Faith on the Frontier

Sources: I. Howard Marshall et al., Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters and Revelation (IVP, 2002); Raymond E. Brown, The New Testament: an Introduction (Doubleday, 1997); Bart Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 3d ed. (Oxford, 2004).

Paul, His Letters, and His Churches
Saul/Paul (these are his Jewish and Roman names) is a towering figure in the New Testament Church.
Saul was trained as a rabbi and Pharisee under Gamaliel.
He persecuted the Church, then saw the risen Jesus (Acts 9, 1 Cor. 9:1, 15:8) and took on the vocation of "apostle to the nations."

Missionary journeys move ever westward.
Paul's teams continue to pastor older congregations (thus most of the letters).

Style and content of Paul's letters varies considerably.

Some letters' authorship (1/2 Tim., Titus, 2 Thess., Col., Eph.) is disputed.

Two possible chronologies:

Date	Traditional (Brown, 428)	R. Reisner (Marshall, 43)
30	Crucifixion of Jesus	Crucifixion of Jesus
31-32		Death of Stephen Conversion In Arabia and Tarsus At Antioch
36	Conversion
39	Visit to Jerusalem after Damascus
40-44	In Cicilia
45	At Antioch	Visit to Jerusalem to bring famine relief First missionary journey in Galatia (Acts 13-14) Galatians Jerusalem conference (Acts 15) Second missionary journey in Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 15:36-18:22)
46-49	First missionary journey from Antioch to Cypress and southern Asia Minor
49	Jerusalem conference
50		Arrival in Corinth 1 and 2 Thessalonians Return to Antioch Third missionary journey in Asia (Acts 18:23-21:17) 1 and 2 Corinthians
50-52	Second missionary journey from Antioch through southern Asia Minor to north Galatia, Macedonia, Corinth 1 Thessalonians Return to Jerusalem and Antioch
54-58	Third missionary journey, from Antioch through north Galatia to Ephesus Galatians, Philippians, Philemon, 1 Corinthians Through Macedonia toward Corinth 2 Corinthians, Galatians? Winter at Corinth Romans Return to Jerusalem
55		Departure from Ephesus Visit to Macedonia and Achaia Romans Return to Jerusalem Arrest and Imprisonments in Jerusalem and Caesarea
58-60	Arrested in Jerusalem Imprisoned two years in Caesarea Philippians?
59		Departure for Rome (Acts 27:1-28:16)
60	Sent to Rome Long sea journey	Arrival in Rome Two years in house arrest Philippians Philemon, Colossians Ephesians 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus
61-63	Two years in house arrest Philippians? Philemon?
>64	Death in Rome under Nero

Events and chronologies in Acts and Paul's letters are hard to reconcile.
Yet the broad pattern is consistent:

Paul is a passionate Jewish vehicle for "the good news of God" into the Greco-Roman social and intellectual world.
Paul is a brilliant missionary strategist in a treacherous multicultural context.
Paul is a creative, apocalyptic, messianic rabbi.
Paul is a tenacious pastor and mentor.

Rejection, persecution, hints at execution: Is Paul in Acts on a "way of the cross" from Jerusalem to Rome?