Peter Müller also devotes substantial attention to the preservation and application of Paul’s teaching after his death, particularly as found in 2 Thessalonians and Colossians. Müller’s vision of the Pauline school spotlights its varied and unorganized character. The different branches of the “school” began with the shared pillars of Paul’s own theology but then adapted them to the pressing needs of the day.69 In Müller’s discussion of what the transition period from Paul to his students looked like, the description of Paul’s identity in the letters plays a central role. The portrayal in Colossians reveals the expansion of Paul’s authority, which corresponds to an expanding community of believers throughout the world. Paul’s status and ministry influence are enlarged so that his message and his suffering become relevant to the universal church.70 Echoing those before him, Müller designates Paul as an apostle without peer for those in the Pauline school, because the validity of the gospel is tied to his teaching and stature.71
Beker engages in extended study regarding the legacy of Paul. He reiterates the assessment that the authors of Ephesians and Colossians have elevated the status of Paul. Beker believes that this portrayal of Paul conforms to what is seen in other places, such as Acts and the Pastoral Epistles, but that the authors of Ephesians and Colossians have been more successful in aligning their portrait with the authentic Paul of the earlier letters.72
According to Daniel Marguerat, the deutero-Pauline letters represent one of three avenues for continuing Paul’s influence after his death. While Paul’s authentic letters preserve his instruction and the canonical Acts and the apocryphal Acts of Paul reflect the memory of Paul’s exploits apart from his letters, letters such as Colossians and Ephesians draw upon the image and voice of Paul from both his letters and memory to promote orthodoxy for a new generation. These deutero-Pauline letters were the product of later impersonators’ extensive interaction with Paul’s authentic letters.73 The resulting picture of Paul is that of “le proclamateur par excellence” and “le destinataire privilégié” of the divine mystery in Colossians and one divinely appointed to unify Jews and Gentiles in Ephesians.74
Additional Research about Paul’s Status in Colossians
The attention directed to the study of Paul’s image in the generation following Paul is rivaled by the interest in Paul’s portrayal in Colossians. Charles Nielsen shows a specific interest in Paul’s image in Colossians. He takes for granted the pseudepigraphal character of the book and proceeds to articulate how the later author constructs the identity of Paul.75 Like other scholars, Nielsen contends that the author has removed the other apostles from the picture and has accorded Paul an unchallenged position of authority.76 The author’s abrupt inclusion of Paul’s self-identification in Col 1:23, the extreme assessment of Paul’s suffering in 1:24, and the comprehensive scope of Paul’s ministry implied in 1:25 all point to an insistence on Paul’s lofty position.77
Walter Wilson perceives marked differences between Paul’s own self-assessment and that of the pseudonymous author of Colossians, owing to the influence of popular non-Christian philosophical ideas.78 In the attempt to relay a “credible persona” for Paul, the author consults not only the prevailing image of Paul in early Christianity but also the Greco-Roman philosophical norms of the day.79 The writer of Colossians elevates Paul’s nobility in suffering and his exclusivity as a recipient of divine revelation. These characteristics adhere well to both Biblical and Greco-Roman standards for religious or philosophical sages.80
Angela Standhartinger interprets the assertion of Paul’s suffering in Col 1:24 and his apostolic presence in 2:5 as two means by which a later student spiritualizes and universalizes Paul’s ministry. Though Paul can no longer exert direct influence on the churches, through Colossians he communicates his unambiguous expectations and exhortations to the churches. The letter reads as Paul’s final testament to the scattered churches that remain after his death.81 The representation of Paul’s imprisonment and suffering in Col 1:23—2:5 and Colossians 4 is best understood with Paul’s martyrdom and post-martyrdom influence in mind.82
Jerry Sumney opts for a post-Pauline writer for Colossians and mentions the characterization of Paul’s sufferings as a key component in the argument against authenticity.83 Sumney proceeds to delve into the interpretation of Col 1:24 from the viewpoint of the letter’s later origin. According to Sumney, the portrayal of Paul’s suffering not only wields rhetorical force by establishing a hearing for Paul’s words in the letter but also gives the readers a pattern of Christian life to mimic.84
Additional Research about Paul’s Status in Ephesians
The degree of elaboration on Paul’s status in Ephesians has not quite approached the pursuit of the similar issue in Colossians. Among those discussing the Exalted Apostle Theory as applied to Ephesians, there are even some dissenting voices who question the merits of the theory.
Rudolf Schnackenburg believes that the pseudonymous author of Ephesians has an agenda for reinforcing the unrivaled standing of Paul as an apostle. The author wishes to propagate his own expansive vision of God’s plans and the church’s role in the advance of God’s purposes.85 Speaking in Paul’s name, the author wants to reiterate Paul’s prominence as a recipient of treasured revelation so that the author’s message in Ephesians will be more readily honored and embraced as the “standard tradition.”86
Robert Wild suggests that even though Ephesians is written falsely under Paul’s name, the intent of the author in his depiction of Paul is not to deceive but to motivate. Paul is highlighted as the ideal prisoner who is not constrained by his captors but bound only to Christ. He thus speaks boldly as a free man, serving as a model for other Christians to do likewise, regardless of opposition.87
In his commentary