TheApostle Paul Founder of Christianity Jesuswas not thefounderof Christianity as we knowit today. Mostof theNewTestament doesntevenconcernthehistoricalJesuswhile themain influenceis theApostle Paul and a Greek convertnamed John. Paul nevermet Jesusintheflesh,heonly claimed somestrange vision and proceeded to paganize theteachingsof Jesus(whopreached an enlightenedform of Judaism), until hecreated Pauline Christianity. Because thereare no known writings from Jesus,theactual Apostles, or anyone that actually knewHim intheflesh(other thenperhapsJames), most of whatHetaught is lost forever. Thebeginning of Christianity stands twofigures: Jesusand Paul. Jesusis regardedby Christians as thefounderof theirreligion, inthat the eventsof his life comprise thefoundation story of Christianity; butPaul is regardedas thegreat interpreterof Jesusmission, whoexplained, ina way that Jesushimself neverdid, howJesuslife and death fittedinto a cosmic schemeof salvation, stretchingfrom thecreationof Adam to theendof time. Thedoctrines of Christianity comemostly from theteachingor influenceof Paul, a Pharisee(?) whorejectedhis Pharisaic Judaism and convertedto Christ. Paul would later be placed overhis Jewish-Christianrivals by a Gnostichereticnamed Marcion.SeeMarcion. What is shownbelowis takenword for word from TheSierra ReferenceEncyclopedia. Copyright 1996P. F. Collier, L. P. All rights reserved. PAUL, ST. PAUL, ST. (died c. A.D. 68),founderof Pauline Christianity. His name was originally Saul. He later claimed that hewas a Jew of thetribeof Benjamin, from a long-established Pharisee family inTarsus. According to Acts (thoughnot accordingto Paul himself)hestudied in Jerusalem underGamaliel, theleader of the Pharisees and grandsonof Hillel. This account of Pauls youth, however,is subjectto doubt,since thetribeof Benjamin had long ceased to exist, and Pharisee families are otherwiseunknownin Tarsus. According to Pauls opponents, the Ebionites,hecame from a family of recent convertsto Judaism. Helearnt thetradeof tent-making (or perhapsleather-working), by whichhemade his living. Whilestill a youth inJerusalem, Saul becamepart of theopposition to thenewly formed Jerusalem Church(thedisciples of Jesus,who, believing that Jesushad beenresurrected,continued to hopefor his returnto completehis messianic mission). Saul was presentat thedeath of Stephen.Soonafter, Saul was an active persecutorof theJerusalem Church, enteringits synagogues and arresting its members. Acts representsthis as dueto Saulszeal as a Pharisee, butthis is doubtful, as thePharisees, underGamaliel, werefriendly to theJerusalem Church(seeActs 5). Moreover,Saul was acting inconcertwiththe highpriest(Acts 9:2), whowas a Sadducee opponent of thePharisees. Itseemslikely that Saul was at this periodan employeeof the Roman-appointed highpriest, playing a police roleinsuppressing movementsregardedas a threatto theRoman occupation. Since Jesushad beencrucifiedon a chargeof sedition, his followerswereunderthesame cloud. ThehighpriestthenentrustedSaul withan important mission, whichwas to travel to Damascus to arrest prominent membersof the Jerusalem Church. This must havebeena clandestine kidnapping operation,since Damascus was not underRoman rule at thetime butwas in facta place of refugefor thepersecuted Nazarenes. Ontheway to Damascus, Paul experienceda vision of Jesusthat convertedhim from persecutorto believer.Paul joinedthe Christiansof Damascus, butsoonhehad to flee Damascus to escape theofficersof KingAretas (IICorinthians 11:32-33),thougha later, less authentic,account inActs 9:22-25 changeshis persecutorsto theJews. Afterhis vision, accordingto Pauls ownaccount (Galatians 1:17), hewentinto thedesert of Arabia for a period, seekingno instruction. According to Acts, however,hesought instructionfirstfrom Ananias of Damascus and thenfrom theapostles inJerusalem. These contradictoryaccounts reflecta changeinPauls status: inhis ownview,hehad receiveda revelationthat put him farhigherthan the apostles, while inlater Churchopinion hehad experienceda conversionthat was only the beginning of his developmentas a Christian. Pauls self-assessment is closerto thehistorical truth, whichis that hewas thefounderof Christianity. NeitherJesushimself nor his disciples had any intentionof foundinga new religion. Theneed for a semblanceof continuity betweenChristianity and Judaism, and between Gentile and JewishChristianity, led to a playing-down of Pauls creativerole. Thesplit that took place betweenPaul and theJerusalem Churchis minimized inthePaulinist bookof Acts, which contrasts withPauls earlierand moreauthentic account inGalatians 2. Pauls originality lies inhis conceptionof the death of Jesusas savingmankind from sin. Insteadof seeingJesusas a messiahof the Jewishtype human saviour from political bondage hesaw him as a salvation-deity whoseatoning death by violencewas necessaryto release his devoteesfor immortal life. This viewof Jesus death seemsto havecometo Paul inhis Damascus vision. Itsrootslie not inJudaism, butin mystery-religion, withwhichPaul was acquainted inTarsus. Theviolentdeaths of Osiris, Attis, Adonis, and Dionysusbroughtdivinization to their initiates. Paul, as founderof thenewChristian mystery, initiated theEucharist, echoingthe communionmeal of themystery religions. The awkwardinsertionof eucharisticmaterial based on ICorinthians 11:23-26into theLast Supper accounts intheGospelscannot disguise this, especially as theevidenceis that theJerusalem Churchdid not practisetheEucharist. Pauls missionary campaign began c.44inAntioch. Hejourneyedto Cyprus, whereheconverted Sergius Paulus, thegovernorof theisland. It was probably at this pointthat hechanged his name from Saul to Paul, inhonorof his distinguished convert.AfterjourneysinAsia Minorwherehemade many converts,Paul returnedto Antioch. His second missionary tour (51-53)took him as faras Corinth; and his third (54-58)led to a three-year stay inEphesus. It was during thesemissionary periodsthat he wrotehis Epistles. Pauls newreligionhad theadvantageoverother salvation-cults of being attached to theHebrew Scriptures,whichPaul nowreinterpretedas forecastingthesalvation-death of Jesus.This gave Pauline Christianity an awesomeauthority that provedattractive to Gentiles thirsting for salvation. Pauls newdoctrine, however,met with disapproval from theJewish-Christiansof the Jerusalem Church, whoregardedthesubstitution of Jesusatoning death for theobservanceof the Torahas a lapse into paganism. Paul was summoned to Jerusalem by theleaders James (Jesusbrother),Peter,and Johnto explain his doctrine (c.50). At theensuing conference,agreement was reachedthat Pauls Gentile convertsdid not need to observetheTorah.This was not a revolutionarydecision, since Judaism had never insistedon full conversionto Judaism for Gentiles. But Paul on this occasionconcealedhis beliefthat theTorahwas no longervalid for Jews either. Hewas thus confirmed intheroleof apostle to theGentiles, withfull permission to enrollGentiles inthemessianic movement withoutrequiringfull conversionto Judaism. Itwas whenPetervisitedhim inAntioch and becameawareof thefull extentof Pauls views that a seriousriftbegan betweenPauline and JewishChristianity. At a second conferencein Jerusalem (c.55),Paul was accusedby James of teachingJews to turntheirbacks on Moses(Acts 21:21).Again, however,Paul evaded thechargeby concealinghis views,and heagreed to undergo a test of his ownobservanceof the Torah.His deception, however,was detected by a groupof Asian Jews(probably Jewish Christians)whowereawareof his real teaching. A stormy protest ensued inwhichPaul feared for his life and was rescued by theRoman police, to whom hedeclared for his protectionthat hewas a Roman citizen. This surprising announcement was theendof Pauls associationwiththe Jerusalem Church, to whom theRomans werethe chiefenemy. TheRoman commandant, Claudius Lysias, decided to bringPaul beforetheSanhedrin inorder to discoverthecause of thedisturbance.With great presenceof mind, Paul appealed to thePharisee majority to acquit him, claiming to be a Pharisee likeJames. Paul was rescued by thePharisees from thehighpriest, likePeterbeforehim. However,thehighpriest, resentingthis escape, appointed a body of men to assassinate Paul. Learningof theplot, Paul again placed himself undertheprotectionof theRomans, who transportedhim by armed guard from Jerusalem to Caesarea. TheHighPriest Ananias was implacable, no doubtbecauseof Pauls defection from his police task inDamascus, and laid a chargeof anti-Roman activity against him. Paul appealed for a trial inRomebeforeCaesar, his right as a Roman citizen. Theassertionof Acts that theJewishelders werealso implicated in thechargesagainst Paul is unhistorical,since thesesame elders had just acquitted him inhis Sanhedrin trial. Paul was sent to Rome, and here our informationends. Legendsspeak of his eventualmartyrdom inRome. Pauls authenticvoiceis foundinhis Epistles. Hereheappears as an eloquentwriter,skilled in asserting his authority overhis convertsas their inspired teacher. Theviewoftenasserted, however,that Paul writesinthestyle of a rabbi is incorrect.His occasionalattempts to argue in rabbinicalstyle (e.g., Romans 7:1-6) revealhis lack of knowledgeof rabbiniclogic. Pauls letters belongto Greekliteratureand haveaffinity to Stoic and Cynic literature.His knowledgeof the Scripturesis confined to theirGreektranslation, theSeptuagint. Paul was a religiousgenius, who investedGreekmystery-religion withthe historicalsweepand authority of theJewish Bible.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 03:51:40 +0000
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