5AAT2020 Paul in Context
Credit value: 15
Module tutor: Dr Edward Adams
Assessment: one 2,500-word essay (40%) and one two-hour exam in May /June (Period II) (60%)
Teaching pattern: Two-hour weekly classes over ten weeks.
Availability: view module availability for current/next academic year
Pre-requisites: none
This course will introduce students to the study of Paul and his letters and enhance students’ skills in handling Pauline texts and problems of interpretation relating to them. The course will examine specific aspects of the life, work and thought of Paul, such as his conversion, his letter-writing activity, his churches, his view of the Jewish law and his views on sex and marriage, and will introduce students to trends (especially recent trends) and methods in Pauline scholarship. The teaching sessions will be lecture-based but the lectures will be interactive time in each session time will be set aside for class discussion.
Sample topics
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Paul’s first-century context
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Paul’s life and ‘conversion’
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Paul the letter-writer
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Paul’s churches
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Paul in Corinth
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Paul’s theology: key themes and issues
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Paul, the Law and Judaism
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Paul’s ethics
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Paul on women, marriage and celibacy
Preliminary reading
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C.K.Barrett, Paul: An Introduction to His Thought, 1994
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B.Ehrman, Peter, Paul and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend, 2006
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R.Griffith-Jones, The Gospel According to Paul, Harper 2004
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D.G.Horrell, An Introduction to the Study of Paul, Second edn, 2006 (course set text)
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N.T.Wright, What Saint Paul Really Said, 1997
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J.Ziesler, Pauline Christianity, revised edn, 1990
Further information
Module aims
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the study of Paul and his letters and the questions and techniques specific to the study of Pauline texts and their interpretation.
Learning outcomes
Generic skills
By the end of the course, students will be able to
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engage analytically and critically with primary sources, using appropriate methods of interpretation;
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engage critically with scholarly research and writing;
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confidently articulate ideas and arguments in written form and in interaction with others in classroom discussion.
Course specific skills
Students will be able to:
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assess critically trends, especially recent trends, and methodological issues in the study of Paul;
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deploy a knowledge of the life and mission of Paul in social and historical context and gain an appreciation of his contribution to the rise of Christianity;
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explore Paul's interactions with the communities he founded
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analyze specific Pauline texts using discipline-specific methodology.
Past syllabi
Previous syllabus document available on request from
trs@kcl.ac.uk
Please note that module syllabus and topics covered may vary from year to year.