.

Making up the majority of the books of the New Testament, Paul’s Epistles are important to Church literature. The structure of the New Testament: Gospels (life and ministry of Jesus), Acts (the story of the early church), and Epistles (letters of encouragement or condemnation to different people or people groups). Tending to have different topics, sovereignty is the main theme in Colossians, authority in First Timothy, Law in Galatians, Sanctions in Romans, and Succession in Ephesians. 

Paul wrote Colossians during his time in prison under Emperor Nero in 60 AD. It teaches that Jesus Christ is the creator of the universe, head of the church, and reconciler of all things. Paul wrote this to affirm the Colossians’ faith in Christ. Always beginning his Epistles with a greeting, Paul went on to proclaim the sovereignty of Christ and identified Him as the designer of the world and image of God. 

Timothy is one of three pastoral Epistles, the others being Second Timothy and Titus. Written in 63 AD, the main authority is discussed frequently, specifically authority in the Church. Paul asserted his apostleship by the command of God and Christ. Since the Law of God is not for the righteous but for the unrighteous person, Paul offered a list of sins and identified himself as the chief of sinners. Paul called for the establishment of a hierarchy in the Church: men over women. He also listed the qualifications of Church offices. 

Created in the 50s, the main issue of Galatians was Law and Grace. Paul said the Gospel that he preached was sent by God. Also preaching to the Gentiles, Paul explained that since Titus was regarded as a holy and respected man but was not circumcised, no one else should be. Challenging Peter at Antioch, Paul rebuked him for going back under the old Mosaic Laws of eating and circumcision. 

Written in 57 AD, Romans vividly described the judgement of God and Sanctions. Paul explained that the power of the Gospel is given to all who believe, first to the Jews then to Greeks. A true Jew is one only inwardly, not outwardly, Paul asserted “circumcision of the heart,” for both Jews and Gentiles. Moreover, Gentiles are not under the Mosaic Law, but instead need to know the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. Paul ends by stating that God gave up man to uncleanness, and He will bring tribulation and anguish to those who rebel. 

In Ephesians, Succession and Inheritance are the central themes. Trusting in Christ is the downpayment of eternal inheritance. Knowing all things, Christ was resurrected and ascended. Paul said, “God has placed all things under His feet.” and ends Ephesians by instructing people to respect hierarchies outside of the Church, (families, masters, and slaves) and to “put on the whole armor of God.” 

9th and 10th Century Invasions

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Viking Ship - 10th Century #1 by Granger
10th Century depiction of a Viking Longship.

Starting in the 9th Century, Western Europe was barraged by Invasions from all sides, with these overwhelming attacks continuing into the 10th Century. People known as Norse, Northmen, or Vikings from Scandinavia began raiding coastal and river cities in France. 

After the death of King Louis the Pious, the Franks failed to end the invasions due to their weak central government and inability to conduct proper naval warfare. Unlike the barbarians who attacked the Roman Empire in the 3rd Century, the Vikings did not respect or want to live in Frankish lands. This caused them to be extremely brutal, destroying and looting everything in their path. Setting their sights inland, the Vikings would besiege Paris four times, pillage it three times, and burn it twice in the course of 40 years. After these raids, the Vikings would return to their homes in Scandinavia with the riches. 

Being too weak to provide protection, kings in Western Europe lost much of their power giving way to the development of feudalism. Victims of Vikings sought protection from local figures called “lords” instead of kings. In return the local lords received labor from the people called “serfs.” “Vassals” were warriors who helped defend the community and received land as compensation. 

Eventually, the Franks were forced to concede land to the Vikings (despite the Vikings not wanting to settle in foreign lands) in order to please them. This is the part of France known as “Normandy” which was given over in 911. The German lands did not suffer from Viking pillaging, but were instead faced with enemies from Central Asia known as “Magyars.” These people were not nearly as brutal as the Vikings and by 1000, many had converted to Christianity, settling in what is now Hungary. 

Around this time, England was composed of different people groups including the Angles and Saxons, who were Germanic peoples, the native Britons, and beginning in the 8th Century, even Viking attackers from Denmark. Most of the Britons accepted the conquests and did not fight, but some who wished to keep resisting settled in Wales. Seven kingdoms emerged in England: which were: Kent (populated by Danish), Essex, Sussex, and Wessex (populated by Saxons), Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia (populated by Angles). Under the rule of Alfred the Great (871-899), Wessex eventually became the most powerful of all the English kingdoms. Constructing a navy and fortifications, Alfred successfully defeated the Vikings. He also exerted the power of the Wessex monarchy which would lead to the lineage of the Kings of all of England. 

The Book of Acts

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Conversion of Paul the Apostle - Wikipedia
Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle.

The author of the book of Acts is unknown, but church tradition ascribes it to Luke who also is thought to have written the Gospel of Luke. Acts was composed in the early 60s during the reign of Emperor Nero. It is a historical account of the journey of the Apostles and starts from the final days of Jesus’ ministry and continues until the end of Paul’s ministry. 

In the first chapter, Jesus’ Ascension is described, when He called the Apostles to spread the gospel to all peoples of the earth and were also instructed to speak in the languages of the people to whom they preached. Declaring Jesus as the fulfillment of older prophecies, Peter cited Joel 2. Since Jesus had departed, the Apostles were given the power to heal the sick. This caused conflict with the Sadducees, who forbade them from performing miracles in Jesus’ name. Despite being arrested, the Apostles refused to remain silent. After escaping by a miracle, they proclaimed that they must obey God, not men. 

Witnessing the martyrdom of Stephen by the Sadducees, Saul was a persecutor of Christians. Persecution did not work as intended against the Christians, whose faith was only strengthened by it. While on the road to Damascus to kill Christians, Saul was converted to Christianity by divine will and adopted the name Paul. Consequently, Peter abandoned his exclusive commitment of preaching only to Jews after being convinced by Paul that the Gentiles must too receive the good news. In Antioch, the term “Christians” is first used. 

The focus of the book was historical and the goals of the author were to: continue the story of the church post-Ascension, explain the opposition of the religious leaders, chronicle the growth of the Church on Pentecost and after, document the development of the Church as an institution where authority shifted away from Jesus to the Apostles, show the expansion of the Church to Samaria, Ethiopia, and Antioch, show the transition away from Mosaic dietary laws, and affirm the equality of the Gentiles in the Church. Having authority to work miracles and receive commands from the Holy Spirit, the Apostles were also a source of doctrine. 

The theme of the stories that are told in the book of Acts is the expansion of the early Church and the ministry of the Apostles. The stories show continuity: prophecy and fulfillment. Christianity was not thought of as the religion of one people, as it extended across borders and languages. Instead, Baptism was the sign of the New Covenant.