Paul and Prophetic Tradition. Some aspects of Christian self-understanding in 2 Corinthians 3,7- 4,6

The Apostle Paul never refers to himself with the title «prophet», but a careful analysis of some of his texts reveals certain elements similar to the prophetic traditions of Israel (cf. 1 Thess 2,3-8; Gal 1,15-16a; 1 Cor 2,6-16; 9,15-18; 2 Cor 3,7- 4,6; Rom 1,1-5; 10,14-18; 11,25-36; Eph 2,19-3,7).

The main objective of our research project is to examine whether «Paul really did conceive his apostolate and his commission to preach the Gospel to the gentiles in prophetic terms». Consequently, the results of our analysis would help us to make an attempt in delineating the nature and the mission of Christianity today.

This work can be considered as an “interdisciplinary research” because it proceeds from an exegetical analysis of a relevant biblical section to an attempt of seeking some ecclesiological results. Our work may have some outcomes which would be a positive contribution to the research carried out in the theological field. First of all, the «prophet-like apostolate» applied to Paul is a unique perspective through which to view Paul’s theology, vocation and attitudes. Furthermore, since the category of «prophet» is common to both Christian and Hebrew religions, we expect that there would be a possibility of some elements of inter religious dialogue with the Jewish legacy.