THE APOSTLE PAUL: THEOLOGIAN-MISSIONARY AND PASTOR-THEOLOGIAN. TOWARDS A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SAINT PAUL

This Article is an attempt to shed light on a few texts of the acts of the Apostles and of the epistles which are viewed as sources documenting the life and activity of Saint Paul. The author attempts to settle a number of questions regarding the authenticity of sources illustrating the life of Saint Paul. Similar questions are often raised by those who write and publish guides and textbooks for the teaching of the Pauline corpus. The author agrees with the overwhelming positive judgment of the academic world regarding the authenticity of the pastoral epistles, but at the same time he notes a number of objections to their authenticity proposed by the same forum: inconsistencies within the vocabulary of the texts themselves, their linguistic style, and their theological argumentation. The author concludes that these objections are inconclusive and the features enumerated by those who object constitute in reality only minor exceptions, inconsequential when taking into account the entire Pauline corpus. The author also examines the authenticity and historical accuracy of the account of the life of Saint Paul as given in the Acts of the Apostles. A few Biblicists claim that the account in Acts is merely legendary and is to be regarded as a type of early Christian folklore. The author disagrees with this opinion, backing up his position with the evidence that both the Acts of the Apostles and the Pastoral Epistles agree in historical detail and background. The author concludes with a further consideration regarding the correct method guiding biblical research on Saint Paul. He opines that such research must view the biblical texts in a correct historical perspectiv