Lecture - Joseph Shulam “Simply Paul: Who is He and Who are His Opponents?” (Joseph Shulam is a Hebrew scholar and Christian minister in Jerusalem)
Given 7pm - 9pm on Saturday April 2, 2016 at The Lanier Theological Library Chapel in Houston, Texas.
It is part of the Lanier Library Lecture Series. A series devoted to bringing world class lectures to benefit the community of all those who might be interested.
I am indebted to the generosity of the library to allow me to share these videos of theirs. Please support them by visiting their website for more information and resources:
www.laniertheologicallibrary.org/
Even in the first century the disciples of Yeshua (Jesus) had difficulty understanding Paul and his writings for several reasons. One reason Joseph Shulam proposes is that Paul was a lawyer and wrote like a lawyer. Also, Paul was a very religious Jew by his own confession and the audience to whom his letters were written had very little understanding of the Jewish world and Hebrew Bible. Further, Paul held to the Jewish/Pharisaic worldview of God’s program for history (past, present and future). Even the Jews had a hard time understanding Paul and his theological ideas because they were in a struggle for survival and did not see the bigger picture and solution to their problems. Shulam proposes that we allow Paul’s own words to describe himself and his background in order to define his identity and his theology in the best way and to identify his opponents most accurately. By getting Paul’s clear view of himself we can better understand his battles both inside and outside the church. This lecture will give you fresh insight into some of Paul’s most difficult passages.
Bio info:
Joseph Shulam was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1946 and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1948 just before the establishment of the State. He grew up in Jerusalem where he was introduced to the New Testament in high school. Joseph immediately identified with Yeshua, which eventually led him to faith in the Messiah. As a result, he was rejected by his family and traveled to the United States to finish high school in Georgia. He returned to Jerusalem and studied Biblical Archaeology and Bible at Hebrew University. He returned to the U.S to study New Testament and Chemistry at David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he met his wife Marcia. They have two children and two grandchildren.
In 1969 they started a congregation in Tel-Aviv. In 1972 Joseph began 3 years of rabbinical college studies, followed by more graduate study at Hebrew University. In 1981 he established the Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry and in 1982 purchased a building on Narkis Street, the first for a Messianic Jewish congregation in Jerusalem. This building was renovated and expanded with support from around the world. It was dedicated in March 2015.
Joseph has lectured extensively around the world and has encouraged disciples in most European countries, as well as Finland, Bulgaria, Russia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Japan, Korea, Cyprus, Greece, and Israel, of course.
Joseph has written and partnered in writing several books, including commentaries on Romans, Acts and Galatians. He also authored "Hidden Treasures: The First Century Jewish Way of Understanding the Scriptures"; "Planted in the House of the Lord" "God, Israel, and the Church"; "Starting a Messianic Jewish Yeshiva" and "Speak Tenderly to Jerusalem".