一段時間以來,保祿書信的「不一致性」再度成為炙手可熱的議題。對二十世紀研究史的簡要回顧,揭示出保祿的「不一致性」並非一個新問題,它極有可能是保祿在世時就不得不面對的一項挑戰。身為保祿的狂熱崇拜者,四世紀教父金口聖若望（John Chrysostom） 盡其所能地反駁各種不一致性主張。一方面,金口聖若望堅定捍衛保祿書信的一致性,它既表現為保祿書信作為一套文集在形式上的一致性,也體現在以時間、意圖與聖神等因素為基礎的內容的一致性上。另一方面,金口聖若望也為保祿的多樣性辯護,且不吝讚美之詞,甚至賦予一些傳統上具有負面含義的形容詞以積極的內涵。金口聖若望的論述也有嚴格的限制,簡言之,保祿書信的多樣性表現為以人的救贖為動機,以虛己為先例,以初傳為場景,以取材與風格為內容。

In recent times, the “inconsistency” of Pauline epistles has been a focus of the discussion once again. A brief review of the research history in the 20^th century reveals that “inconsistency” is not a new issue but probably a challenge that Paul had to face during his lifetime. As an ardent admirer of Paul, St. John Chrysostom did his best to refute all claims of “inconsistency” in Pauline epistles. On the one hand, St. John Chrysostom was a staunch defender of the coherence of the Pauline epistles, both in terms of their formal coherence as a codex and in terms of the coherence of their content, based on factors of time, intention, and the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, St. John Chrysostom also defends and praises Paul’s diversity, even giving positive connotations to adjectives that have traditionally carried a negative meaning. St. John Chrysostom’s argument is also strictly circumscribed. In short, Pauline diversity is expressed by Paul’s motivation of saving mankind, the example of Christ’s kenosis, the context of the kerygma, and the selected material and style that form the content of Pauline epistles.