Thesis Proposal: Rough Draft
Mauricio G. Guerra
RTCH 680 - Research Methods B01
February 23, 2025
ii
Contents
Abstract..........................................................................................................................................1
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................1
a. Statement of the Problem..................................................................................................3
b. Statement of Purpose.........................................................................................................3
c. Statement of Importance of the Problem........................................................................4
d. Statement of Position on the Problem..............................................................................5
e. Limitations/Delimitations..................................................................................................7
Methods .........................................................................................................................................8
a. Research Methods..............................................................................................................8
b. Tests or Questionnaires.....................................................................................................9
c. Data Collection.................................................................................................................10
d. Data Analysis....................................................................................................................11
Proposed Development of Thesis ...............................................................................................12
a. Working Outline for the Thesis......................................................................................12
b. Proposal for Chapter Division........................................................................................13
c. Proposed Summary of Each Chapter............................................................................14
Results ..........................................................................................................................................15
Working Bibliography ................................................................................................................16
1
Abstract
Saul of Tarsus was a teacher of the Law and a Pharisee in the time that Jesus Christ did His
ministry. He defended the Law with every tool he had at his disposal. Saul tried with every bit of
power he had to stop the movement of the believers that was creating a lot of noise in the Jewish
community. After having a divine encounter with Jesus Christ (Acts 9) everything changed for
Saul. So much that even his name had changed to Paul. From the time of his conversion to his last
breath, Paul developed a clear view of his Christology, and the interest of this paper is to see how
Paul’s Christological view synchronized with the view of the Mosaic Law. Paul letters throughout
the New Testament are infused with Old Testament references in which he is able to synchronize
both Testaments in unison for the most part.
Introduction
If the intention of the believer is to learn and appreciate how did Apostle Paul write his
Christological letters to the church so that they could have a view and guide as to how to defend,
grow, and defend the belief that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, it is important to recognize how
the Old Testament influenced Paul’s Christological view. Paul’s use of Old Testament
knowledge to support his Christology is evident by his use of Old Testament figures, events, and
prophetic messages that give an image of the Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Paul’s use of Old
Testament “went beyond simply showing fulfillment; he selected phrases from many contexts to
weave into his teaching and lend support to his ideas.”1
1 Jared W. Ludlow, “Paul’s Use of Old Testament Scripture: in How the New Testament Came to Be (Provo
UT: Religious Studies Center, 2006), 227.
2
Statement of the Problem
Does Paul relied on his knowledge of the Mosaic Law to present his Christological view
and was he able to take all that knowledge from the Law and used to defend his Christological
defense. Paul’s “Christ language” has to be studied as “a case study in early Jewish messiah
language.”2 A study on the problem of Paul and the Law has to be made if one is to believe that
Paul was the founder of Christianity and as such one has to deal with the problem in “Pauline
studies: the question of Paul and the Judaism.”3
Statement of Purpose
The intention of this paper will be to identify how did Paul’s use his knowledge and
understanding of Old Testament Scripture and how Old Scripture presented a solid defense of
Paul’s Christological view. Contrary to some scholarly reviews from the past that Paul’s
Christology as a departure from a monolithic Jewish messianism, this writer’s view is that Paul’s
Christological view was a “particular variant-form of a diverse and lively Jewish Messianism of
his time.”4
Statement of Importance of the Problem
This writer believes that having a clear understanding that Paul never walked away from
his Hebrew’s background and teachings and that on the other hand, Paul used Old Testament
Scripture in his letters to not only defend his Christological view but to point to Jesus Christ as
the promised Messiah promised from Old Scripture. For the most part, Paul’s letters and
2 Larry W. Hurtado, “Paul’s Messianic Christology.” In Paul the Jew: Rereading the Apostle as a Figure of
Second Temple Judaism, edited by Gabriele Boccaccini, Carlos A. Segovia, and Cameron J. Doody, 107–32.
Augsburg Fortress, 2016. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt19qgg6h.8.
3 Frank Thielman, “Paul, the Law and Judaism: The Collapse of a Theological Consensus.” Paul and the
Law: A Contextual Approach. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1994.) 14.
4 Ibid, 110.
3
theological instructions to the new believers was deeply infused with Old Testament teachings.
When reading the book of Act, one reads how Paul is portrayed as the “Jewish Christian who is
utterly loyal to the law.”5
Limitations/Delimitations
This analysis is limited to the letters Paul wrote to the church in which he defended his
Christological view with the use of Old Testament Scripture. The Letters to the Roman,
Ephesians, Philippians will be the main letters from which this analysis will be done. This study
will not get into Paul’s problem with Judaism such as food laws, circumcision, Sabbath
observance as those were observed as “badges of covenant membership, denoting privileged
ethnicity and nation status.”6
Method
The research method used for the purpose of this analysis will be a descriptive study of
existing data. Examining books, articles already written about this issue will potentially supply
enough data to develop qualitative research that will systematically and accurately be described
how was Paul able to defend and present his Christological views by using Old Testament
Scripture.
5 Isaac W. Oliver, the “Historical Paul” and the Paul of Acts Which Is More Jewish? In Paul the Jew:
Rereading the Apostle as a Figure of Second Temple Judaism, edited by Gabriele Boccaccini, Carlos A. Segovia,
and Cameron J. Doody, 51–80. Augsburg Fortress, 2016. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt19qgg6h.6.
6 Emmanuel Nathan, Is There a Judeo-Christian Tradition?: A European Perspective. 1st ed. De Gruyter,
2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvbkk0mv.
4
Data Collection
The method that will be used to gather data for this research will be through Liberty
University Library, JSTOR, access provided by Liberty University, The Bible, and ProQuest
Ebook Central.
Proposed Development of Thesis
Proposal for Chapter Division Chapter One
Introduction – The open chapter in which the road map for the paper will be briefly
presented.
a. Statement of Problem – Does Paul use Old Testament Scripture to defend his
Christology
b. Statement of Purpose – Will analyze the ways in which Paul used his
background as a teacher of the Law in order to advance the church’s
theological points
c. Statement of Importance of the Problem – Many believers think that the Old
Testament is not as important as the New Testament. This writer believes that
by Jesus Christ calling Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisees, (Philippians 3:5
Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee) to lead the
new church in its doctrinal key points so that there could be a strong
Christological view reinforced by what is written in the Old Testament is a
declaration that the Christian church and its Christological views must come
from an Old Testament teaching.
5
Proposal for Chapter Division Chapter Two
Literature Review
Contextualization of Paul’s background history – It is important to study Paul’s education
and what he did before he encountered Jesus.
a. Paul as a Pharisee
b. Paul as a persecutor of the church
c. Paul’s encounter with Jesus
Biblical Overview
a. How does the book of Act present Saul the persecutor of the Christological
Movement
b. How does Paul become the leader in the Gentile community
c. Biblical examples
oActs 8
oActs 9
oActs 13:9
oActs 22:3 “I am a Jew,Iborn in TarsusIof Cilicia,Ibut brought up in this
city. I studied underIGamalielIand was thoroughly trained in the law of
our ancestors.II was just as zealousIfor God as any of you are today.
oRomans 12-14 are chapters in which Paul show that the Law was
fulfilled through Jesus Christ.
oHabakkuk 2:4; Leviticus 18:5 Paul is defending his Christological
view of Jesus becoming a curse in order to redeem his believers from
the ‘curse of the law’
Literature Overview
6
a. Paul’s Use of Old Testament Scripture written by Jared W. Ludlow (2006).
This book gives an ample example of Paul’s usage of Old Testament Scripture
in order for theological points to be made for the new church.
b. Paul the Jew: Rereading the Apostle as a Figure of Second Temple Judaism
by Gabriele Boccaccini (2016). Paul’s use of Remnant to describe the
believers went against many Jews but in doing so, Paul was using Old
Testament Scripture to show that God’s mercy was now being also shared
with others.
c. Is There a Judeo-Christian Tradition? By De Gruyter. This book explores the
‘problem of Paul and the Law’ Even as Paul saw the Law as a stumbling
block to faith in Christ, Paul still referred back to Old Testament Scripture to
defend his Christian belief.
Theoretical Overview
a. Paul’s Christology and his use of Old Testament is important for the believers
to understand and see how God acted through Jesus to save the world.
Proposal for Chapter Division Chapter Three
Methodology – Extensive research of literature written on this subject will be done
through different means of communication
a. Online Liberty University Library
b. Ebook Central
c. JSTOR
d. BYU Religious Studies Center
7
Proposal for Chapter Division Chapter Four
Results – The hope and drive of this research will be for the reader and most importantly
for the believer to appreciate the Old Testament Scripture as it drives the message of God, the
Son and the Holy Spirit into the New Testament.
Apostle Paul’s background originated from Old Testament Scripture, Paul defended the Law and
eventually had an encounter with Jesus and as he grew in faith, Paul began to use his wisdom
and knowledge from the Old Testament Scripture and used it to defend his Christological points.
Proposal for Chapter Division Chapter Five
Conclusion – After going through the research study by analyzing the multiple journals,
books and commentaries, the conclusion should be that the data used will leave the believer to
have a better understanding of the need to embrace the Old Testament as Scripture that points to
Christ the Messiah.
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Bibliography
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