Nicole’s e-Pistle “Biblical Brunch”

June 10, 2026

Greetings, Friends!

I wonder – if you could have a Biblical Brunch with anyone from the Bible… besides Jesus (because wouldn’t we all like to do that?)… who would you choose?

I think I would like to have brunch with Paul, although a meal like that could easily last all afternoon and well past supper. I have a lot of questions for him, but mostly, I would like to know what he thinks of how his letters have been interpreted over the centuries. He has been used by people across the theological spectrum to support everything from women remaining silent and slaves obeying their masters to liberation, equality for all people, and freedom in Christ.

People in the ancient world viewed historical fact and authorship differently than some people today. For example, legend and myth could be included in Biblical history, and authorship was often attributed more toward someone famous than to the person whose hand put pen to parchment. For example, most scholars agree now that the Pentateuch were not literally written by Moses (especially since that would have required him to record his own story and death posthumously). Rather, the story is attributed to Moses by whomever actually wrote the first five books, because it is Moses’ story.

Likewise, some of Paul’s epistles have been documented as having been written by Paul himself, while others have been widely considered by scholars as Deutero-Pauline letters. In other words, they were written by one or more authors who were later followers of Paul. These include 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastoral Epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus). Some playfully say these letters were written by “Fake Paul,” and parts of them can be contradictory to what we find in “Real Paul’s” letters – Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon.

I would love to talk to “Real Paul” about his opinions of his pseudonymous successor(s). Where might he have altered some of the message? Also, the earliest form of the Greek text that we have of the New Testament were written in Koine Greek, and all were copied from previous manuscripts for nearly 300 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Unfortunately, Koine Greek did not include punctuation, paragraphing, or spacing between words and sentences. I would love to ask Paul to properly punctuate his letters in our modern English context, because it makes a big difference in the nuances of meaning.

For example, I have read a fabulous book entitled “Eats, Shoots and Leaves.” The illustration on the cover includes one panda bear who is walking away with a pistol in hand, while another panda bear is on a ladder trying to paint over the comma in the title. In other words, grammatically speaking, panda #1 has just filled his belly, shot a gun, and is now leaving the premises. Take the comma away, and a panda is merely enjoying a meal of bamboo shoots and leaves. How much of our understanding of scripture has been determined by scholars imagining where to put the commas?

I do not know if they serve brunch in heaven, but I look forward to being able to ask these and other questions someday. For now, however, I must contend with wrestling with difficult passages and looking to scholarly works such as Garry Wills’ “What Paul Meant,” or Bernard Brandon Scott’s “The Real Paul.” As a former professor said, scripture is like a beloved aunt at Thanksgiving dinner. We may not always agree with everything she says, and at times we may find it prudent to push back on some of her statements, but we love her nonetheless. I feel I have that same kind of relationship with Paul. There is much wisdom and comfort in his epistles to ancient churches, and at times, he can be… as the teenagers say today, “cringe” (meaning something so awkward, embarrassing, or painfully uncool that it causes secondhand embarrassment or discomfort). I can only imagine what Paul might have to say if I could speak with him. Until then…

Blessings and Peace,