The Earlier Epistles of St. Paul
Overview
Kirsopp Lake was a well-known New Testament scholar in his day, teaching at both University of Leyden and Harvard. Dr. Peter Toon writing in Who's Who in Christian History says of Lake, "In the study of Christianity's origins and in New Testament textual criticism, Lake was a pioneer." Today, Lake's work is frequently cited in Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, and theological journal articles dealing with Pauline studies.
The Earlier Epistles of St. Paul fills in the background details surrounding Paul's letters to the Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans. Lake engages the "literary and critical questions introductory to these letters, concerning their integrity, destination, and history." He also explores the "intricate question of the world of religious thought to which the earliest Gentile Christians belonged—the world of the Hellenistic Mystery Religions."
An interesting tale of how a Logos employee came to acquire this print edition while on a trip to South Africa can be found on his personal blog.
Contents
- The Outline given in Acts of Events in St. Paul’s Life
- The Judaistic Controversy, the Gentile Converts, and the Background of Gentile Christianity.
- The Epistles to the Thessalonians
- Corinth
- The Epistle to the Galatians
- The Epistle to the Romans
- Conclusion
Top Highlights
“The usual explanation is that he went away to meditate in the desert, perhaps on Mount Sinai.” (Page 320)
“the existence of this type is of enormous importance in considering the origin of Gnosticism” (Page 45)
“Does St. Paul mean that all the events described took place before the conversion of the Galatians, or before the sending of the Epistle? In other words, does the plan of this section involve his giving a sketch of his relations with the Apostles at Jerusalem up to the time of his converting the Galatians, or up to the time when he wrote to them? (ii.) With what narratives in the Acts can we identify the events mentioned in the Epistle? and, if we cannot identify them at all, when are they likely to have happened?” (Page 267)
“Hellenistic Jews belonging to this who were attracted” (Page 17)
Product Details
- Title: The Earlier Epistles of St. Paul: Their Motive and Origin
- Author: Kirsopp Lake
- Publisher: Rivingtons
- Publication Date: 1911
- Pages: 466
About Kirsopp Lake
Excerpted from Who's Who in Christian History
Kirsopp Lake was born at Southampton (England), and attended St. Paul’s School, London, and Lincoln College, Oxford. After ordination into the Church of England he was curate of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford, from 1897 to 1904. There he began his career as an academic writer, publishing The Text of the New Testament (1900).
For the next ten years Lake was professor of early Christian literature at the University of Leyden (Holland), where he wrote more books, including The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (1907). In 1914 he crossed the Atlantic to become a professor at Harvard. He remained at that school until his retirement in 1938.
Perhaps Lake’s greatest contribution to learning was the series of volumes he wrote with F. J. Foakes-Jackson entitled The Beginnings of Christianity: Part 1; The Acts of the Apostles (1920-1923). In the study of Christianity’s origins and in New Testament textual criticism, Lake was a pioneer.
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
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