Keith Essex
Introduction: The Background to the Epistles and Revelation

Keith Essex's correlating video lecture(s) from The Master's Seminary:

• Lecture 16: The Background to the Epistles and Revelation, Part I; and
• Lecture 17: The Background to the Epistles and Revelation, Part II.

8. Introduction: The Background to the Epistles and Revelation [MSB, 1344]
   1. The Historical Background - The Roman Empire [DNTB, 974-78, 771-75; ESVSB, 1793-97]
      1. The Prelude to the Roman Empire: The Conquests of Rome [CBCNT, 48-49; DNTB, 962-68, 959-62]
         1. Macedonia (168 BC)
         2. Achaia (146 BC)
         3. Asia (133 BC)
         4. Syria (66 BC)
         5. Palestine (63 BC)
         6. Galatia (25 BC)
      2. The Roman Emperors of the NT Era [CBCNT, 64-65; DNTB, 968-74]
         1. (Octavian) Augustus (27 BC - AD 14)
         2. Tiberius (AD 14-37)
         3. Caligula (AD 37-41)
         4. Claudius (AD 41-54)
         5. Nero (AD 54-68) [DLNT, 184-94]
         6. Galba (AD 68)
         7. Otho (AD 69)
         8. Vitellius (AD 69)
         9. Vespasian (AD 69-79)
         10. Titus (AD 79-81)
         11. Domitian (AD 81-96)
   2. The Literary Background [DNTB, 1282-89]
      1. Literary Works
         1. Philosophical [BNTH, 41-55]
            1. Cicero (106-43 BC) [DNTB, 208-9]
            2. Seneca (4 BC/AD 1-AD 65) [DNTB, 1098-99]
         2. Historical [DNTB, 499-504]
            1. Suetonius (AD 69-c. AD 130) [DNTB, 1142-45]
            2. Tacitus (c. AD 56-c. AD 120) [DNTB, 1157-59]
         3. Social
            1. Juvenal (AD 50/65-c. AD 130)
            2. Martial (c. AD 40-c. AD 104)
            3. Ovid (43 BC-AD 17)
            4. Petronius (c. 1st Century AD)
      2. The Inscriptions and Papyri [DNTB, 529-41]
   3. The Religious Background [DNTB, 917-26, 926-31, 815-18; DPL, 786-96]
      1. The Olympian Deities [CBCNT, 57]
      2. The Emperor Cult [DNTB, 1026-30; DLNT, 321-26]
      3. The Mystery Religions [DNTB, 720-25]
   4. The Social Background
      1. The Roman Political System [CBCNT, 55; DNTB, 995-99]
      2. The Roman Military System [CBCNT, 56; DNTB, 991-95]
      3. The Roman Legal System [DNTB, 984-91]
      4. The Structure of Roman Society [CBCNT, 54; DNTB, 999-1004]
      5. Aspects of NT Social Life [DNTB, 6-16, 121-25, 136-38, 140-42, 143-46, 157-59, 197-201, 209-12, 212-15, 215-18, 218-20, 220-22, 298-302, 308-13, 353-68, 368-71, 380-88, 435-36, 442-47, 494-96, 518-22, 522-25, 628-29, 631-6, 644-48, 680-93, 711-19, 766-71, 813-15, 827-30, 1008-10, 1124-27, 1161-63, 1186-88, 1218-21, 1245-50, 1276-80]
   5. The NT Letters (see Acts 15:23-29; 23:25-30; Rev 1:3-6) [ESVSB, 2147-49; NIVZSB, 2282-86; RSB, 1970-72; CMINT, 331-53]
      1. The Character of the Letters [DPL, 550-53]
         1. Established the "Presence" of an absent writer (1 Cor 5:3-5; Col 4:16; 1 Thess 5:27; 2 John 12)
         2. Written with Authority (Rom 1:1; 2 Thess 3:14)
         3. Followed a flexible form
            1. Opening
               1. Sender
               2. Addressees
               3. Greeting
               4. Prayer / Thanksgiving / Blessing
            2. Body
            3. Closing
         4. Written down by an "Amanuenses" (Rom 16:22; Gal 6:11; 2 Thess 3:17)
         5. Carried by another (Eph 6:21; Col 4:7)
         6. A "Spoken" quality
         7. Occasional more than Tractate
      2. The Importance of the Letters
      3. The Collection of the Letters
         1. The Pauline Collection
            Soteriological

            Christological

            Eschatological

            Ecclesiological

            Soteriological

            Christological

            Eschatological

            Ecclesiological

            Romans
            1 Corinthians
            2 Corinthians
            Galatians

            Ephesians
            Philippians
            Colossians

            1 Thessalonians
            2 Thessalonians

            1 Timothy
            2 Timothy
            Titus
            Philemon
         2. The Non-Pauline Collection
            The Need for Endurance / Perseverence [cf. DLNT, 326-30]

            Persecution / Suffering

            False Teachers

            Hebrews
            James
            1 Peter

            2 Peter
            1 John
            2 John
            3 John
            Jude
   6. The Life of Paul [see MSB, 1655; CCC, 457-73; GNTI, 1001-10; CMINT, 354-70; CBCNT, 127, 129-32; DPL, 115-23, 679-92]
      1. The Background of Paul (Acts 22:3; 26:4-5; Phil 3:5) [DPL, 503-11]
      2. The Conversion of Paul (Acts 8:3; 9:1-19a; Act 22:4-21; 26:9-18; Gal 1:13-17; Phil 3:12; 1 Tim 1:12-15) [DPL, 156-63]
      3. The Ministry of Paul [see MSB, 1344; BNTH, 242-46; DPL, 183-89, 883-92]
         1. In and around Damascus (Acts 9:19b – 25; Gal 1:17)
         2. Jerusalem (Acts 9:26-30; Gal 1:18)
         3. Tarsus (Acts 9:30; 11:25)
         4. Antioch (Acts 11:26; 13:1)
         5. Missionary Journeys (Acts 13:1-21:16) [CBCNT, 124-6]
         6. Arrest and Trials (Acts 21:17-28:31)
         7. Release and Renewed Ministry
         8. Death (2 Tim 4:6)
   7. The Four Major Interpretive Questions in the Contemporary Discussion Concerning Paul [see DPL, 666-79, 388-97; CCC, 448-57; CMINT, 370-85]
      1. The Identity and Theology of Paul's Opponents [DPL, 644-53]
      2. Paul's View of the Law [DPL, 529-42]
      3. The Center of Paul's Theology [DPL, 92-95]
      4. Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity? [CCC, 439-48; DPL, 492-503; 474-92]

Used with permission by Dr. Keith Essex. Redistribution without express permission from Dr. Keith Essex is prohibited.