Chapter 16 Reading Guide

In the Wake of the Apostle: The Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral Epistles
  1. What reasons did people have for forging literary works?
  1. What are some typical clues that a document is written pseudonymously?
  1. What is the ostensible occasion for each of the Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral Epistles (i.e., what situation do they appear to presuppose)?
  1. What are the arguments against Pauline authorship of each of the Deutero-Pauline and Pastoral Epistles (there are somewhat different arguments for each of them)? Do you find these arguments persuasive? Why or why not?
  1. Why do most scholars think that the same author was responsible for all three of the Pastoral Epistles?
  1. How does the understanding of salvation differ between the Deutero-Pauline Epistles and the undisputed letters?
  1. What evidence exists to suggest that women played a prominent role in Paul’s churches?
  1. How did women fare in Pauline churches after Paul passed off the scene? How do you explain their demise from positions of prestige and authority?
  1. Why do many scholars question the Pauline authorship of 1 Corinthians 14:34–35?
  1. How does Galatians 3:28 fit into Paul’s overall view of women?
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