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Papers by Justin Paley

Religions, 2023

Within Biblical scholarship, there have been a limited number of studies which examine ancient li... more Within Biblical scholarship, there have been a limited number of studies which examine ancient literacy and education in relation to the production of the Deutero-Pauline letters. When such topics are addressed together, the discussions rarely go beyond some generalities, and this article seeks to partly address that gap. Literacy rates in the Greco-Roman world, of which the earliest Christians were a part, are universally agreed to be significantly lower than modern literacy rates, with most estimates being between 5 and 15%. This fact, coupled with the limited number of Christians by the end of the first and the beginning of the second century CE, should be taken more seriously when considering how the Deutero-Pauline literature came to be produced and, eventually, circulate with other authentic Pauline letters. In short, this article will argue that when the realities of the educational landscape of the New Testament world are taken in conjunction with what we know about textual production, early Christian communities and leadership structures, there is a plausible argument to be made that those who were responsible for at least some of the Deutero-Pauline letters may be hiding in plain sight.

Expository Times, 2022

In modern scholarship, Paul’s letter to Philemon, which is considered to be one of the letters th... more In modern scholarship, Paul’s letter to Philemon, which is considered to be one of the letters that virtually all scholars agree was written by Paul, has not been subjected to the same standards of historical inquiry compared to the ‘disputed’ letters of Paul (Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians and the Pastoral Epistles). This has led to double standards in how scholars treat the historical provenance of Philemon, as well as the question of Philemon’s authorship. The following article will serve to raise some important questions regarding the historical backdrop of the epistle that many scholars have been content to theorize about without much scrutiny, mainly because of the unquestioned assumption of Pauline authorship. In doing so, the hope is that this article can surface some double standards in how scholars treat Philemon compared to the other Pauline epistles and provide a fresh viewpoint in critical discussion of Philemon’s provenance and place in the Christian canon.

Expository Times, 2021

This article challenges the interpretive decision made by many scholars to group 3 John with the ... more This article challenges the interpretive decision made by many scholars to group 3 John with the rest of the Johannine Epistles (and sometimes John's Gospel). This interpretative method fails to treat 3 John, as well as the rest of the Epistles, on their own terms. It also often places these texts within a hypothetical 'Johannine Community' and its various phases of development. However, if 3 John is read on its own, the text itself points us to interpret it within a Jewish framework. The seemingly lack of interest in Jews and Judaism, rather than being a sign of a later date when this group was no longer rooted in any Jewish community and no longer cared about such issues, is a sign that the epistle dates from a period before this community of Christ-believers began to markedly differentiate themselves from other Jews. These points, as well as the author's use of τὸν ἐθνικός when describing the missionary work by some of those within the community, may also suggest that the conflict between the Elder and Diotrephes was related to disagreements over the nature of missionary work within the early Jesus movement.

Drafts by Justin Paley

did depict images of rulers of their coins and did not follow the example set by the Hasmoneans a... more did depict images of rulers of their coins and did not follow the example set by the Hasmoneans and Herod the Great. See Anne Lykke, "Reflections on the Cultural Encounter between the Jews and the Greeks and Romans in Jewish Coin Iconography of the Hellenistic

One area of interest in the study of the Gospel according to Matthew is its literary relationship... more One area of interest in the study of the Gospel according to Matthew is its literary relationship to the other Synoptic Gospels of Mark and Luke. This interest has contributed to the rise of the ‘Synoptic Problem,’ which seeks to explain the many similarities and differences between the three Synoptics. One of the similarities between the Synoptics (and the Gospel of John) is the appearance and preaching of John the Baptist. In challenging the Q-hypothesis, the focus in this paper will be on Matt. 3:1-12, which is primarily the preaching of John, and why positing a Q origin for this material has several major difficulties and does not provide a satisfactory explanation.

The topic of authorship has traditionally dominated discussions of the Pastoral Epistles over the... more The topic of authorship has traditionally dominated discussions of the Pastoral Epistles over the past century. Though many different positions on authorship have been articulated throughout this time, the case for Timothy as the author of 2 Timothy has been given little to no attention in such discussions. While the true identity of the author can never be known with certainty, there are several aspects of 2 Timothy in particular that lend merit to the proposal that Timothy was involved in its composition. In undertaking such a task, this discussion will examine various literary and historical connections between the historical figure of Timothy with 2 Timothy, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, and the Epistle to the Hebrews. In doing so, it will also explore the relationship between literacy and co-authorship in the Greco-Roman world and their potential connections to Pauline/Deutero-Pauline literature in arguing for a more serious consideration of Timothy’s place in future scholarship on the Pastoral Epistles and authorship.

Despite being the shortest book in the Bible, consisting of only 21 verses, Obadiah is extremely ... more Despite being the shortest book in the Bible, consisting of only 21 verses, Obadiah is extremely complex, especially in proportion to its size. The difficulties that Obadiah presents to the interpreter, both past and present, range from its relationship to other prophetic books (e.g. parallels with Joel and Jeremiah) to the historical circumstances that underlie the text. By and large, these difficulties have not been resolved by scholarship, and in many cases the questions remain unanswered. That being said, some issues have received more attention than others. One of these issues is that of literary structure and its relationship to the dating of certain material within the book. It is within this issue, specifically the relationship of vv. 15a, 16-21 to understanding Obadiah as a whole, that this paper directs its focus. In doing so, it argues that Obadiah is best read and understood without an assumption of unity.

This paper explores several examples of Judean coinage from the late Second Temple Period (up unt... more This paper explores several examples of Judean coinage from the late Second Temple Period (up until the Jewish Revolt in 66 CE) and what that coinage might tell us about how Roman rule effected the identity Jewish people and how they responded to foreign rule and influence.

Thesis Chapters by Justin Paley

This thesis (of which this excerpt is taken from) will explore the authorship, genre, and date of... more This thesis (of which this excerpt is taken from) will explore the authorship, genre, and date of Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. 2 Timothy, alongside 1 Timothy and Titus, constitute what scholars term the “Pastoral Epistles”. The Pastoral Epistles identify themselves to be from the hand Paul. However, since the early 19th century, a majority of scholars have questioned this claim and argued in favor of a pseudonymous author who wrote in Paul’s name after his death. Consequently, they are often dated sometime after the death of Paul (~62 CE) and taken to be a reflection of late 1st century/2nd century Christianity. The differences between the Pastorals and Paul’s other letters in areas such as vocabulary, style, and theology are often cited in backing up this claim. This thesis first surveys what scholarship has to say about these differences and possible solutions. Subsequently, the case will be made for 2 Timothy’s uniqueness amongst the “Pastoral Epistles” and why the Pastoral Epistles should be studied as three separate letters rather than as a group. The focus will then turn to the consequences of grouping 2 Timothy with 1 Timothy and Titus and what consequences reconsideration of 2 Timothy’s dating and genre can have for our understanding of its nature and provenance.

Religions, 2023

Within Biblical scholarship, there have been a limited number of studies which examine ancient li... more Within Biblical scholarship, there have been a limited number of studies which examine ancient literacy and education in relation to the production of the Deutero-Pauline letters. When such topics are addressed together, the discussions rarely go beyond some generalities, and this article seeks to partly address that gap. Literacy rates in the Greco-Roman world, of which the earliest Christians were a part, are universally agreed to be significantly lower than modern literacy rates, with most estimates being between 5 and 15%. This fact, coupled with the limited number of Christians by the end of the first and the beginning of the second century CE, should be taken more seriously when considering how the Deutero-Pauline literature came to be produced and, eventually, circulate with other authentic Pauline letters. In short, this article will argue that when the realities of the educational landscape of the New Testament world are taken in conjunction with what we know about textual production, early Christian communities and leadership structures, there is a plausible argument to be made that those who were responsible for at least some of the Deutero-Pauline letters may be hiding in plain sight.

Expository Times, 2022

In modern scholarship, Paul’s letter to Philemon, which is considered to be one of the letters th... more In modern scholarship, Paul’s letter to Philemon, which is considered to be one of the letters that virtually all scholars agree was written by Paul, has not been subjected to the same standards of historical inquiry compared to the ‘disputed’ letters of Paul (Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians and the Pastoral Epistles). This has led to double standards in how scholars treat the historical provenance of Philemon, as well as the question of Philemon’s authorship. The following article will serve to raise some important questions regarding the historical backdrop of the epistle that many scholars have been content to theorize about without much scrutiny, mainly because of the unquestioned assumption of Pauline authorship. In doing so, the hope is that this article can surface some double standards in how scholars treat Philemon compared to the other Pauline epistles and provide a fresh viewpoint in critical discussion of Philemon’s provenance and place in the Christian canon.

Expository Times, 2021

This article challenges the interpretive decision made by many scholars to group 3 John with the ... more This article challenges the interpretive decision made by many scholars to group 3 John with the rest of the Johannine Epistles (and sometimes John's Gospel). This interpretative method fails to treat 3 John, as well as the rest of the Epistles, on their own terms. It also often places these texts within a hypothetical 'Johannine Community' and its various phases of development. However, if 3 John is read on its own, the text itself points us to interpret it within a Jewish framework. The seemingly lack of interest in Jews and Judaism, rather than being a sign of a later date when this group was no longer rooted in any Jewish community and no longer cared about such issues, is a sign that the epistle dates from a period before this community of Christ-believers began to markedly differentiate themselves from other Jews. These points, as well as the author's use of τὸν ἐθνικός when describing the missionary work by some of those within the community, may also suggest that the conflict between the Elder and Diotrephes was related to disagreements over the nature of missionary work within the early Jesus movement.

did depict images of rulers of their coins and did not follow the example set by the Hasmoneans a... more did depict images of rulers of their coins and did not follow the example set by the Hasmoneans and Herod the Great. See Anne Lykke, "Reflections on the Cultural Encounter between the Jews and the Greeks and Romans in Jewish Coin Iconography of the Hellenistic

One area of interest in the study of the Gospel according to Matthew is its literary relationship... more One area of interest in the study of the Gospel according to Matthew is its literary relationship to the other Synoptic Gospels of Mark and Luke. This interest has contributed to the rise of the ‘Synoptic Problem,’ which seeks to explain the many similarities and differences between the three Synoptics. One of the similarities between the Synoptics (and the Gospel of John) is the appearance and preaching of John the Baptist. In challenging the Q-hypothesis, the focus in this paper will be on Matt. 3:1-12, which is primarily the preaching of John, and why positing a Q origin for this material has several major difficulties and does not provide a satisfactory explanation.

The topic of authorship has traditionally dominated discussions of the Pastoral Epistles over the... more The topic of authorship has traditionally dominated discussions of the Pastoral Epistles over the past century. Though many different positions on authorship have been articulated throughout this time, the case for Timothy as the author of 2 Timothy has been given little to no attention in such discussions. While the true identity of the author can never be known with certainty, there are several aspects of 2 Timothy in particular that lend merit to the proposal that Timothy was involved in its composition. In undertaking such a task, this discussion will examine various literary and historical connections between the historical figure of Timothy with 2 Timothy, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, and the Epistle to the Hebrews. In doing so, it will also explore the relationship between literacy and co-authorship in the Greco-Roman world and their potential connections to Pauline/Deutero-Pauline literature in arguing for a more serious consideration of Timothy’s place in future scholarship on the Pastoral Epistles and authorship.

Despite being the shortest book in the Bible, consisting of only 21 verses, Obadiah is extremely ... more Despite being the shortest book in the Bible, consisting of only 21 verses, Obadiah is extremely complex, especially in proportion to its size. The difficulties that Obadiah presents to the interpreter, both past and present, range from its relationship to other prophetic books (e.g. parallels with Joel and Jeremiah) to the historical circumstances that underlie the text. By and large, these difficulties have not been resolved by scholarship, and in many cases the questions remain unanswered. That being said, some issues have received more attention than others. One of these issues is that of literary structure and its relationship to the dating of certain material within the book. It is within this issue, specifically the relationship of vv. 15a, 16-21 to understanding Obadiah as a whole, that this paper directs its focus. In doing so, it argues that Obadiah is best read and understood without an assumption of unity.

This paper explores several examples of Judean coinage from the late Second Temple Period (up unt... more This paper explores several examples of Judean coinage from the late Second Temple Period (up until the Jewish Revolt in 66 CE) and what that coinage might tell us about how Roman rule effected the identity Jewish people and how they responded to foreign rule and influence.

This thesis (of which this excerpt is taken from) will explore the authorship, genre, and date of... more This thesis (of which this excerpt is taken from) will explore the authorship, genre, and date of Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. 2 Timothy, alongside 1 Timothy and Titus, constitute what scholars term the “Pastoral Epistles”. The Pastoral Epistles identify themselves to be from the hand Paul. However, since the early 19th century, a majority of scholars have questioned this claim and argued in favor of a pseudonymous author who wrote in Paul’s name after his death. Consequently, they are often dated sometime after the death of Paul (~62 CE) and taken to be a reflection of late 1st century/2nd century Christianity. The differences between the Pastorals and Paul’s other letters in areas such as vocabulary, style, and theology are often cited in backing up this claim. This thesis first surveys what scholarship has to say about these differences and possible solutions. Subsequently, the case will be made for 2 Timothy’s uniqueness amongst the “Pastoral Epistles” and why the Pastoral Epistles should be studied as three separate letters rather than as a group. The focus will then turn to the consequences of grouping 2 Timothy with 1 Timothy and Titus and what consequences reconsideration of 2 Timothy’s dating and genre can have for our understanding of its nature and provenance.