Second, they argue that theological education should not aim to limit the work of the Spirit by limiting the means by which theological education is done. On the other hand, Paul uses distance education through paper because of his confidence in the abilities of paper and his knowledge of strengths that are not available through face-to-face education alone.
PREMISES
Contemporary theological education is focused on the individual student; while most of Paul's theological content appears in letters to congregations.4 Letters to individuals, the pastoral letters, dwell mainly on advisory issues as they encourage pastors like Timothy. In this sense, Paul's letters to congregations have more in common with a sermon or a Bible study than a course in a theological institution. Important to this thesis is the idea that Paul's letters were educational, deliberate efforts to facilitate learning toward specific goals and outcomes.
The letter, the sending of an emissary, and Paul's own presence] represent the completion of the apostolic parousia and in ascending order of importance. Contemporary theological education tends to focus more on the individual, while Paul's letters tend to focus on congregations, but. On the other hand, Paul's epistolary theory and practice share many points of comparison with online theological education.
All these points of comparison allow for fruitful results in the effort to extract wisdom from Paul's epistles to apply to practices of online theological education today.
On the one hand, it could be argued that Paul's desire to visit the Romans to preach the gospel is fulfilled through the epistle he composes. Moreover, Paul's presentation of the gospel in the epistle would indicate that he believed he could bestow this spiritual gift through writing, though perhaps not in the same way as preaching. In his role as a teacher, Paul is an example of what he teaches.
However, this passage is discussed because it sheds light on Paul's understanding of his presence among the Corinthians through the letter. 33 Although this is not one of Funk's apostolic parousia passages, I have included a discussion for its illustration of Paul's views on the possibilities of the letter. 43 While this is not one of Funk's parousia passages, I have included a discussion of how it reflects Paul's views on the epistle's competence.
Imagination and the Arousal of the Emotions in Greco-Roman Rhetoric,” in The Passions in Roman Thought and Literature, ed.
INFERENCES
Paul believed that in most circumstances he could dispatch his apostolic mission, including instruction in Christian doctrine and morality, most
Paul preferred the visit to the epistle, and this preference was not based on whim or bias, but rather on beliefs about the capabilities of these two methods for effectively carrying out his mission.
Paul believed that his presence could be mediated by means
Paul used and expanded the ancient epistolary theory, which said that an author could make his ethics or personality present to the audience through the letter and that a letter could keep the authority of an author.8 Paul dismisses the "Apostle of his. Paul uses the letter to reinforce and bring home the message he has personally delivered and he tries through his language to create the impression that he is actually among the listeners of his letter (1 Thessalonians 3: 4) .12 Paul sometimes he expresses confidence that his letters will result in the conviction of his hearers (Ps 21-22). Although Paul gave the letter the slightest advantage of the three tools that he exercised his apostolic parus, he nevertheless considered his letters as an effective means.13.
Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans David E. Heath, »Absent Presences of Paul and Christ: Enargeia in 1 Thessalonians 1-3«, Journal for the Study of the New Testament 32, št. Wall, »The Function of the Pastoral Letters within the Pauline Canon of the New Testament: A Canonical Approach,« v The Pauline Canon, ed.
Paul believed that in some circumstances his personal presence would be less effective than an emissary or a letter. In one circumstance,
While it is certainly legitimate to believe that Paul prioritized personal visitation as the generally most effective means of exercising his apostolic parousia, it does not follow that the legitimacy of his letters arose from his visits alone. However, his letters had a legitimacy independent of the visit, so that his letter could also enhance the effectiveness of his visits.
Paul believed that his letters carried legitimacy and authority in themselves, independent of an apostolic visit. Paul considered his visits to be the
Paul used the epistle as part of a cohesive strategy for fulfilling his apostolic mission. Paul was aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the
Paul strove to nurture the sense that he was personally present by means of the epistle. Ancient official letters held a place of authority and
The language of social presence theory can legitimately be used to describe means by which Paul exercised personal presence through his
Paul believed that recipients of letters could have a greater or lesser sense of interacting with a real person, a greater or lesser sense of social
Seneca stated that he wanted his letters to be like the conversation he would speak if he actually sat or walked in one's company, and that he wanted nothing strange or artificial in his letters. Comparing the letter to an actual conversation, Julius Victor advised one to use expressions that recognize the recipient's presence, such as "you too?" And "just as you say!" And "I see you smile."32. Not only did Paul adopt this epistolary convention of self-disclosure, but he also took it to extremes not usually seen among the ancients.33 Paul was aware of the desirability for recipients of letters to have the impression of interacting with the sender personally and therefore did much to ensure that his readers got that impression.34 Although Paul would not have been aware of this terminology, in his letters he promoted social presence, the impression of interacting with a real person.
Paul sought to increase social presence by fostering
Paul sought to increase social presence by fostering immediacy, cues of accessibility to his audience. Paul intended to highlight his
CONCLUSIONS
Pauline epistolary theory and practice suggest that
Giving traditional, face-to-face formats a primary place does not preclude the use of online formats in theological teaching, just as the primary location of the visitation of Paul's apostolic parousia did not preclude the use of the letter.2 This does nor. primary place precludes the formation of fully online courses of study or even fully online institutions like Rockbridge Seminary. Rather, this application requires sober judgments about the use of either face-to-face formats or online formats. Proponents of online theological education are justified in their advocacy, but this application means that they should take seriously the concerns expressed by many theological faculty members about the use of online formats in theological education.3 This thesis strongly criticizes the positions of House, Diekema, and Caddell, but they are right in their concern that certain opportunities for formation are lost through the use of online formats, opportunities such as shared meals, prayers and worship.4 Theological institutions, accrediting agencies and potential student.
Primary” was chosen as it is the same term that Funk uses to describe the place of the visitation in Paul's ministry.
Pauline epistolary theory and practice suggests that online formats may be legitimately used for theological education. While Paul gave priority
Paul believed that his letters had legitimacy and authority in themselves, independent of the apostolic visitation (conclusion 5). His letters were not merely an adjunct to his visits, but an integral part of his larger, connected apostolic mission. The legitimacy of Paul's letters, a legitimacy independent of the apostolic visitation, would suggest that online theological education can be legitimately used.
The utilization of online formats in theological education is legitimate in part on account of social presence, the sense of interacting with a real
Paul believed that it was possible to foster the personal element of theological education within the letter. Likewise, social presence theory suggests that it is possible to foster authentic personal relationships through online media. The ability to adopt false personas online is no more a valid reason to discredit online theological education than it is a valid reason to discredit face-to-face theological education.
Pauline epistolary theory and practice suggest that it is legitimate for the sake of theological education to exploit opportunities afforded by
Social presence is not limited to mediated interactions; it also applies to face-to-face interactions. For example, social presence within the traditional classroom may vary based on the number of immediate cues given, for example eye contact and readiness for field questions. Paul's example of fostering social presence by attending to intimate and immediacy behaviors (Conclusions 10-12), as well as contemporary research linking social presence to student success, indicates that fostering social presence should be a priority for theological institutions.10 Paul was optimistic about the letter's ability to foster intimacy between himself and his readers, but it was a cautious optimism (Conclusions 7-8).
Zittle, "Social Presence as a Predictor of Satisfaction within a Computer-Mediated Conferencing Environment," The American Journal of Distance Education 11, no. Gunawardena, "Social Presence Theory and Implications for Interaction and Cooperative Learning in Computer Conferencing," International Journal of Education. Both the Pauline example and contemporary research would indicate, then, that fostering social presence should be a particular concern for students and educators engaged in online learning.
Another implication of the importance of social presence in online learning is that theological institutions, faculties, students and accrediting agencies should give preference to those online formats that promote social presence to a greater extent.
An ideal approach to theological education would utilize a hybrid model in which the format employed, whether the face-to-face, traditional
This thesis has also enriched the literature about the theory of social presence, albeit indirectly. The purpose of this thesis was to address a gap in the literature about online theological education. By linking online theological education to Pauline epistolary theory and practice, this thesis has strengthened the credibility of using online formats in theological education.
This dissertation related Pauline's theory and practice on the use of media to the use of online theological education. This dissertation has also provided guidance to institutions and individuals engaged in or considering participating in online theological education. This thesis has also provided guidance that teachers and students should pay particular attention to social presence when engaging with online media.
This thesis has provided only a few comments on the "why" of Pauline epistolary theory and practice.
Institutions should develop a clear strategy for
Institutions that utilize online formats should equip faculty and students to facilitate social presence. Social presence made possible for
Light from the Ancient East: The New Testament Illustrated by Recently Discovered Texts from the Greco-Roman World. Social Presence as a Predictor of Satisfaction within a Computer-Mediated Conference Environment." The American Journal of Distance Education 11, no. Absent Presence of Paul and Christ: Enargeia in 1 Thessalonians 1-3." Journal for the Study of the New Testament 32, no.
A summary of study findings: Evaluating the impact of online courses on the spiritual formation of adult students.” Christian Perspectives in Education 4, no. Defining a Theological Educational Community.” The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 5, no. The Function of the Pastoral Epistles within the Pauline Canon of the New Testament: A Canonical Approach. In The Pauline Canon, edited by Stanley E.
In particular, this thesis shows that Paul had beliefs about the letter's ability to act as a personal proxy.
