since you asked…

Dear NCC: Since the Holy Father has declared a Jubilee Year of St. Paul, I’m wondering: What is the best way for me to learn about St. Paul?

At the prompting of Pope Benedict, Catholics and indeed, all Christians, have been urged to celebrate the 2000^th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul during 2008-2009 by studying his letters and by praying with his deeply religious and foundational insights.

Scholars place Paul’s birth between the years 5 and 10 of the Christian era in Tarsus, a city located in present day Turkey. He was born to a Jewish family in the Diaspora (Jews living outside the Holy Land) and members of his family were Roman citizens. Saul was his Jewish name and Paul his Roman name.

Because of his Roman citizenship, scholars think Paul came from an influential and educated background. Paul himself tells us he came from a highly religious family who were Pharisees. For many Christians, the word “Pharisee” denotes “a hypocrite” but in reality the vast majority of Pharisees was made up of pious Jews who lived not only the letter but the spirit of the Law of Moses. Jesus disputed with the religious officials of his time, many of whom were Pharisees, precisely because those Pharisees honored more the letter of the Law and not the spirit of the Law of Moses.

To best understand Paul, a person needs to read his letters. Galatians is his “autobiography.” Paul’s life and journeys are also narrated in the Acts of the Apostles. However, we need to remind ourselves that Acts was written many years after Paul’s death. We also must keep in mind the theological aim of Acts, understanding that the events related therein are more idealized than historical, as we might today understand the word “history.”

When a person reads Paul’s letters, the Christian may wonder why Paul does not write about the life or ministry or even the words of Jesus, as do the familiar gospels. Paul was writing letters to individual Christian communities with the exception of the letter to the slave owner Philemon. These communities may have been experiencing difficulties. He wrote letters of encouragement, ethical teachings and sometimes letters aimed to correct wrong beliefs or immoral behaviors.

Paul wrote his letters grounded in his belief in the singular importance of Jesus’ coming into this world. In short, Paul concentrated on what we might call “the Christ event,” that is, Paul’s writings consist of theological reflections, not storytelling.

We may prefer to hear a story about Jesus but for Paul and for the early Church, as for the Catholic Church of the 21^st century, who Jesus is and why Jesus is important to Christians generally, to me individually and, in fact, to the whole world is the basis of our Christian faith.

The question of where to start in one’s studying or praying with St. Paul can be challenging for a person. Do I open my New Testament and start with Paul’s first listed letter to the Romans? My suggestion is not to start with Romans. The reasons I would give are that this letter is his longest and most difficult and it was probably one of the last letters he wrote.

Paul’s letters are listed in the New Testament not chronologically but by length: Romans, the longest and Philemon, the shortest. Additionally, the pastoral letters, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, while representing Paul’s thought, were probably written by his disciples who wanted to pass on the Church order that evolved from Paul’s teachings. Probably also redacted by his disciples were 2 Thessalonians as well as Colossians and Ephesians. All six of these letters whose authorship may be disputed by many biblical scholars, nevertheless represent genuine Pauline thought and should be taken seriously by Christians.

There is no substitute for reading Paul’s letters themselves. Perhaps one could start with 1 Thessalonians, likely the earliest letter dating from around 51 and describing tensions that Community was experiencing because some members had died before Christ’s expected second coming; then moving to 1 and 2 Corinthians that speak of real Christians trying to live in the real world; then Galatians that contains autobiographical information and stresses the importance of freedom because of faith in Jesus; then Philippians to be read as a spiritual experience of what genuine Christian joy is; then to Philemon which accepts slavery as a social institution of the day but which also puts slaves and owners on an equal plain; and finally reading Romans, written in his anticipated journey there to a Community started by others to explain how Paul understands the depths of the Christ event for all peoples. This general sequence of reading might be a helpful way to study and pray with the Apostle to the Nations, as Paul is aptly called.

Reading the introduction to a particular letter of Paul in a bible that offers introductions and other notes for readers (e.g., The New American Bible) can orient a person and such material aids a person in better understanding Paul’s points. All Paul’s letters are specific to a particular situation. It is important to understand the context of what is written in Scripture in order to avoid misinterpretation of a passage. Everything written by Paul and transmitted by his disciples can be helpful to Christians 2000 years later. However, not every situation today can find an answer in Scripture, except in a general way.

Additionally, during this Jubilee Year of St. Paul, many other spiritual and study resources are available. The Diocesan web site is a good place to start, if a person would like valuable and sound recommendations for materials on Paul.

Slowly reading a passage of Paul, then thinking and praying with it for a brief period [maybe just 15 minutes] can be a very rewarding spiritual experience. But like all things, success in prayer requires discipline. My advice is to read Paul on a regular basis in order to experience the greatest spiritual insights.

Father Jonathan A. Woodhall, Ph.D., is a retired priest of the Diocese. He is Assistant Director of the Diocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate and a member of the adjunct faculty of St. Mary Seminary and University, Baltimore, MD.