John Dominic Crossan: Paul & Thecla

Homebrewed Christianity

Dr. Tripp Fuller | Theologian, Philosopher, Minister

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.6 • 612 Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the inaugural live stream of the class Paul the Pharisee: Faith and Politics in a Divided World, John Dominic Crossan joins me to dig into the radical historical Paul. Crosson argues for the importance of understanding Paul within the context of the historical Jesus, despite Paul's often radical and misunderstood teachings. We explore topics like Paul's controversial stance on gender and slavery, backed by textual analysis, and the influence of his letters within early Christian communities. The session also discusses the story of Thecla as an archetype of Paul's radical vision and how these narratives have been reshaped to fit different sociopolitical contexts. Questions from participants help flesh out the complexities around Paul's portrayal in the New Testament and subsequent interpretations. To access all 5 of Crossan's lectures, submit questions, and join future live streams, head here to join the class. John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus at DePaul University, is widely regarded as the foremost historical Jesus scholar of our time. He is the author of several bestselling books, including The Historical Jesus, How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian, God and Empire, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, The Greatest Prayer, The Last Week, and The Power of Parable. He lives in Minneola, Florida. Previous Podcast Episodes with Dom & Tripp Ask JC Anything Diana Butler Bass & John Dominic Crossan: The Resurrection of Jesus Brian McLaren & John Dominic Crossan: The Message of Jesus & the Judgement of Civilization Brian Zahnd & John Dominic Crossan: God, Violence, Empire, & Salvation Why the Biblical Paul is Awesome Christian Resurrection & Human Evolution The Cross & the Crisis of Civilization The Coming Kingdom & the Risen Christ The Parables of Jesus & the Parable of God How to think about Jesus like a Historian the Last Week of Jesus’ Life Jesus, Paul, & Bible Questions Saving the Biblical Christmas Stories the most important discovery for understanding Jesus The Bible, Violence, & Our Future Resurrecting Easter on the First Christmas From Jesus’ Parables to Parables of God Render Unto Caesar on God & Empire Join Dom Crossan at ...Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025 3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends. A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan Join us for a transformative 5-week Lenten journey on "Paul the Pharisee: Faith and Politics in a Divided World."This course examines the Apostle Paul as a Pharisee deeply engaged with the turbulent political and religious landscape of his time. Through the lens of his letters and historical context, we will explore Paul’s understanding of Jesus’ Life-Vision, his interpretation of the Execution-and-Resurrection, and their implications for nonviolence and faithful resistance against empire. Each week, we will delve into a specific aspect of Paul’s theology and legacy, reflecting on its relevance for our own age of autocracy and political turmoil. . For details and to sign-up for any donation, including 0, head over here. _____________________ Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. This podcast is a Homebrewed Christianity production. Follow the Homebrewed Christianity, Theology Nerd Throwdown, & The Rise of Bonhoeffer podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our Substack - Process This! Get instant access to over 45 classes at www.TheologyClass.com Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:23.3	like you sign up for your one dollar a month trial at shopify dot com slash setup hello one this is
0:32.3	trip and i'm here with john dominic crosson this is our first, first live stream for our class on Paul the Pharisee, this lent, which I hope everyone in here is already signed up.
0:49.0	But if not, you can head over to crossunclass.com where after you sign up, then you get an email with a link
0:56.4	to a resource page where you can watch all five of the lectures that we'll be discussing.
1:03.0	And, you know, go at your own pace where you watch the ones you want.
1:06.5	Zoom in on a very cool visual elements that Dom and Sarah put together. And also, throughout the
1:16.9	class, you can respond to any of the class emails with questions, which we got quite a few
1:21.5	of them today, Dom. So I think, I think we're, we're ready for some fun.
1:29.3	Rumble.
1:30.2	Yeah.
1:37.3	So maybe a place to begin is to look at the origin story for this book.
1:40.2	Why Paul, right?
1:41.4	And especially you.
1:43.1	I thought you're supposed to be progressive, Dom.
1:48.1	What's up with Paul? And you're trying to redeem him here for us.
2:02.2	Well, very bluntly, as far as I'm concerned, I have never left the historical Jesus. Paul is part of the historical Jesus. I can't see why he's not. He's talking about him. He's talking about his execution. that's historical and as as far as i'm concerned patchy my friends rame round and john mire you do not end with a tomb
2:07.9	if you're doing history you end with the resurrection whatever you think about it but it's still
	...

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