Discourse Flow Analysis :: Prototype

Greeting (1:1-4)

Discuss a time when you called someone a name other than their proper name or when you were called by another name, like when a loved one called you a special name. How did it make you feel? How did that change the way you thought about yourself? How did it help you understand how the other person saw you? How did that differ from how you thought about yourself in that moment?

In ancient letters like this one written by Paul, the greeting section simply mentioned who was writing it and who it was written to. Paul’s introductions do something more. They introduce key ideas that he will be talking about later in the letter. He also uses very specific descriptions of the ideas to help shape how people think about them. It is a lot like calling someone a name instead of their proper name.

There is lots of name-calling in the Bible. When it happens, the writer invites us to change how we view them, ourselves, or an important idea they are talking about. Using a new name or adding a description to the usual one gives us God’s perspective on the person or thing. This is how he wants us to think about it. Name-calling at the beginning of a letter can help us understand why the writer has the authority to teach us, where the authority comes from, and how we should think about important ideas that he will be talking about in the letter


Discuss a time when you called someone a name other than their proper name or when you were called by another name, like when a loved one called you a special name. How did it make you feel? How did that change the way you thought about yourself? How did it help you understand how the other person saw you? How did that differ from how you thought about yourself in that moment?

In ancient letters like this one written by Paul, the greeting section simply mentioned who was writing it and who it was written to. Paul’s introductions do something more. They introduce key ideas that he will be talking about later in the letter. He also uses very specific descriptions of the ideas to help shape how people think about them. It is a lot like calling someone a name instead of their proper name.

There is lots of name-calling in the Bible. When it happens, the writer invites us to change how we view them, ourselves, or an important idea they are talking about. Using a new name or adding a description to the usual one gives us God’s perspective on the person or thing. This is how he wants us to think about it. Name-calling at the beginning of a letter can help us understand why the writer has the authority to teach us, where the authority comes from, and how we should think about important ideas that he will be talking about in the letter

Greeting

Discuss a time when you called someone a name other than their proper name or when you were called by another name, like when a loved one called you a special name. How did it make you feel? How did that change the way you thought about yourself? How did it help you understand how the other person saw you? How did that differ from how you thought about yourself in that moment?

In ancient letters like this one written by Paul, the greeting section simply mentioned who was writing it and who it was written to. Paul’s introductions do something more. They introduce key ideas that he will be talking about later in the letter. He also uses very specific descriptions of the ideas to help shape how people think about them. It is a lot like calling someone a name instead of their proper name.

There is lots of name-calling in the Bible. When it happens, the writer invites us to change how we view them, ourselves, or an important idea they are talking about. Using a new name or adding a description to the usual one gives us God’s perspective on the person or thing. This is how he wants us to think about it. Name-calling at the beginning of a letter can help us understand why the writer has the authority to teach us, where the authority comes from, and how we should think about important ideas that he will be talking about in the letter

1
Παῦλος
δοῦλος
θεοῦ,
ἀπόστολος
δὲ
Ἰησοῦ
Χριστοῦ
κατὰ
πίστιν
ἐκλεκτῶν
θεοῦ
καὶ
ἐπίγνωσιν
ἀληθείας
τῆς
κατ’
εὐσέβειαν
2
ἐπ’
ἐλπίδι
ζωῆς
αἰωνίου,
ἣν
ἐπηγγείλατο
ἀψευδὴς
θεὸς
πρὸ
χρόνων
αἰωνίων
3
ἐφανέρωσεν
δὲ
καιροῖς
ἰδίοις,
τὸν
λόγον
αὐτοῦ
ἐν
κηρύγματι
ἐπιστεύθην
ἐγὼ
κατ’
ἐπιταγὴν
τοῦ
σωτῆρος
ἡμῶν
θεοῦ,
4
Τίτῳ
γνησίῳ
τέκνῳ
κατὰ
κοινὴν
πίστιν·
χάρις
καὶ
εἰρήνη
ἀπὸ
θεοῦ
πατρὸς
καὶ
Χριστοῦ
Ἰησοῦ
τοῦ
σωτῆρος
ἡμῶν.
1
Paul
a
servant
of
God
and
an
apostle
of
Jesus
Christ
for
the
faith
of
God’s
elect
and
their
knowledge
of
the
truth
that
leads
to
godliness
2
in
the
hope
of
eternal
life
which
God
who
cannot
lie
promised
before
time
began
3
In
His
own
time
He
has
made
His
word
evident
in
the
proclamation
entrusted
to
me
by
the
command
of
God
our
Savior
4
To
Titus
my
true
child
in
our
common
faith
Grace
and
peace
from
God
the
Father
and
Christ
Jesus
our
Savior