Apocalyptic Realism

By the way, according to the large majority of scholars only these writings were authored by Paul himself - 1 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Romans, Philemon. Other writings attributed to his original authorship are contested by some or many historians. So then we do take those additional epistles, as well as Acts of the Apostles, and consider them...

Now, if we are to read Paul it is very important to understand that he is a realist, and a real believer - this is indicated in all of his writings and in his behavior and all we know of him historically. The man lived and died for these things. 

Paul believes in Jesus, he saw him in the heavens, not a vision like a dream but an actual material experience. And Paul believes that Jesus will come very soon, not exactly a matter of first coming then leaving now waiting for a second coming - it was all one big coming, one big coming event with two sides or aspects to it; the second side called parousia. 

Why is that so important? Because we see in his earlier letters, versus the later letters, with years between, that his tone changes, and his concepts develop as well - from more of an urgent Jesus is coming any day now, to a less urgent but still imminent Jesus is coming when he comes, and maybe not all of us will live to see that happening, but still for sure he is coming in the imminent near future.

Compare the Sabbatian Paradox

That is so important not just on a level of understanding the words of the man writing to be in a realistic mindset, so he is more of an activist, a messianic proclaimer, and not quite the theological pioneer of a religion that he is later perceived to be - on aother level, one must understand that he is expressing, or dealing with, this paradoxical apocalyptic disposition.

Exactly what Scholem said of Sabbatianism, mostly by Nathan of Gaza, of whom Scholem said he was the John the Baptist (i.e. proclaimer) and also Paul the Apostle (i.e. theologian) of Shabbtai Zvi - in the midst of paradox, for the MESSIAH HAS COME, yet not all has been fulfilled - what an awkward challenge of faith - but not a challenge for the religious realist, stretching the creativity of the faith, of the theological circumstance of that faith.

So Sabbatians had it twice, or on 2 levels - their messiah apostasized and later died. After the apostasy, dealing with Shabbtai Zvi's death maybe wasn't so big of a deal. But for the Christians there were also 2 levels - their messiah was first crucified and died, and then rose from the dead and left again. So again he is not present in the normal sense. He is absent but perpetually coming. 

Constructed Understanding

So we read Paul as an apocalyptic realist who is dealing with this paradoxical messianic disposition. Through this insight, one begins to understand Paul. This is the way to understand Paul and his thinking from one letter to another, while also considering the accounts of Acts of the Apostles. 

First, like the original Apostles, Paul perceived the suffering and disgrace of the cross as the deepest and greatest spiritual victory. (Kind of like the apostasy of Shabbtai Zvi, but much more honorable.)

On top of that, Paul as a theologian, as a religious thinker and scholar of scriptures, as time passes from 1 Thessalonians, through the Corinthian letters, to the Epistle to those believers in Rome, contemplates the paradoxical grandeur of Jesus’ delayed coming as mysteriously and magnificently reaching the Gentiles to the ends of the earth.

Finally, that manuever will provoke the people of Israel to recognize and receive their redeemer, as the full process of biblical / divine / religious history from creation to the eschaton, the eschatological worldview, of Jesus’ apocalypse, from Israel to the Nations and back to Israel.

This for Paul is all very real, entirely imminent - happening in the present near future not down the road in some future era, with all sorts of conditional factors.

The parousia is deterministic in that sense. Apocalyptic and eschatological and deterministic. It is happening... However, as this imminent deterministic aspect is not just yet taking place, what they experience as delay, therein lies the activistim part which comes out as mission to the Gentiles. 

This is Paul. He has the deterministic perspective, then he is engaged with the paradoxes, and takes all sorts of action, as proclaimer in the present (not prophet of the future) of the messianic redeemer.

And it is within that paradox that he operates, and because of that paradox that he is changing, and thus often misleading or misunderstood, or writing one thing here and another thing there, operating in between - in a reality, where the Messiah is behind you, historically, yet in the future, and present.