Heralds and Community

Christians have been commissioned by Jesus to “proclaim the good news” and to “make disciples of all nations.” But does that mean that every individual Christian is called to be an evangelist? That is very often the impression given in the church, and we are pointed to various verses in the Bible that are supposed to show that. In this careful and scholarly study Dr Bo Young Kang engages carefully with relevant texts in Paul’s letters, relating Paul’s teaching to that of Jesus, bringing out major themes, and helping us think constructively about what is still the great commission of the Lord to his church.

David Wenham, PhD
Associate Tutor in New Testament,
Trinity College, Bristol, UK

1. Abstract
2. Acknowledgements
3. Abbreviations
4. Chapter 1
1. General Introduction
1. 1.1. Paul’s Conception of Mission and the Issue of His Missio-Ecclesial Understanding
1. 1.1.1. Paul’s Mission and Paul’s Conception of Mission
2. 1.1.2. Renewed Interest: The Issue of Paul’s Missio-Ecclesial Understanding
2. 1.2. Current Contour of the Debate
1. 1.2.1. The Issue of Mission-Continuity between Paul and the Church
2. 1.2.2. The Question of Mission Continuity and Discontinuity between Paul and the Church: W.-H. Ollrog’s Study of the Co-Workers
3. 1.2.3. The Question of the Background for Paul’s Conception of Mission
4. 1.2.4. Other Scholars in the Debate
5. 1.2.5. Conclusion
3. 1.3. Objectives and Methodological Considerations
1. 1.3.1. Focal Points
2. 1.3.2. Definition of Mission in Discussing Paul’s Conception of Mission
3. 1.3.3. Question of the Origins of Paul’s Conception of Mission within Paul’s Jewish-Christian Thought World
4. 1.4. Summary
5. Chapter 2
1. Silence or Non-Silence? An Exegetical Study of Pauline Texts Having Possible Relevance to the Church’s Proactive Verbal Proclamation of the Gospel
1. 2.1. Selecting the Relevant Pauline Passages
1. 2.1.1. Individual vs Community
2. 2.1.2. Direct / Active Verbal Engagement vs Passive / Indirect Witness to the Message
3. 2.1.3. Community Accession vs Community (re)Production
2. 2.2. Paul’s Positive Recognition of the Church’s Proactive Gospel-Proclamation?
1. 2.2.1. 1 Thessalonians 1:8
2. 2.2.2. Philippians 1:5
3. 2.2.3. Philippians 1:14
3. 2.3. Paul’s Exhortation for Proactive Congregational Evangelism?
1. 2.3.1. Philippians 1:27–30
2. 2.3.2. Philippians 2:16
4. 2.4. Texts from the Disputed Letters
1. 2.4.1. Ephesians 6:15
2. 2.4.2. Ephesians 6:17b
5. 2.5. Conclusion: Paul’s Consistent Silence about Congregational Evangelism
6. Chapter 3
1. Heralds and Community: Paul’s Conceptualization of Mission as a Bifurcated Eschatological Event
1. 3.1. Paul’s Jewish Eschatology and His Conception of Mission
1. 3.1.1. Paul’s Jewish Eschatology and His Persecution of the Church
2. 3.1.2. Paul’s Jewish Eschatological Worldview and the Proclamation of the Gospel
2. 3.2. Paul’s Conception of Mission as an Inaugurated Eschatological Event
1. 3.2.1. Paul’s Conception of Mission within His Inaugurated Eschatological Framework
2. 3.2.2. Paul’s Conception of Mission and the Eschatological Ingathering of the Gentiles
3. 3.2.3. Conclusion: Paul’s Conception of Mission as a Bifurcated Eschatological Event of the Restoration of Israel and the Incoming of Gentiles
3. 3.3. The Gospel Heralds as an Eschatological Event in Paul
1. 3.3.1. Paul’s Commission as One of the Eschatological Heralds of the Gospel
2. 3.3.2. The Scope of the Gospel Heralds in Paul
3. 3.3.3. Conclusion
4. 3.4. The Community of the People of God as an Eschatological Event in Paul
1. 3.4.1. Paul’s Missio-Ecclesial Understanding within His Conception of Mission
2. 3.4.2. ’Eκκλησία as an Eschatological Event in Relation to the Eschatological Heralds
3. 3.4.3. The Vocation of the Church in Paul’s Thought
4. 3.4.4. Conclusion
5. 3.5. Conclusion: Paul’s Conception of Mission as a Bifurcated Eschatological Event as the Primary Reason for His Silence about the Church’s Evangelism
7. Chapter 4
1. Paul’s Mission-Conception of the Eschatological Heralds and the Jesus-Tradition
1. 4.1. Paul’s Conception of the Eschatological Heralds and the Jesus-Tradition of the Mission Discourse
1. 4.1.1. Paul’s Knowledge of the Context and the Contents of the Mission Discourse
2. 4.1.2. Paul’s Conception of the Eschatological Heralds as the Extension of the Pre-Easter Sending of the Disciples of Jesus
3. 4.1.3. Conclusion
2. 4.2. The Jesus-Tradition as a Historical Corroboration of Paul’s Apostleship
1. 4.2.1. The Subjectivity Problem with Paul’s Apostleship
2. 4.2.2. Paul’s Subjectivity Problem and the Apostleship of the Pre-Easter Disciples
3. 4.2.3. Paul’s Appeals to Other Apostles
3. 4.3. Conclusion
8. Chapter 5
1. Paul’s Mission-Conception of the Eschatological Community and the Jesus-Tradition
2. 1. 5.1. The Question of the Influence of the Jesus-Tradition on Paul’s Missio-Ethical Understanding
   1. 5.1.1. The Influence of the Teachings of Jesus on Paul’s Ethical Understanding
   2. 5.1.2. Paul’s Missio-Ecclesial Vision in Philippians in Comparison with the Sermon on the Mount
   2. 5.2. Paul’s Dependence for His Missio-Ethical Understanding in Philippians 1:6–11 / 1:27–2:18 on the Jesus-Tradition in Matthew 5:14–16
   1. 5.2.1. Correspondence in the Function of the Jewish Apocalyptic Eschatological Duality
   2. 5.2.2. Conceptual and Linguistic Agreement in Regard to the Function of “Good Works” between Philippians 1:6–11 and Matthew 5:16b
   3. 5.2.3. The Collocation of Verbal and Thematic Parallels
   3. 5.3. Conclusion: The Influence of Jesus’ Missio-Ethical Teaching on Paul’s Conception of the Mission of the Eschatological Community
9. Chapter 6
1. Summary and Conclusions
1. 6.1 Summary of Conclusions
2. 6.2 Conclusion and Implications
10. Appendix A
1. Paul’s Conception of Universal Evangelism?
1. A.1. “Χριστὸς κατα έ εται” in Philippians 1:18, a Theological Axiom of Unlimited Evangelism?
1. A.1.1. Does Paul’s εἴτε . . . εἴτε Construction Always Come as a Universal Statement?
2. A.1.2. Paul’s Use of εἴτε . . . εἴτε Construction with Universal Statement
3. A.1.3. Is “Χριστὸς κατα έ εται,” a Theological Axiom of Unlimited Evangelism?
2. A.2. Conclusion
11. Appendix B
1. The Origin of the Pauline (or Christian) Apostolate
1. B.1. Pre-Pauline Nature of Apostolate
2. B.2. ’Aπόστολος Χριστοῦ and Jesus’ ליחים
12. Appendix C
1. The Scope of Apostles in Paul’s Thought
1. C.1. The Question of the Scope of Apostles in Paul’s Thought
1. C.1.1. Paul’s Apostleship as a Unique Category?
2. C.1.2. Paul, One among Many Christian Missionary Apostles Apart from the Twelve?
3. C.1.3. Paul, One of the Apostles Commissioned by the Risen Lord, Who Can Elect Apostles Even Today?
2. C.2. Paul’s Use of the Appellation Apostle
1. C.2.1. Andronicus and Junia(s) (Rom 16:7)
2. C.2.2. Silvanus and Timotheus (1 Thess 2:7)
3. C.2.3. Apollos (1 Cor 3:5–4:13)
4. C.2.4. Barnabas (1 Cor 9:6, cf. Acts 14:4, 14)
5. C.2.5. James (Gal 1:19; 1 Cor 15:5–7)
3. C.3. Conclusion
13. Bibliography
14. Scripture Index
15. Author Index