Verhouding verkondiging en belydenis by Paulus

Abstract

It is a well-known fact that in his letters Paul for different purposes made use of traditional materials, among others confessional formulae and hymns. In this study the question is asked as to how these materials were evaluated by Paul, that is, whether he regarded them as fixed dogmas to be handed down in their original form, and in the event of proclaiming the gospel, to be strictly adhered to as kerygmatic guidelines. The conclusion arrived at is that, although Paul definitely regarded these materials as existential expressions of faith of some importance and as forms of proclamation in their own right, he never saw them as unchangeable dogmas to be strictly adhered to as prescriptive for his understanding and proclamation of the gospel. He, on the contrary, made free use of them in such a manner that he modified them in different ways in order to bring them in line with his theology and to serve the purpose of his theological argument. In so doing, he clearly demonstrated that, in his view, the confessional formulae should be of service to the kerygma, and not the other way around.