Letters of Paul

Traditional Perspective or New Perspective

By: Sr. Maria Pascuzzi SSL

Narrated by: Sr. Maria Pascuzzi SSL

Preachers, teachers, and serious students of Paul will be electrified by this dynamic rethinking of the Apostle. Sr. Pascuzzi condenses the past 25 years of Pauline scholarship and clearly demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches to Paul that have been taken by contemporary researchers. She presents the teachings of Paul against the backdrop of First Century Judaism with its many paths of belief and this puts his mission within the cultural context of the Roman Empire. In doing this, it becomes clear that many of the ways of framing the questions about Paul and the answers to those questions are fundamentally misleading.

Sr. Pascuzzi takes the cultural and religious background of the times and applies them to answering the contemporary questions of Paul's relationships with woman in general by viewing his dealings with three specific women in his writings. She examines Paul's understanding of the Judaism of his time from the perspective of his view of the need for salvation that comes from Christ. She stresses how easily we distort Paul's position by viewing him in terms of our own needs and concerns for political correctness and inter-religious dialogue rather then what Paul actually taught in his writings. She answers the questions of what was wrong with the traditional perspectives on Paul, but also shows the limitations of many of the contemporary approaches to this great Apostle. This is an instant refresher course for those who have studied Paul for years and a superb introduction for those who are just beginning their study of this inspired author. These talks will fill the listener with enthusiasm for researching and learning more about the apostle.

©2015 Maria Pascuzzi (P)2015 Pious Society of St. Paul

Lively and informative

Although parts of the recording were scratchy and her voice really loud, her synthesis of scholarship on Paul is fascinating. She helps bring out the pros and cons of different perspectives about St. Paul and his time, showing where there are pitfalls in too simplistic thinking. Brings out the importance of understanding the cultural context of Jewish and Roman society in the first century to better understand what St. Paul meant in his writings.