Paul As Pastor by Brian S. Rosner;Andrew S. Malone;Trevor J. Burke;

Author:Brian S. Rosner;Andrew S. Malone;Trevor J. Burke;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury UK

b.Inductive insights

Of course we can mix and match our preferred criteria, finding Paul within or without the boundaries we draw. Just as one’s view of authorship may include or exclude Colossians from consideration, so our presuppositions will colour the extent to which we find Paul behaving in a ‘pastoral’ fashion. Where a pastor is understood to be the local spiritual shepherd or a leader who employs parent-child language, the apostle clearly does not qualify in this context.

Instead of setting our criteria – or, as is commonly done, simply assuming them – and then evaluating Paul against them, the inverse process proves insightful. Let us consider how Colossians describes Paul and his colleagues. We can then determine how these actions correlate with our current definition of ‘pastor’. We may even allow these traits to contribute to the definition. In doing so, we may appreciate that, while some may be reluctant, many scholars show no hesitation in applying the term ‘pastoral’ to Paul’s interactions with the Colossian church.21

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