This winter and spring, beginning February 15, our whole congregation will be studying the letters of the Apostle Paul – and we’re using the excellent video course available to us through Harvard University to do so. Here’s all you need to know to participate in the study, which you can do at your own pace, whenever you wish. If you want to follow along with the timeline we’ve established as a congregation, and participate in an ongoing conversation as people engage in the study, study time is approximately 50-90 minutes per week, spanning over six weeks – see the timeline below, which will enable participants to finish before Easter. But feel free to get started early if you wish! And remember, it is not hard to catch up if you start late too.
Our Adult Education committee has also written a study guide to accompany the course. This study guide tracks closely to the dedicated pages for each week that we’ve set up on our website (see links below), available for people to discuss the content, ask questions, and share insights. In addition, when you sign up using the sign-up page (see link below) you will receive a weekly email written by our Adult Education staff to help you stay connected, and on-track. Lastly, we have scheduled several live events for people to come together to share what they are learning – see below.
Register: Click here for registration instructions, and to learn more about navigating the HarvardX materials.
Study: Click here to download the full text of our study guide.
Live Gatherings: There are several live gatherings as part of our study, so that those who engage in the course can join together for discussion and support – and gain additional knowledge and insights on Paul’s letters.
- Orientation. The first gathering is designed to orient people to the class, an after-worship Institute for Christian Living class on February 15.
- Dinner gatherings. There will be two dinners for people to come together to discuss the course content, March 1 and March 22 at 6:15pm in the Fellowship Center (freewill offering for dinner of approximately $7).
- Institute for Christian Living Classes by Dr. Dan Migliore. Lastly, in order to reinforce our on-line learning with another perspective, we have the benefit of a three-part Institute for Christian Living presentation by Dr. Dan Migliori, retired professor of New Testament from Princeton Theological Seminary, 11:30-12:30 on March 8, March 15, and March 22.
Stay in conversation: Click the links below to access the weekly study guide lessons and post your thoughts about the reading. Note that the suggested dates keep us on track as a congregation, and allow us to finish just before Easter. Feel free to get started earlier – or later. We’ll continue to monitor each week’s topics discussion throughout the course.
Week 1, February 15, Topics 1 and 2: “Introduction” and “What Are the Letters of Paul?”
Week 2 February 22, Topics 3 and 4: “Historical Context of Letter Writing” and “Rhetoric”
Week 3 March 1, Topics 5 and 6: “Canon, Part 1” and “Canon, Part 2”
Week 4 March 8, Topics 7 and 8: “Imperial Context” and “Diversity in Judaism: Josephus”
Week 5 March 15, Topics 9 and 10: “Diversity in Judaism: Roman Imperialism and Jewish Dynamism” and “1 Corinthians”
Week 6 March 22, Topics 11, 12, and 13: “Wisdom/Knowledge/Prophecy,” “How Did Early Christian Communities Interpret 1 Corinthians?” and “Conclusion”)
