OK, so I have wondered periodically about the conflicts that can be seen in Paul's letters, namely how Paul thought, or at least implied, that the end times were at hand--so much so he though people shouldn't get married. I guess I have mostly ignored that there are discprencies between what Paul thought would happen, and what actually happened. I never questioned how Paul's views on Parousia would affect his theology, which I guess is a silly assumption to make.
Honestly, this class is seriously making me doubt the absolute certainty I had in Biblical scripture. I had always grown up with the belief that scripture is perfectly inspired by God, and thus cannot be wrong.
But what I am coming to discover as we learn about the Bible from a more historical perspective and with historical context is how vulnerable the Bible is to cultural influences. I don't think this necessarily means I doubt the Bible, but I do think I have learned how important it is to read the Bible with the understanding that the people who wrote it were just that--people. They are not perfect, they were wholly susceptible to cultural influences and were completely limited in their knowledge based on their own human experiences.
And while that is not to say that Paul was not awesome, but I was struck by what (Savannah I think?) kept saying in class about how Paul would be considered a wack in today's times for thinking the end is at hand, yet we consider him an expert and inspired by God.
I can't help but wonder at the discrepancy. And I can't help but wonder how much value we should place on someone's theories, especially when that person has been proven wrong about other things.
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