Instructor Access (optional grading support) for Unlimited Access families is available for this course!
Saint Paul is a towering figure in Christianity. Much of our theology is based on his letters, but they are full of seemingly run-on sentences and difficult language. Even Saint Peter had trouble with them (2 Peter 3:16)! His words are sometimes turned against the Church by people of other belief systems. Was Paul Catholic? How on earth can we read these letters and know what he's talking about?! Join Mrs. Vaughan in this course to meet the true Saint Paul and go on a whirlwind journey with him as he evangelizes to the ends of the earth!
Special Notes: Includes a writing component. Extra pre-recorded lectures are provided for a couple of weeks. If you have a middle school student too, Mr. Kevin O’Brien offers a middle school level course on St. Paul so that siblings can learn together.
Total classes: 12
Duration: 55 minutes per class
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested credit: One full semester Theology or New Testament Scripture
Instructor: Holly Vaughan
Instructor Email: mrsvaughanhsc@gmail.com
Course description: Saint Paul is a towering figure in the Church. So much of our Catholic theology is based on his writings, and yet so often people attempt to turn his words against the Church. This course is going to introduce students to Saint Paul within his own context - a first-century Jewish convert to Christianity. We will look at his radical transformation, how Jesus completely transformed his reading of Jewish Scriptures, his many sea-faring adventures, his run-ins with the authorities, and we will walk through the letters he wrote (they're for everyone, not just theologians!) in order to get to really know this man who has shaped the teachings of the Church more than anyone besides Jesus Himself. We will get to know both his personality (sometimes a bit overwhelming, always loving) as well as his theology. This course will give students a better grasp of not only who Saint Paul is, but of the Catholic position on grace, salvation, and the mystical Body of Christ, and will equip them to better live and defend their faith through the great Saint Paul.
Course outline:
Week One - Meeting Saint Paul
Week Two - Gracing the Galatians
Week Three - Thinking Through the End Times with the Thessalonians
Week Four - Correcting the Corinthians
Week Five - The Captivated Colossians
Week Six - Correcting the Corinthians a Second Time
Week Seven - Entering Ephesus
Week Eight - Reaching Out to the Romans
Week Nine - Still Reaching Out to the Romans
Week Ten - The Faithful Philippians
Week Eleven - Review Part 1
Week Twelve - Review Part 2 and Final Exam
Course materials:
Catholic Bible
Notebook
Other reading selections will be provided free by the instructor.
An answer key is provided for the course.
Homework:
Weekly Readings and Quizzes
Possible Supplemental Lectures
Final Exam
Paper Project. This will be a 2- to 3-page paper on an aspect of Saint Paul’s teaching that is not well known by Catholics.
(Estimated 20 - 30 minutes of homework each week, not including work on the paper.)
©2022 Homeschool Connections and Holly Vaughan. All rights reserved. This course is designed by Holly Vaughan.
-
This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.
-
You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.
- Teacher: Holly Vaughan