Hey guys, I was wondering what you would recommend for me to read next?
Ive read John and Matthew and wanted to read another book before starting Luke.
Well, there’s two books actually: I and II Corinthians. The introductions in the NAB Study Bible are adequate introductions to these letters of Paul
II Co is thought to be a compilation of a couple letters of Paul.
II Co is thought to be the most difficult book of the NT to understand. What help to understand both letters is that Paul is writing to a “newly planted” church of his. In his day, he didn’t have a Vatican, a Pope, a Catechism, no Canon Law, no written New Testament, etc. and he had to try to keep his churches “in line.” As a result, in both letters he is hammering on his apostolic authority, because that’s all he had to appeal to, but that’s the truth – apostolic authority. And, at the same time, we see the beginning (more or less) of the Tradition of writing things down.
That he wrote letters indicates the urgency of the matters that he is writing about. And, you can appreciate that these letters were probably written before the gospels were written – so Paul is really juggling matters and bouncing around in his writing, to deal with several matters. You get a feeling that he is really writing earnestly to real people and trying to teach them to live up to the “gospel” that he has preached to them.
Another commentary makes the point that Paul is struggling to teach the Corinthians that religion – Paul wouldn’t use that word – involves their personal morality. Their relationship to Jesus and to the Father involves intercessory prayer and the conviction of their personal morality.
So, if you’ve already read two of the gospels, the letter to Corinth are a good continuation of a picture of what the early church was like.
