Wallace S. Jungers
With this book, “All About Paul”, Mr. Jungers has added another collection of his e-mails on Christianity to those found in his previous four books. Saint Paul has always been his favorite apostle. The reasons for that are highlighted in this book.
Paul has been called, “The Father of Theology”, rightly so; some, by exaggeration, say he is the “Father of Christianity”. Mr. Jungers prefers to think about Paul in his own terms as the “Doulos Xristou Iesou”, the slave of Christ Jesus. Christ was his Master and Paul was a spiritual slave to him.
We know real facts about Paul’s life, facts gleaned from his authentic letters, and from the Acts of the Apostles, written by his friend and companion, Luke. Mr. Jungers has gathered together these facts from their sources and added his own insights, gleaned from years of meditation on the words of the “Greatest Apostle” of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s own dictum sums up neatly his relationship with his Master:
“If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord
And believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
You will be saved.”
(Rm 10:9)
Wallace S. Jungers, S.T.B., is a graduate of Woodstock College in Theology, where he studied under the renowned theologian, John Courtney Murray. He also has been awarded degrees in Philosophy, Ph. L., and in Chemistry, B.S.
Mr. Jungers taught Chemistry at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia and at Loyola College in Baltimore.
From the viewpoint of a modern Christian, Mr. Jungers has been explaining the New Testament to believers who are searching for a better understanding of the “vera et sincera” (true and honest) deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. Well versed in Greek and Latin, Mr. Jungers translates from the Greek text of Mr. Kurt Aland et alii (4th Ed), called UBS4.
As an advocate of the modern trend of “Praying the Scriptures”, Mr. Jungers brings life to these ancient documents, which form the basis of the Christian Faith.
He lives in La Mesa, California with his wife, Sue, who is the retired long-term principal of Mt. Carmel Academy in Chicago. They have two married daughters, Jane and Jennifer, and three grandchildren, Jane’s Kurtis, and Colin, and Jennifer’s Amber.
Recently, Mr. Jungers’ wife, Sue, wrote these words to a friend, who had inquired about Wally:
“Describing Wally is really very easy. He is not at all complicated or complex. In fact, he is a very simple man.
He is always smiling, loves his wife, and daughters, and grandchildren.
You can set your watch by him. In Chicago, he gets up at the same time every day, meditates and prays regularly, reads scripture and scripture scholars, writes about the early Church, swims for one-half hour, has a half a glass of wine and three crackers with cheese while watching Tom Brokaw, eats dinner, watches TV, and goes to bed at 9:00 every night.”
Introduction
Paul has always been my favorite apostle; so I decided to write a book about Paul, almost exclusively about Paul; hence the title, “All About Paul”.
Paul has been called, “The Father of Theology”, rightly so; some, by exaggeration, say he is the “Father of Christianity”. I prefer to think about Paul in his own terms as the “Doulos Xristou Iesou”, the slave of Christ Jesus. Christ was his Master and Paul was a spiritual slave to him.
Paul’s own dictum sums up neatly his relationship with his Master:
“If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord
And believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
You will be saved.”
(Rm 10:9)
We know real facts about Paul’s life, facts gleaned from his authentic letters, and from the Acts of the Apostles, written by his friend and companion, Luke. I have gathered together these facts from their sources in the first chapter called, “A Portrait of Paul”.
The subsequent chapters flow from a series of e-mails that I sent to my friends who are interested in the faith and the morality of Christianity. I am a member of a group of ex-Jesuits who regularly correspond by e-mail with one another on matters of faith and morals. There are presently two list-serves, one on the East coast made up mainly of Maryland and New York ex-Jesuits, and the other on the West coast with former members of the California and Oregon Provinces. There are about 300 members who receive these mailings, and about twenty to thirty who engage in active dialogue.
It would be well before one begins reading the e-mails to refresh one’s understanding of Paul’s missionary efforts. The following brief chronology may help in this endeavor.
50 A.D.—Paul arrives in Greece.
51 A.D.—Paul writes 1 Thessalonians. This is the earliest, extant writing of Christianity. Paul writes to the suffering church at Thessalonica, which was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia, standing across the bay from Mt. Olympus. Today, Thessaloniki is a flourishing modern city in Greece, second only to Athens.
52 A.D.—Paul writes 2 Thessalonians. This letter was written only a few months later than 1 Thessalonians, and reinforces Paul’s teachings over Christ’s return. These two letters were written only 20 years after Christ’s death.
54 A.D.—Galatians is an urgent letter, opposing teachers who said that Gentile Christians must be circumcised and keep the Jewish Law. Paul says that it was Jesus Christ Himself who revealed the gospel to him (1:11).
54 A.D.—1 Corinthians, written from Ephesus, in response to questions about the Church in Corinth; covers issues of sexual morality and Christian behavior. The city of Corinth was a thriving center of commerce, and a byword for sexual license. It was dominated by the temple of Aphrodite (the goddess of love) built on the heights of the Acropolis. Paul realized that, if he could establish a church there, his message would spread quickly.
56 A.D.—2 Corinthians, written to explain himself better. The most intensely personal Epistle. He reveals the cost of his missionary efforts: hardship, suffering, deprivation, humiliation, almost beyond human endurance. His unshakeable faith shines through, transforming every difficult circumstance.
57 A.D.—Romans, written to the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome, whom he hopes soon to visit, on the great themes of law, faith and salvation. This letter takes pride of place among all his letters, although not the first to be written. The great theme is faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There was a large and flourishing Christian community in Rome by the time Paul wrote the Epistle. Only a few years later, the Emperor Nero would blame the Christians for the burning of Rome. Paul died there in the persecution that followed.
61-63 A.D.—Ephesians, the great Pauline letter about the church. This letter may be the work of a secretary writing at Paul’s direction, or even of a later disciple around 80-100 A.D. The majestic chapters emphasize unity in the church for both Jews and Gentiles.
This was probably a circular letter meant for the churches around Ephesus, a major port in the Roman province of Asia ( currently western Turkey), now partially restored.
61? A.D.—Colossians. Paul wrote this letter while in prison, but his several imprisonments leave the date and the place uncertain. Some scholars say the work is one of a follower or a pupil writing in Paul’s name. The letter is written to a church Paul did not found, one that was losing sight of all that Christ means.
63? A.D.—Philippians. The date of composition and place are uncertain. This beautiful letter is rich in Paul’s theology and apostolic love for his converts in Philippi, a city of importance in the Roman province of Macedonia, in northeastern Greece.
63-67? A.D.—1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus, named the “Pastorals”, were written late in Paul’s career. They differ from the others in form and content. They are concerned with the work of a pastor, hence the name Pastoral. They may be the work of a secretary, or a compiler.
Paul letters fall naturally into four groups:
1) 1 and 2 Thessalonians are the earliest, and they are particularly concerned with Christ’s return.
2) Romans, Galatians and 1 and 2 Corinthians have a common emphasis on the Gospel that Paul preached.
3) The “Prison Letters”, written when Paul was a prisoner, consist of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon.
4) The “Pastoral Letters”, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, are concerned with practical matters of church leadership.
Please note that, at the end of this book, I have added, for general educational purposes, two chronologies: the first, about Pail’s Epistles; the second, a more extensive chronology of the Early Christian Church.
For readers who would like to study deeper into Paul’s theology, I have collected a select bibliography of recent scholarly books on “The Apostle”. However, I think it is better to read Paul than to read books about Paul. Open the New Testament and read the written words of the writer who occupies nearly one third of it. Read other books to help with the background of the first century and the proper interpretation of what Paul said.
Wallace S. Jungers
October 25, 2004
