Restitutio Sean P Finnegan

This is part 14 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
The Pastoral Epistles are letters to church leaders, instructing them how churches should function. Though they are not well read by most Christians today, they remain authoritative for pastors, elders, and deacons. Today we'll cover 1-2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. We'll explore the major theme of how the church should be a well-run household where godliness prevails. Additionally, we'll consider qualifications for leadership, warnings against false teachers, and the incredible importance of sound teaching.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-zdww6-Udk&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=14&t=1004s&pp=iAQB
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
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Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
The Pastoral Epistles

1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Philemon is not always included as a pastoral Epistle since it only deals with a specific issue regarding a single person.

Household

Paul employs the metaphor of a household in the pastorals to illustrate the order he’d like to see in the churches (1 Tim 3:14-15).
ZIBBC: “In Xenophon’s essay, the husband instructs his fourteen-year-old bride (the average age for marriage among Greek and Roman girls was fourteen to sixteen) on her vital role in managing the household resources, including the care and supervision of household slaves, while he supervised the gathering of produce from the farms. Because of the presence of slaves and freedmen in an average ancient household, management of sometimes large households could be demanding.”[1]
Lynn Cohick: “The family in the Greco-Roman world valued the community over the individual and promoted corporate honor and fortune. Those living in the domus (“home”) included parents and children, and perhaps extended family, such as adult siblings, cousins, and grandparents, as well as slaves, freedmen, and freedwomen. Each individual had a specific status within the home, and each family member deemed the social status of the family, including its wealth and social prestige, as of equal or greater value than their personal happiness.”[2]
Paul is concerned for how outsiders will perceive the churches (1 Tim 3:7).
Everyone has a place and a role.

Men's role (1 Tim 2:8), older men (Tit 2:2), younger men (Tit 2:6-8).
Women's role (1 Tim 2:9-15), older women (Tit 2:3), younger (Tit 2:4-5)
Respect elders (1 Tim 5:1-2, 17-19).
Young widows should marry (1 Tim 5:11-15).
Take care of your own family (1 Tim 5:7-8, 16).
Support real widows (1 Tim 5:3-6, 9-10).
Slaves obey & submit (1 Tim 6:2; T 2:9-10)
Rich be humble/generous (1 Tim 6:18-19)



Godliness (Eusebia)

1 Tim 4:7-8; Tit 2:11-12 (See also 1 Tim 2:1-2; 5:4.)
Translated “godliness” but has nothing to do with being like God or imitating God.
Showing expected reverence
Piety (Latin = pietas)
Pious, reverent, dutiful
Shown not just to God (or gods) but also to the city and to one’s household

Church Leadership
Overseer’s qualifications (1 Tim 3:2-7; T 1:7-9)

Elders’ qualifications (Tit 1:6)
Deacon's qualifications (1 Tim 3:8-13)
Standards are high for service in the church.
Overseers must manage their own households well (1 Tim 3:4-5).

Warnings Against False Teachers

Some strange Jewish teachings (1 Tim 1:4, 6-7; Tit 1:10-11, 14)
Asceticism (1 Tim 4:1,

This is part 13 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
Before getting to the Church Epistles, we'll begin with an overview of how letters were written, read, and performed. Then we'll see how they are arranged in our Bibles. We'll spend a good deal of time talking about occasion. Why did Paul write each letter? What was going on that prompted him to initiate the expensive and elaborate process of writing to them? Lastly, we'll briefly consider how to apply what we read to our lives.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg3tInZU9JY&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=13&pp=iAQB
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
Letters in the First Century

Letters written on papyrus with ink by a professional scribe (amanuensis)
Though most letters that have survived from the ancient world were short and to the point, Paul’s Epistles are extremely long.
Because there was no postal system, someone had to carry the letter to its destination.
Upon arrival, most people couldn’t read, so a professional would need to read it aloud.
This was difficult because there were no chapters, verses, paragraphs, punctuation, or spaces between words (scriptio continua).





Name


Greek Words


English Words


Verses


Chapters




Romans


7113


9506


432


16




1 Corinthians


6832


9532


437


16




2 Corinthians


4480


6160


257


13




Galatians


2232


3227


149


6




Ephesians


2424


3047


155


6




Philippians


1631


2261


104


4




Colossians


1583


1993


95


4




1 Thessalonians


1484


1908


89


5




2 Thessalonians


826


1065


47


3




Church Epistles in Chronological Order

Galatians 48
1 Thessalonians 49-51
2 Thessalonians 49-51
1 Corinthians 53-55
2 Corinthians 53-55
Romans 57
Philippians 62
Colossians 62
Ephesians 62

Developing Your Knowledge of the Greco-Roman World

Get background books like The World of the New Testament by Green and McDonald and Zondervan’s Illustrated Bible Background Commentary by Clinton Arnold.
Read the literature that has survived. Hundreds of volumes are available in the Loeb Classical Library.
Learn about archeology in the Mediterranean world around the time of Christ (Biblical Archeological Review).
Take a tour to visit the sites in Greece and Turkey (Spirit and Truth International).
Study the geography of the region on maps that show the correct place names for the first century.

Deciphering the Occasion

Each letter arose out of a specific circumstance. What was going on among the Christians in that city that caused Paul to write?
Galatians: Judaizers had visited churches Paul founded, telling people they needed to follow the law of Moses.
1 Corinthians: Chloe sent word of divisions in Corinth; Paul also received a letter asking specific questions.
2 Corinthians: false teachers had ensconced themselves in Corinth who criticized and undermined Paul.
Philippians: Epaphroditus brought Paul financial assistance from Philippi.

Reading the Church Epistles

The first time through, just get your bearings. Read for scope.
What’s going on in that church? What’s going on in that city? What

This is part 12 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
Acts is an action-packed book full of excitement and wonder. We learn about the early expansion of the Church from a small group of ragged Christ-followers to dozens of house churches throughout major cities in the Mediterranean world. How did Christianity "go public"? The book of Acts tells that story. In this episode you'll learn four major emphases in Acts as well as how to think through application for us today.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TIzpc3mfOg&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=12&pp=iAQB
—— Links ——

For more about Family Camp visit LHIM
Check out the UCA conferences for USA, UK, and NZ here
See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
Luke wrote Acts.

Acts 1:1-2
Acts is the second volume.
Luke is about the life of Christ.
Acts is about the early expansion of the church.

Major events of Acts

1:1-11  Jesus commissions and ascends.
1:12-27 Peter initiates replacing Judas.
2:1-47 Spirit is poured out, and Peter preaches.
3:1-26 Peter heals lame man and preaches.
4:1-6:7  Communal living in Jerusalem
6:8-7:60  Stephen’s martyrdom
8:1-40  Philip’s expansion to Samaria, Ethiopia
9:1-31  Paul’s conversion, expansion to Damascus
9:32-9:43  Peter’s mission to Lydda and Joppa
10:1-11:18 Peter converts Cornelius in Caesarea.
11:19-30 Barnabas brings Paul to Antioch.
12:1-24 Peter’s arrest and miraculous escape
12:25-16:5 Paul’s 1st missionary journey
16:6-19:20 Paul’s 2nd missionary journey
19:21-21:17 Paul’s 3rd missionary journey
21:18-28:31 Paul’s arrest and trip to Rome

Organization of the book

The first half is about Peter (1-12).
The second half is about Paul (13-28).
Acts 1:8 outlines the book: they expanded from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth.

Leading and experience of God’s spirit

Baptized with the spirit, filled with the spirit, pour out the spirit, receive the spirit, spirit fell upon: 1:5, 8; 2:4, 17; 4:31; 8:17; 9:17; 10:44-45; 11:15-16; 13:52
Speaking in tongues; prophecy: 2:4, 17-18; 10:46; 11:28; 19:6; 20:22-23; 27:21-22
Exorcisms: 5:16; 8:7; 16:18; 19:12-16
Healing and miracles: 3:6-7; 5:12, 15-16; 8:39; 9:17-18, 34-35; 12:7-10; 13:11; 14:10; 19:11; 20:9-10; 28:3-6, 8-9
Supernatural direction: 1:16, 26; 8:26, 29; 9:10-16; 13:2; 15:28; 16:7; 18:9-10; 20:28; 21:11; 23:11; 27:23-24

Rapid expansion through conversion

Convert 3,000 on day of Pentecost (2:41)
5,000 after healing lame man at the temple (4:4)
Conversions of whole towns: Samaria (8), Lydda, and Joppa (9)
Conversions of key people: Ethiopian treasurer (8); Paul of Tarsus (9); Cornelius the centurion (10); Sergius Paulus, proconsul of Cyprus, (13); Lydia, a wealthy Philippian merchant, (16); Crispus, a synagogue leader in Corinth, (18); Publius of Malta (28)

Perseverance through persecution

Sadducees arrest Peter and John (4).
Sadducees arrest apostles (5).
A mob stones Stephen (7).
Paul leads persecution in Jerusalem (8).
King Herod executes James (12).
King Herod imprisons Peter (12).
Jewish leaders expel Paul and Barnabas from Pisidian Antioch (13).
Jewish leaders stone Paul at Lystra (14).
City magistrates arrest Paul and Silas at Philippi (16).
Jewish mob attacks Jason at Thessalonica (17).
Jewish leaders accuse Paul before Proc

This is part 11 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
The Gospels are evangelistic biographies of Jesus. In today's episode you'll learn the basic storyline of the four biblical Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Then we'll go through them from shortest to longest to see how each brings a unique and helpful perspective in telling the life of Christ. We'll also hit some important concepts like the kingdom of God, parables, and the word of God. Lastly, we'll ask about application. How can you figure out which sayings of Christ apply to you today and which ones do not?
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://youtu.be/0iHhidbL4e8?si=3rs4fGGtQjsJAObB
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
The Four Gospels

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Gospel = good news
The Gospels are biographies about Jesus which seek to convince readers about the good news that he is the Messiah.

Basic Storyline of the Gospels

Birth narratives
John’s ministry
John baptizes Jesus.
Jesus calls the twelve.
Teachings of Jesus
Miracles of Jesus
Conflict with critics
Triumphal entry
Intensified conflict
Last supper
Arrest, trial, execution
Resurrection appearances
Great commission

Mark (11,305 words)

Papias: “And the elder used to say this: ‘Mark, having become Peter’s interpreter, wrote down accurately everything he remembered, though not in order, of the things either said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, followed Peter, who adapted his teachings as needed but had no intention of giving an ordered account of the Lord’s sayings. Consequently Mark did nothing wrong in writing down some things as he remembered them, for he made it his one concern not to omit anything that he heard or to make any false statement in them.’”[1]

John (15,633 words)

Purpose statement: John 20:30-3130 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Matthew (18,348 words)

Five blocks of teaching

5-7 Sermon on the Mount
10 Missionary Instruction
13 Parables of the Kingdom
18 Discourse on the Church
24-25 Olivet Discourse



Luke (19,483 words)

Luke’s method: Luke 1:1-41 Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 I, too, decided, as one having a grasp of everything from the start, to write a well-ordered account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may have a firm grasp of the words in which you have been instructed.
Luke’s historical precision: Luke 3:1-21 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

The Synoptic Gospels

Matthew, Mark, and Luke
Matthew and Luke quote Mark extensively.
Both quote another source of sayings as well.
Still, much of

This is part 10 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
We've taken our time working through the Old Testament, section by section. Before we tackle the New Testament and look at the Gospels, we need to talk about the time between the Old and New Testaments. In the gap of roughly four hundred years, massive political and cultural changes occurred. Nowhere in the Old Testament do we see anything about the Romans, Pharisees, Sadducees, or the Sanhedrin. In today's episode I'll catch you up on what happened after the OT and before the NT so you can better understand the world in which Jesus functioned.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3humYIVYho&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=10
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
Recent History

Persians: Cyrus the Great
Greeks: Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes
Hellenization (2 Maccabees 4.7, 10-15; 1 Maccabees 1.41-53)
Maccabean Revolution: Mattathias, Judah the Maccabee, Jonathan Apphus, Simon Thassi, John Hyrcanus, Aristobulus I, Alexander Jannaeus, Salome Alexandra, Hyrcanus II, Aristobulus II
Romans: Pompey the Great annexed Judea in 63bc
Herodian Dynasty: Herod the Great and his descendants

Geographical and Political Setting

Roman Empire: Augustus (27bc-ad14), Tiberius (14-37), Caligula (37-41), Claudius (41-54), Nero (54-68)
Provinces: every region outside of Italy
Galilee: Herod the Great (37-4bc), Herod Antipas (4bc-ad39), Herod Agrippa I (37-44)
Judea: Herod the Great (37-4bc), Herod Archelaus (4bc-ad6), Coponius (6-9), Marcus Ambivulus (9-12), Annius Rufus (12-15), Valerius Gratus (15-26), Pontius Pilate (26-36), Marcellus (36-37), Marullus (37-41), Herod Agrippa I (41-44)
Samaria: under Judean jurisdiction; Samaritans and Jews conflicted with each other

Jewish Groups

Sadducees

controlled the temple
partners with Roman governors
wealthy aristocrats
chief priests were the leaders
only accepted the Torah as scripture
didn’t believe in resurrection or angels


Pharisees

focused on obedience to Torah
accepted the law (Torah), prophets (Nevi’im), and writings (Kethuvim)
oral tradition & fence laws
not in power at the time of Jesus, except those in the Sanhedrin


Sanhedrin

Romans established 5 councils over 5 districts
most important council was in Jerusalem
had temple police at their disposal to arrest people
could meet out punishments except capital punishment, which was reserved for the Roman governor


Scribes

every group had scribes
even Paul used scribes to write his letters (Tertius in Rom 16.22)
writing was a skill
copy scripture to preserve it
called lawyers or experts in the law


Revolutionaries

wanted to overthrow Roman occupation
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews23 “But of the fourth sect of Jewish philosophy, Judas the Galilean was the author. These men agree in all other things with the Pharisaic notions; but they have an inviolable attachment to liberty; and say that God is to be their only Ruler and Lord. They also do not value dying any kind of death, nor indeed do they heed the deaths of their relations and friends, nor can any such fear make them call any man Lord”


John’s Renewal Movement

called people to repent
baptized them in the Jordan River
possible connection with the Essenes



Importa

This is part 9 of the Read the Bible For Yourself.
The 17 books of the prophets comprise 27% of the Old Testament. Although some parts can be difficult to comprehend, they reveal the heart of God with raw pathos and brutal honesty. To read the prophets, then, is to draw near to God. No other section of scripture so beautifully and tragically reveals God's feelings. In this episode you'll learn about the major time periods, how to read the prophets within their context, and some of the major themes. As always, this brief survey should help you read and understand the bible for yourself.
Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nOkfIUxJJw&list=PLN9jFDsS3QV2TrdUEDtAipF3jy4qYspM_&index=9
—— Links ——

See other episodes in Read the Bible For Yourself
Other classes are available here, including How We Got the Bible, which explores the manuscript transmission and translation of the Bible
Get the transcript of this episode
Support Restitutio by donating here
Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF
Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air
Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.
Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

—— Notes ——
Canonical Arrangement

5 Major Prophets


Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel


12 Minor Prophets


Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

Chronological Arrangement

early pre-exilic: Amos, Hosea, Jonah, Micah, Isaiah
late pre-exilic: Nahum, Zephaniah, Obadiah, Joel, Habakkuk, Jeremiah
exilic: Ezekiel, Daniel
post-exilic: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Setting

The historical context is helpful
In Jer 1.1-3, Jeremiah prophecies during the last days of the kingdom. He’s the last chance for the people to repent. Since they go into exile anyhow, it’s easy to anticipate that the people will not respond to Jeremiah.

The Prophet

God calls prophets into his service (Jer 1.4-6)
oftentimes, the prophet has access to the king and speaks to him
competition with false prophets (Jer 28.1-3, 15-17)

Acting out prophecies

Ezekiel

built a model of Jerusalem and acted out a siege against it (Ezek 4.1-3)
lay on his side for 390 days (Ezek 4.4-5)
cooked his food over animal excrement (Ezek 4.12, 14-15)


Jeremiah

shattered a piece of pottery (Jer 19.10-11)
wore an oxen yoke around (Jer 27.2)
bought a property while city is under siege (Jer 32.24-25)


Isaiah

walked barefoot and naked for 3 years (Is 20.2-4)


Hosea

married an unfaithful prostitute to illustrate God’s relationship w/ Israel who kept cheating on him with idols (Hos 1.2)



Preaching to the People

fidelity to the Torah, the covenant
justice in business dealings and courts
take care of the vulnerable quartet (Jer 22.11-16)
practice moral and ritual aspects of religion (Jer 7.4-10)
avoid fake righteousness and hypocrisy (Jer 9.8)
do not worship idols (Jer 7.16-18)

Prophesies of the Future

near judgment or restoration

judgment upon nations (Edom, Egypt, Syria, etc.)
use Assyrians/Babylonians to judge Israel/Judah
return to the land and enjoy covenant blessings
be faithful or lose the land again


eschatological judgment and restoration

a Davidic king will rule wisely and execute justice
healing for the lame, deaf, blind, etc.
healing for the land, especially the deserts
abundance and prosperity
peace among the nations
no need for militaries or even training for war
peace among the animals
elimination of death itself



Prophets Reveal God’s Heart

God is a lover
prophets express God’s emotions
lots of colorful language
God provides hope for the remnant

Review

The prophets make up a huge portion of the Old Testament (17 book