The Year of Saint Paul

Annus Sancti Pauli: 29 Junii MMVIII – 29 Junii MMIX

The 29th of June Pope Benedict XVI ushered in the jubilee year of Saint Paul for the bi-millenial year of his birth: “a year to learn from Saint Paul, to learn faith, to learn Christ and to learn the way of upright living”. (Wednesday Audience, 2 July 2008)

To assist in that goal of this year I here provide Saint Thomas’ schema of Saint Paul’s writings. He sees Christ’s grace as Saint Paul’s unifying theme. He thereby explains the order of the letters as we find them in the present New Testament canon. The Angelic Doctor systemitizes it thus to provide an easy way to learn and remember the order and the basic content of the entire Pauline corpus. That was one of the many geniuses of systematic theology: order and ease in learning. The synthesis does not pretend to be the whole but rather a minimal yet faithful sketch of the whole. Hopefully it will help us in our learning of Saint Paul, of faith, of Christ and upright living this year.


The Structure of the Pauline Corpus
According to St. Thomas Aquinas

There are fourteen letters (including Hebrews). Nine address the Gentile Church (Ecclesiam Gentium), four the leaders (praelatos et principes: reges) of the Church, and one addresses the people of Israel, that to the Hebrews.

All of the teaching in Saint Paul is about the grace of Christ which may be considered in three ways.
I. Nine letters consider the grace of Christ as it exists in the mystical body itself:
A. Grace may be considered in three ways. First, in itself, and this is how it is treated in the letter to the Romans.
B. Second, in the sacraments of grace:
1. In 1Corinthians, considered in the sacraments themselves;
2. In 2 Corinthians, in the ministers of the sacraments;
3. In Galatians, superfluous “sacraments” (namely those of the Old Law) are excluded;
C. Third, the grace of Christ is considered according to the uniting effect, in the Church.
1. First, the unity itself is discussed:
a) In Ephesians, the foundation [institutio] of the Church’s unity is considered;
b) In Philippians, the strengthening and advancing (confirmatione et profectu) of the Church’s unity is set forth;
2. Second, its defense:
a) Against certain errors, in the letter to the Colossians;
b) Against persecutions:
(1) In the present in 1Thessalonians;
(2) In the future (and chiefly at the time of the Anti-Christ) in 2 Thessalonians.

II. Four letters instruct the prelates regarding the grace of Christ considered as it exists in the chief members of the Church.

A. Instructing the spiritual prelates:

1. In 1 Timothy on the institution, instruction and governance of church unity;

2. In 2 Timothy on steadfastness (firmitate) against persecutors;

3. In Titus on the defense against heretics. B. Instructing the temporal prelates in Philemon.

III. One letter, that to the Hebrews, considers the grace of Christ as it exists in the head of the mystical body, Christ himself.