*Today we will look at the claims Paul makes about his early life in the letters (epistles) in the Bible that are attributed to him. Some of the letters are considered by some experts to be forgeries, but we won't get into that now.
-Almost every letter begins with Paul claiming to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, appointed by God.
-Roman 15:17-21, Paul claims he is obeying God by preaching to the Gentiles, and that his ambition is always to preach where christ was not known, so he is not building on someone else's foundation. That also is convenient, because he won't have knowledgable people contradicting him or calling him a liar. He can indoctrinate them into his own way of thinking before anyone else gets to them. The ignorant are easier to sway. Remember, in Galations chapter 1 Paul pronounced a curse on anyone who teaches a different gospel. That's one way to ensure that the superstitious remain faithful.
-1 Corinthians 9:1-2, Paul claims he has seen Jesus the lord. Plus, he may not be an apostle to others, but he is an apostle to the Corinthians. He says they are the seal of his apostleship. This leads me to wonder if others were claiming Paul was not an apostle. When Paul says he has seen Jesus, it was not in the flesh but must have been in a vision if some kind. Are visions trustworthy?
-1 Corinthians 15:5-11, Paul names those who saw Jesus after his resurrection. He says Peter was first, then the twelve, then five hundred believers, then James (this James must not have been one of the twelve), then to all the apostles (??? That's strange. Aren't the apostles supposed to be the same as the twelve disciples?). Last of all, Jesus appeared to Paul, obviously in a vision. Paul says he is the least of the apostles and doesn't even deserve to be one because he persecuted the church, confirming what he said in Galatians 1:13. Nevertheless, Paul claims to have worked harder than all the other apostles preaching Jesus's death burial and resurrection.
-2 Corinthians 11:22-23, Paul says he is a Hebrew, an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, and a servant of the messiah, just like others who claim to be apostles. Plus, he's worked harder and been through more hardships than any other apostle.
-2 Corinthians 12, Paul claims to know a guy, obviously himself, who was caught up to the third heaven, or paradise. He's not sure whether it was an out of body experience or not. While there, he heard inexpressible things, some things which he is not permitted to tell. Fascinating. Also, so he wouldn't be conceited about this marvelous privilege, Paul was given a "thorn in the flesh" to torment him. This thorn in the flesh is not described by Paul, though there has been plenty of extra-biblical speculation. Paul also claims to be just as much an apostle as any other by virtue of signs, wonders and miracles he has performed.
-Philippians 3:5-10, Paul says he is a circumcised Hebrew, an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee, he is legalistically faultless, and once was a persecutor of the church. But none of that means anything to him compared to the righteousness found through faith in the messiah, which he hopes will somehow help him attain resurrection from the dead.
*If some of that seems rather vague, I can't help it. That's as much as I could find in Paul's letters. He does not mention the events on the road to Damascus, found in the book of Acts, which I will discuss in the next post. Details about his conversion are conspicuously lacking. Also, there is no mention of his birthplace, supposedly Tarsus, or his Roman citizenship, or a divinely appointed name change. At no time in his letters. does he say his name was once Saul. Also, his mission appears to be to teach about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, not about Jesus's actual life, miracles, or teachings.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Galatians chapter 1 part 3
*Verses 11 and 12: Paul wants the Galatians to know that the gospel he preached to them was not something a man made up or something he got from some other man. Oh, no, he got it by revelation from Jesus Christ himself! Jesus, if he existed, should have been quite dead. Think of what that means. Paul heard a voice that no one else heard with a message that no one else recieved. Paul believed it came from the messiah named Jesus. Paul is asking, and expects, his readers to believe this solely on his word, without evidence. Personally, I side with Thomas Paine who pointed out that a revelation to one man is not necessarily a revelation to all. Why should we believe Paul?
*Verses 13-17: Paul tells the readers about his former life. He intensely persecuted those of the church or assembly of God and tried to destroy it. Were these christian churches? This would have been within 10 years of Jesus's death, if he actually lived and died as reported in the first 4 books of the New Testament, which were written decades after this book. Or were they just Jewish meet up groups that followed the teachings of a particular rabbi? There are no christian writings preserved from those early days before Paul. Paul believed he was specially appointed by God to preach to the Gentiles (non jews) about the revelation he recieved about god's son. He emphasizes that he didn't consult anyone else, especially any of the apostles in Jerusalem, after he recieved his revelation, but went straight to Arabia, then later returned to Damascus. The apostles in Jerusalem would have been much more knowledgable about Jesus and his teachings, but Paul seems to think it is important to show that he was not influenced by them. In the next couple of posts we will compare all the accounts of the event of Paul's special revelation.
* Verses 18-24: We are not told here how long Paul was in Arabia or what he did there. Three years after he returned to Damascus, he went to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter. The only other apostle he saw was James, who he calls "the lord's brother." Was this James one of the original twelve disciples or an actual sibling of Jesus? No one can say for sure. After meeting with Peter and James, Paul went to Syria and Cilicia. For some reason Paul thinks it is important to stress how few people in Judea had ever met him. All they knew about him was he was once persecuting them, now he was preaching the faith.
*Verses 13-17: Paul tells the readers about his former life. He intensely persecuted those of the church or assembly of God and tried to destroy it. Were these christian churches? This would have been within 10 years of Jesus's death, if he actually lived and died as reported in the first 4 books of the New Testament, which were written decades after this book. Or were they just Jewish meet up groups that followed the teachings of a particular rabbi? There are no christian writings preserved from those early days before Paul. Paul believed he was specially appointed by God to preach to the Gentiles (non jews) about the revelation he recieved about god's son. He emphasizes that he didn't consult anyone else, especially any of the apostles in Jerusalem, after he recieved his revelation, but went straight to Arabia, then later returned to Damascus. The apostles in Jerusalem would have been much more knowledgable about Jesus and his teachings, but Paul seems to think it is important to show that he was not influenced by them. In the next couple of posts we will compare all the accounts of the event of Paul's special revelation.
* Verses 18-24: We are not told here how long Paul was in Arabia or what he did there. Three years after he returned to Damascus, he went to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter. The only other apostle he saw was James, who he calls "the lord's brother." Was this James one of the original twelve disciples or an actual sibling of Jesus? No one can say for sure. After meeting with Peter and James, Paul went to Syria and Cilicia. For some reason Paul thinks it is important to stress how few people in Judea had ever met him. All they knew about him was he was once persecuting them, now he was preaching the faith.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Galatians chapter 1 part 2
*Verses 3-5 show us that Paul believed the messiah Jesus gave himself for the sins of the people to rescue them from the "present evil age." What were the sins of the people? What was different about that age that made it so evil? Nothing really, except that Paul was living in it and experiencing it first hand. The world for humans was carrying on pretty much the same it always had been for thousands of years, life and death, peace and war, conquest and revolution. Paul lived during the Pax Romana which was broken by the first Jewish-Roman war, aka the fall of Jerusalem, after he died. Of course, the Jews were uneasy under the yoke of Rome. Plus the Romans.were pagans and worshipped many other gods instead of yahweh. The Jews, and the newer christ followers, should have been used to that, having been surrounded by polytheists most of their existence.
(Many people, especially christians, consider this an especially evil age, maybe the most evil age ever, because they are so focused on the rise of secular society and the reduction of christian influence.)
*Verses 6-9 talk about "the gospel of Christ" without actually saying what that gospel is. Presumably the Galatians know what Paul is talking about because he also says he preached this gospel to them. The word gospel carries the connotation of a message or proclamation of good news. Paul is very concerned that the gospel he preached is being undermined and perverted, throwing the receivers of his message into confusion. Remember that this book is supposed to have been written between 47 and 60 C.E. That means that as little as 14-27 years after Jesus's estimated death (a very problematic 33C.E.) there were divisions among the believers or proponents of a gospel based on Jesus the messiah. Paul says the gospel he originally preached is the one and only true gospel and if anyone else, including himself, dares to change the message they will be eternally condemned, twice!
*In verse 10, Paul offers as proof of his sincerity, the fact that he is trying to please God, not men, otherwise he wouldn't be a servant of Jesus. The problem is all the sincerity in the world doesn't prove something is true.
(Many people, especially christians, consider this an especially evil age, maybe the most evil age ever, because they are so focused on the rise of secular society and the reduction of christian influence.)
*Verses 6-9 talk about "the gospel of Christ" without actually saying what that gospel is. Presumably the Galatians know what Paul is talking about because he also says he preached this gospel to them. The word gospel carries the connotation of a message or proclamation of good news. Paul is very concerned that the gospel he preached is being undermined and perverted, throwing the receivers of his message into confusion. Remember that this book is supposed to have been written between 47 and 60 C.E. That means that as little as 14-27 years after Jesus's estimated death (a very problematic 33C.E.) there were divisions among the believers or proponents of a gospel based on Jesus the messiah. Paul says the gospel he originally preached is the one and only true gospel and if anyone else, including himself, dares to change the message they will be eternally condemned, twice!
*In verse 10, Paul offers as proof of his sincerity, the fact that he is trying to please God, not men, otherwise he wouldn't be a servant of Jesus. The problem is all the sincerity in the world doesn't prove something is true.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Galatians chapter 1 part 1
After reading chapter 1:
*The first five verses are the letter's greeting, telling who it is from and to whom it is written. Paul describes himself as an apostle, sent not from man nor by men but by Jesus christ and God the father. An apostle is someone who is sent, or a messenger, basically a missionary. Who sent Paul? He claims Jesus and God sent him. Let's be clear though, he is not talking about the living physical man Jesus. As far as the bible shows, Paul never encountered him. Paul is talking of a Christ (messiah) named Jesus (literally Joshua) who he believes is resurrected from the dead. How did he recieve this commission from a formerly dead person? We will find out later in this book.
*A common mistake some modern christians make is to assume that this kind of resurrected messiah talk was unusual in the first century. The truth is the Jews had and still have multiple messianic teachings, and arguments for and against them.. Plus, Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead.
Messiah ben Joseph (son of Joseph)
Messiah in Judaism
Menahem ben Hezekiah
Jewish Eschatology (scroll down to "messianism")
*From reading the above articles we can see that the idea of a messiah was multifaceted and complicated, with many schools of thought. The Old Testament prophetic writings were sometimes read as a code that needed to be deciphered, just as many christians treat the book of Revelation today. There was no overarching consensus about the who, how, where, and when of this messiah. Paul as a first century educated Pharisee, before the fall of Jerusalem, would have been steeped in the traditions, arguments,and teachings of his day. They were not confined to the biblical literature we now call scripture. There were intertestamental writings and the Jews had a rich oral tradition. These people weren't just looking for a messiah. They were willing to see it anywhere, just like christians of today who see the end times and parallels with Revelation in modern events, even stretching facts to make them fit.
*We can see that Paul lived in a world and among a people that expected a leader, one whose name might be recognized as one of the great Israelite heroes, a Moses, an Elijah, a Joseph, a David, or maybe even a Joshua? Maybe that person would be a reincarnation or resurrection of that hero of old. Maybe he would perform similar acts, in reality or symbolically. Paul also lived in a world that was familiar with Hellenic philosophy. He could have been aware of or influenced by the Platonists, the Stoics, the Epicureans, and more, including Hellenistic Jews like Philo of Alexandria. I included all this information because I think it is very important to remember that Paul did not live in a "biblical" bubble as we continue on.
*The first five verses are the letter's greeting, telling who it is from and to whom it is written. Paul describes himself as an apostle, sent not from man nor by men but by Jesus christ and God the father. An apostle is someone who is sent, or a messenger, basically a missionary. Who sent Paul? He claims Jesus and God sent him. Let's be clear though, he is not talking about the living physical man Jesus. As far as the bible shows, Paul never encountered him. Paul is talking of a Christ (messiah) named Jesus (literally Joshua) who he believes is resurrected from the dead. How did he recieve this commission from a formerly dead person? We will find out later in this book.
*A common mistake some modern christians make is to assume that this kind of resurrected messiah talk was unusual in the first century. The truth is the Jews had and still have multiple messianic teachings, and arguments for and against them.. Plus, Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead.
Messiah ben Joseph (son of Joseph)
Messiah in Judaism
Menahem ben Hezekiah
Jewish Eschatology (scroll down to "messianism")
*From reading the above articles we can see that the idea of a messiah was multifaceted and complicated, with many schools of thought. The Old Testament prophetic writings were sometimes read as a code that needed to be deciphered, just as many christians treat the book of Revelation today. There was no overarching consensus about the who, how, where, and when of this messiah. Paul as a first century educated Pharisee, before the fall of Jerusalem, would have been steeped in the traditions, arguments,and teachings of his day. They were not confined to the biblical literature we now call scripture. There were intertestamental writings and the Jews had a rich oral tradition. These people weren't just looking for a messiah. They were willing to see it anywhere, just like christians of today who see the end times and parallels with Revelation in modern events, even stretching facts to make them fit.
*We can see that Paul lived in a world and among a people that expected a leader, one whose name might be recognized as one of the great Israelite heroes, a Moses, an Elijah, a Joseph, a David, or maybe even a Joshua? Maybe that person would be a reincarnation or resurrection of that hero of old. Maybe he would perform similar acts, in reality or symbolically. Paul also lived in a world that was familiar with Hellenic philosophy. He could have been aware of or influenced by the Platonists, the Stoics, the Epicureans, and more, including Hellenistic Jews like Philo of Alexandria. I included all this information because I think it is very important to remember that Paul did not live in a "biblical" bubble as we continue on.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Introduction to Galatians
First read about the letter to the Galatians here.
Read about the land where the Galatians lived here. Pay attention to what the article says about Galatia as a Roman province.
Notice that there are no originals of this letter and the oldest copies are from around 200 B.C.E. The date of writing is thought to be in the general range of 47 to 60 B.C., after Paul's first or second missionary journey as described in Acts, depending on which theories you ascribe to. This is before the fall of Jerusalem. Not many people dispute that the letter is actually from Paul as described in the letter.
There is a possibility that this is the earliest of Paul's letters in existence. Others think the earliest may be 1 Thessalonians. I chose Galatians because in it Paul gives a mini history of himself and pours out a lot of his personal doctrine, much of which is foundational in modern christianity. There is a lot of stuff to cover in the six short chapters of this book. Not only will we look at what Paul says, but what he doesn't say, especially about Jesus.
Read about the land where the Galatians lived here. Pay attention to what the article says about Galatia as a Roman province.
Notice that there are no originals of this letter and the oldest copies are from around 200 B.C.E. The date of writing is thought to be in the general range of 47 to 60 B.C., after Paul's first or second missionary journey as described in Acts, depending on which theories you ascribe to. This is before the fall of Jerusalem. Not many people dispute that the letter is actually from Paul as described in the letter.
There is a possibility that this is the earliest of Paul's letters in existence. Others think the earliest may be 1 Thessalonians. I chose Galatians because in it Paul gives a mini history of himself and pours out a lot of his personal doctrine, much of which is foundational in modern christianity. There is a lot of stuff to cover in the six short chapters of this book. Not only will we look at what Paul says, but what he doesn't say, especially about Jesus.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
James- wrap up
*After reading the book of James, I've come to the personal conclusion that it is a book by a Jew, possibly of the Pharisee sect, for Jews, possibly those in jewish communities scattered around the world after the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. The first verse clearly gives that impression. Succeeding verses are addressed to "brothers" referring back to that first mention of the twelve tribes scattered among the nations. Also, we have no idea who this James is, and it is not likely that he was one of the Jameses mentioned in the gospel accounts. Significantly, his name is actually Jacob, the name of the founder of the 12 Israelite tribes. James does not claim to be writing the words of God or to be inspired by the Holy Spirit.
*There is nothing said in this book which would contradict a Jewish identity, except the two phrases mentioning the lord Jesus Christ, which easily could have been added. There is nothing in this book which would identify it as specifically christian, except those two phrases. There is no mention of Jesus as a person, his birth, life, ministry, words, death, or resurrection. There is no mention of any other New Testament characters. There is a mention of demons, but not Angels. There is a suggestion of eternal reward and punishment, but it is not specific. There is no hint of a trinitarian doctrine. There is a reference to the Jewish Shema that says the lord our God is one. There is a reference to meetings in a synagogue. There are multiple references to Old Testament people and scripture. There is no mention of a gospel or good news of salvation from sins, once and for all by a sacrifice of the life of a man/God. There is a reference about waiting for a messaiah. However, it does not indicate that the messiah has been here already and will return. The Jews of that day were waiting for a messiah. There is no reference to baptism. Sins are forgiven through prayer.
*In chapter 3 of the English NIV translation, the text mentions heaven, hell, and the devil. The phrase in greek translated "from heaven" is literally "from above." The phrase translated "of the devil" literally means "demonic," not referring to a specific being. It has the same root as the demons that shudder in James 2:19. The word hell is translated from gehenna.
*James's focus seemed to be on the Jews in the diaspora maintaining their faith and identity, and especially how they treated each other as a community. He stressed treating the poor among them with respect and dignity, in word and action. This was done by suggesting that the poor have an advantage over the wealthy in the virtue of faith. He stressed good deeds, self control of the tongue, and humility. He denigrated the desire for wealth. He vehemently denied that faith is enough to maintain a right standing with God.
*Next, I think I will tackle the book of Galatians as our introduction to Paul and his letters. We will probably compare and contrast the Paul in the epistles to the one in Acts. The epistles were most likely written before the gospels and the book of Acts. For now, I will leave you with an existential thought from James 4:14--"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes."
*There is nothing said in this book which would contradict a Jewish identity, except the two phrases mentioning the lord Jesus Christ, which easily could have been added. There is nothing in this book which would identify it as specifically christian, except those two phrases. There is no mention of Jesus as a person, his birth, life, ministry, words, death, or resurrection. There is no mention of any other New Testament characters. There is a mention of demons, but not Angels. There is a suggestion of eternal reward and punishment, but it is not specific. There is no hint of a trinitarian doctrine. There is a reference to the Jewish Shema that says the lord our God is one. There is a reference to meetings in a synagogue. There are multiple references to Old Testament people and scripture. There is no mention of a gospel or good news of salvation from sins, once and for all by a sacrifice of the life of a man/God. There is a reference about waiting for a messaiah. However, it does not indicate that the messiah has been here already and will return. The Jews of that day were waiting for a messiah. There is no reference to baptism. Sins are forgiven through prayer.
*In chapter 3 of the English NIV translation, the text mentions heaven, hell, and the devil. The phrase in greek translated "from heaven" is literally "from above." The phrase translated "of the devil" literally means "demonic," not referring to a specific being. It has the same root as the demons that shudder in James 2:19. The word hell is translated from gehenna.
*James's focus seemed to be on the Jews in the diaspora maintaining their faith and identity, and especially how they treated each other as a community. He stressed treating the poor among them with respect and dignity, in word and action. This was done by suggesting that the poor have an advantage over the wealthy in the virtue of faith. He stressed good deeds, self control of the tongue, and humility. He denigrated the desire for wealth. He vehemently denied that faith is enough to maintain a right standing with God.
*Next, I think I will tackle the book of Galatians as our introduction to Paul and his letters. We will probably compare and contrast the Paul in the epistles to the one in Acts. The epistles were most likely written before the gospels and the book of Acts. For now, I will leave you with an existential thought from James 4:14--"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes."
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
James chapter 5 part 2
*The rest of the chapter addresses prayer in times of trouble and sickness. James claims that prayer plus faith equals forgiveness of sins and physical healing. Here we see the ancient assumption that illness is associated with, or a result of, "sin." Illness was once considered a spiritual condition manifesting itself in physical symptoms. Some of this thinking persists today, in spite of advances in medical knowledge.
* James says a sick person should have the elders of the church pray over them and anoint them with oil. I don't know that the oil was any more effective than the prayer, depending on the physical cause of the illness. I guess it served the same purpose by making them feel like they were doing something to help. You might look at the word church here and say it is proof that this was a christian letter. However, the greek word is ecclesia which means "called out." It is a greek word for an assembly and did not originally refer to the christian church, though it eventually came to mean that. In fact, in Matthew 18:17, Jesus refers to "the church." Presuming Jesus actually said that, he was speaking to Jews about Jews. He would have been speaking about a Jewish assembly, perhaps in a synagogue. There was no christian church at the time.
*Elijah is given as an example of a righteous man who prayed and got exactly what he asked for. Notice that all the human examples and role models in this book are from the Old Testament. We have had Abraham, Rahab, Job, and now Elijah. There is no mention of the actions of Jesus or the disciples.
*Last of all, James encourages his fellow Jews in the diaspora to bring back anyone who has "wandered from the truth" in order to save them from death. Which truth? Judaism or Christianity?
* James says a sick person should have the elders of the church pray over them and anoint them with oil. I don't know that the oil was any more effective than the prayer, depending on the physical cause of the illness. I guess it served the same purpose by making them feel like they were doing something to help. You might look at the word church here and say it is proof that this was a christian letter. However, the greek word is ecclesia which means "called out." It is a greek word for an assembly and did not originally refer to the christian church, though it eventually came to mean that. In fact, in Matthew 18:17, Jesus refers to "the church." Presuming Jesus actually said that, he was speaking to Jews about Jews. He would have been speaking about a Jewish assembly, perhaps in a synagogue. There was no christian church at the time.
*Elijah is given as an example of a righteous man who prayed and got exactly what he asked for. Notice that all the human examples and role models in this book are from the Old Testament. We have had Abraham, Rahab, Job, and now Elijah. There is no mention of the actions of Jesus or the disciples.
*Last of all, James encourages his fellow Jews in the diaspora to bring back anyone who has "wandered from the truth" in order to save them from death. Which truth? Judaism or Christianity?
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