Paul's Background (Full Lecture) | N.T. Wright

Free lecture from "Paul: A Biography".
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What happened on the road to Damascus that changed the course of Paul’s life and the course of human history? In Paul: A Biography, Prof. N.T. Wright analyzes Paul’s journey and identifies the moments it transformed both Paul and the world.

[@RM-fs8ub]

Reorienting us to Paul's vision has been your great gift to the church today! Thank you.

[@davieslundalunda3777]

The lecture is really brilliant and clear

[@cinmung.singsit4900]

Mr. Wright I really appreciate your service. Am blessed. May God continue to bless you and be more of a channel of blessings to many.

[@jalissasnyder7382]

You have a roll-top desk on top of your roll-top desk. That is brilliant! ...also, the lecture was wonderful! Thank you! Currently delving into Paul's letters in seminary :)

[@ParStenberg]

None is as captivating to listen to as you are

[@dick29662]

Oh now I see you have met Paul. He is exciting to me as he is to you. How well you describe a fault in our ministry for Christ. Paul is that lynch-pin to me also. For years I was looking for him and Wow, when I read his letter to Ephesis I saw it. Keep up the work on Paul.

[@lhyden6516]

What a wonderful presentation. It feels like Professor Wright is speaking directly to me.

[@NTWrightOnline]

We're glad you feel that way! When we film with Prof. Wright in Oxford, we can see his intention and effort to deliver the teachings as personally as possible!

[@patriciapalmer1377]

The Paul you describe, the exciting travelling intellectual, rhetorician. philosopher, crisp thinking and seeing the "big picture" was the Paul taught me in the 60s by Jesuits. Thank you.

[@wisdomseeker3937]

Thank you Pastor.

[@eibelerp]

WOW!!!! INCREDIBLE! Thank you. What great context and depth for consideration!!!

[@shaker7804]

Great and passionate exploration of Paul and his writing. The importance of sound doctrine and His exultation of Christ through the worst of circumstances, is so important. Well done matey!

[@sondramcdermott5906]

Thank you. Learned a lot about Paul. God bless you!

[@mr.stephensodhi9137]

Thanks very much sir...u explained in such a wonderful way abt...Paul's background....

[@smsog2236]

Listen intently and watch history come alive... Context is extremely important.

[@habaconia]

Amazing how Dr. Wright packs in volumes of content and insight into 17 minutes and 15 seconds. Wow!! Also, part of his “teenage rebellion” was to have a Bible study reading through the book of Colossians as a whole. And this was in the 60s. WHAT?!?!?!?!🤣🤣🤣

[@mr.stephensodhi9137]

Thanks sir u have well explained in the lecture about Paul's background 😀 God bless!!!

[@mlorna5006]

Beautiful job!!! Thanks so much for such history of Paul's life...

[@katharinedavis4947]

Thankyou for giving a fresh perspective on our faith , and for explaining where this idea of going to heaven after death came from. K

[@busby777]

thank you for your teaching! I'm learning a great deal about my faith

[@jeffengstrom8657]

What made Paul tick was that he was a winner concerning those things that really mattered. He had mastered the sophists' technique of being able to debate either side of a question and win. The only one who could defeat him WAS him. I find it interesting that the hall where he did most if his most important dialog was referred to as the hall of the tyrant. No one knows the source of that name. But I think Luke describing that hall sometime after the fact describes it in the way it had become known during Paul's stint there. That is "the hall of the tyrant" a reference to Paul himself. Check the context in Acts 19. The people as well as demons feared him.

[@rutebighaus8972]

Fascinating.

[@Vageines]

This video is fantastic, thank you so much

[@solomonbitali7475]

Thanks a lot...very nice materials

[@ireaditsomewhere6294]

Very succinct and informative

[@donjohnsen2251]

Very informative brother 🙏💪

[@agatapintada7543]

Thank you so much Mr. Wright! I was deply moved by your book Paul: a biography.

[@mdavidjmr1730]

This is very good video about the Paul life as well, it's possible I can get this video PDF it's very helpful to me, thank you Sir...

[@nehemiamshana184]

Powerful message

[@NTWrightOnline]

We are grateful for your encouraging words. Each one of us carries the power of this message in our lives lived for Him. --NTW Online Team

[@xxxs8309]

St. Paul was way ahead of his time

[@BrianScott1111]

I would love to know your interpretation of Neville Goddard’s discussion of Paul as the initial awakened being. I would love to have you on my show to talk about Paul for a full hour if you’re ever interested. Thank you for your work

[@nanoalvarez8677]

Oh my at 15:11 I thought at first that Dr.Wright said Peter instead of Plutarch haha I was like "WHAT?? Are we gonna have a battle of apostles?"

[@ireaditsomewhere6294]

Very succinct

[@RobindeJongh]

Definitely agree with your point about using Paul’s teaching as guiding philosophy for life, regardless of one’s religious views.

[@bobpolo2964]

What about salvation?

[@RobindeJongh]

@@bobpolo2964 For those who believe in the Bible to be true, yes definitely. Paul speaks as one chosen by Jesus as his mouthpiece.

[@bobpolo2964]

@@RobindeJongh What do you believe about his message?

[@dick29662]

I thank you me brother in Christ Jesus. We believe in seeking the truth. The truth does set us free.

[@alwyndsilva1858]

N T Wright got it all Right ..Right??

[@sm12hus]

I love that Mr. Wright understands how Paul was all things to all men. It was designed by Jesus that Paul would be this way

[@agrossi9031]

Amazing

[@JacksonSnyderPresents]

He was a Roman citizen on account of his Herodian family, as per Romans 16:11 Greet my kinsman Herodion and other citations (like Josephus' Saulos, if they are the same).

[@johnnyhaigs243]

He calls many others "kinsman" in Romans 16. Paul isn't a Herodian (Idumaean) but a Benjaminite (Romans 11:1).

[@scottlouissmith2382]

It sounds to me that all your study of Paul is based on Paul the good guy!

[@noraroberts259]

does anyone know what Paul was doing during Jesus' ministry on earth?

[@mallardhead]

Who is the young woman picture behind your right shoulder?

[@MrShnazer]

Paul participated in the persecution of early disciples of Jesus, prior to his conversion.

[@peterjongsma2754]

I like TN Wright but am unclear as to whether he says we go to Heaven when we die.

[@briancaldwell7305]

Peter, if you believe in Jesus you will go to heaven immediately. Remember what Jesus said to the thief on the cross: "This night you will be with me in paradise" Peace be with you.

[@ncarmstron]

He does not. We must wait for the eschaton, he says. He backs his opinions up with scripture.

[@marcellekahler8896]

@@ncarmstron just so.

[@habaconia]

Mr. Wright says that that idea is not native to Paul’s thinking as a ethnic Jew, and being good on earth in order to go to heaven when you die is an idea of Plutarch based in Platonic the philosophy.

[@jerrykeeney3711]

I've commented but do not see the comment showing up here.

[@jerrykeeney3711]

Okay, now my comment about not showing up has showed up. I'll try again to enter the comment on the video, right here: Just viewed Wright's intro lecture on Paul's background. His comments on the iteration of Roman Empire in the first century, with its newly realized concentration of power in the emperor made me wonder if our own American republic is going the way of Rome, that is, with global corporatism, in our instance, swallowing up the republic, and now, coalescing and concentrating these powers in an Emperor wannabe. And if so, are we awakening to the reality that the church is already caught up in an 'exile', albeit a self-chosen 'exile', within the corporate empire, so that what we most need to hear now is a new Isaiah who can expose our 'exile' for what it is, expose our captivity to cultural norms, and generating a blindness to the condition of 'exile' itself? Ancient Israel ca 586 - 546 BCE at least knew it was in exile. Do we?

[@corinaijac4381]

So Saul, the crazy emperror calmed down only by music, on ...lyra...from his parental country, annoied by so many unsolved problems, conscious that his roman estate couldn't buy a true helpfull aide, is aware that for goodeducated people but also ,,crazy" teaching or delightfull, barriers could be broken, in need, by a multicultural world. And speaks about this, in prison. His soul-Saul's-and his soul-of the rescued warrier for peace-are souls of Lord's, he told. In this world-he proclamed. And in the coming world-the other accomplished. Greatfully, Corina Ijac P.S. Paul, von Paulus, kept word. He brought back lost people.

[@grantbartley483]

I think the world transformation idea is right. The end of Revelations seems to me to be a growing or opening up of the Kingdom of God on earth.

[@rainerkroeger4710]

What did he actually say using so many words? Could somebody who gets anything specific out of this lecture give me a short summary? Or just one signify point?

[@habaconia]

Paul’s message is that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel and therefore Savior of the world.

[@cuebj]

Have decent audio, make notes, listen again while tracking your notes and make more notes. Do that a few times. That's the normal way to listen to lectures

[@ciaran6171]

It's difficult to pause this video at any point because you literally do not take a breath. Is Paul so profound, is his grasp of the truth so firm, that the basic rules of punctuation do not apply?

[@gipsonbaucum8837]

LOL...Paul himself certainly did not slow down to take a breath, why should NT Wright when talking about him?

[@winstonshipman8734]

I think Paul/Saul like all the Pharisees believed in the Oral Law. And he thinks Jesus put him in charge of the Oral Law. That is why he re-defines Jewish terms and thinks he can change any interpretation that even the Disciples think is true. They also had great authority to "Protect the Torah". That means they could issue directives who a Jew could speak to and to whom he couldn't speak to under the guise of keeping the Jew faithful. and that is what Paul regularly does. He goes after every theology that disagrees with his.

[@calebrandall5903]

He never teached the Trinity Paul knew that Jesus was simply the messiah which God has made King of the new age

[@bmide1110]

Paul refers to the divinity of Jesus in many places. NT Wright has actually written a lot that proves that this is undeniably the case. His book on Jesus also proves powerfully that Jesus himself believed that he was the embodiment of God come as a man.

[@ZiIIous]

Yes, the trinity was first introduced in the 3rd century by church fathers. Repend to Allah before It's too late.

[@ZiIIous]

@@bmide1110 "believed he was the embodiment of God" Stop lying at yourself. Jesus did the exact opposite several times. Mark 10:18: "Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good-except God alone" John 5:30: "By myself I can do nothing." And the fact that he calls himself son of man, which is mentioned in Numbers 23:19 as NOT a title for God. Go take a look at Islam, instead of trying so hard to make sense out of the religion of your parents.

[@bmide1110]

@@ZiIIous "It is true that Jesus never said the exact words, “I am God.” He did, however, make the claim to be God in many different ways, and those who heard Him knew exactly what He was saying. For example, in John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” The Jews who heard Him make that statement knew well that He was claiming to be God, as witnessed by their reaction: “His Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him” (John 10:31). When He asked them why they were attempting to stone Him, they said, “For blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). Stoning was the penalty for blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16), and the Jews plainly accused Jesus of claiming to be God. Jesus made another statement claiming to be God when He said, “Very truly I tell you, . . . before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58). The Jews, upon hearing Him, clearly understood that He was claiming preexistence and, more than that, to be Yahweh, the great “I AM” of Exodus 3:14. On this occasion, too, they tried to stone Him for blasphemy. The Gospel of John begins with a statement of Jesus’ deity: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, emphasis added). In verse 14, John identifies the Word: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John is affirming that the Word (Jesus) is God, and He left heaven to come to earth in the form of a man to live with men and display the glory of God the Father. The disciples of Jesus distinctly heard Him declare His deity. After Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas the doubting disciple finally understood Jesus’ deity, declaring Him to be “my Lord and my God” (John 20:28). If Jesus were not Lord and God, He would have corrected Thomas, but He did not; Thomas spoke the truth. After seeing Jesus walking on the water, His disciples worshipped Him (Matthew 14:33). When He appeared to them after the resurrection, they fell at His feet and worshipped Him (Matthew 28:9). The disciples were well aware of the Mosaic Law’s penalty for blasphemy, yet they worshipped Him as God, and Jesus accepted their worship. Jesus never rebuked people for worshipping Him, accepting their worship as good and proper."

[@tiosurcgib]

I'm currently reading NTW's biography of Paul. And for sure it's a good read. But it's also vastly disappointing; this in great part is a historical novel rather than a biography. NTW wants to get 'inside' Paul, but what we get is speculation and educated guesses and imagination. There's no way at all that one can actually know the thoughts and emotions of Paul when neither of those have been described by Paul in his Letters. Where they have, biographical treatment is valid. Unfortunately, too much of the former is present here. As I say, I'm very disappointed by NTW, I expected scholarly rigour and that trust is somewhat betrayed. All this said, with a paradigm shift that acknowledges this work as novelised storytelling, the book is helpful. But it takes that honesty - and a change of sub-title that dumps that pesky word 'biography', which this is not!

[@hassanmirza2392]

Paul was preaching Hellenic Judaism, and turned deity into a 2nd deity.

[@BloodCovenant]

That Paul should be studied in the secular realm for secular reasons, might be good. I don't know. I would see this as an attempt to make the wisdom of God the wisdom of man; I just don't think that would ever work any more than trying to take the wisdom and psychology studies of man and trying to apply them to the kingdom of God. It has never worked anymore than the Church trying to emulate the world in order to save the world has worked. It never has.

[@NTWrightOnline]

You raised a good question about theology and the limits and possibilities of interdisciplinary work. Are there places where cooperative 'boundary work' is possible or valuable between various academic disciplines?

[@BloodCovenant]

@@NTWrightOnline From what I understand about Paul's approach, in his mind he had a job to "declare the mystery of the gospel of Christ". I imagine God could use the secular study of Paul to shine the light of the gospel into the hearts of people, but it would seem to me that there should be a Paul or Phillip involved in the study for "light" reasons. Therein lies the problem. Darkness and light don't mix, so a proper look at Paul's writings in academia, I do not think is possible. That is not to say that those who know the mystery of the gospel of Christ and have access to such people should not declare the mystery!

[@BlazeTheNazarene]

Omgosh another trinity pusher. YES Paul was a monotheist. There is a father, who brought forth/BEGOTTEN his son. The father RAISED messiah. The Roman man god is PAGAN

[@deppo_zweifler9029]

Oh boy, another Judaizer..

[@BlazeTheNazarene]

deppo_zweifler You can call me a Nazarene. I’m very sorry your faith doesn’t inspire obedience.

[@dick29662]

Welcome to me brother NT Wright. We are seeking the truth. Join us in our truth seek. Surely your God is mighty and allows us to hunger and seek until we find....... Shalom!

[@bmide1110]

Paul calls Jesus God in many ways and in many places all throughout his letters.

[@BlazeTheNazarene]

@@bmide1110 okie dokie, have them handy?

[@ZiIIous]

Listened to the entire lecture, but I am sorry to inform you that Christianity is false. He doesn't have the authority from God(Allah) to make such a claim about Jesus whom he hasn't met. His teachings contradict Jesus' and the other prophets. Clearly, he USED Jesus and the ambiguous rumors of his crucifixion to fulfill his desires.