Posted on 02/24/2014 2:10:01 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Many skeptics assert that Paul of Tarsus (the apostle Paul) hijacked the early Christian religion, changing the theology from what Jesus originally taught. Usually offered as proof for this claim are the doctrines found in Paul's great theological work, his letter to the Romans. Without a doubt, the book of Romans contains the most complete exposition of orthodox Christian doctrines. Are these doctrines contrary to what Jesus taught? Do they conflict with the teachings of the Old Testament from which they were purportedly derived? If Paul really "invented" Christianity, then one would expect that his teachings would be different from Jesus, the other apostles, and disciples.
Christians claim that Paul of Tarsus met Jesus on a trip to persecute Christians in Damascus. Struck blind for three days, Paul waited for Ananias (one of Jesus' followers) to heal him. Converted by the experience, Paul passionately proclaimed the gospel to the Jewish and Gentile world. This gospel included doctrines including the atonement of sin through Jesus' death on the cross and justification through faith. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, indicated that he received this gospel by revelation of Jesus Christ:
For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:11-12)
If it were true that Paul received his teaching directly from Jesus Christ, then surely Jesus Himself would have taught what Paul was preaching.
The basis of the gospel is the belief that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. Jesus clearly indicated that His purpose was to come to die on a cross for the sins of the world.2 This concept was not a new one, since Isaiah first prophesied that the Messiah would die for our sins.1 Paul, of course taught this doctrine,3 as did John, Luke, and Peter.4 Other crucial doctrines taught by Paul were also taught by Jesus and the disciples:
For a list of verses, see the table below.
| Doctrine | First Taught | Verse | Taught by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesus | Paul | Others | |||
| Atonement by death on cross | Isaiah | Isaiah 53:5-121 | Matthew 10:38, 16:24, 26:28, Mark 8:34, 14:24, Luke 9:23, 14:27, 22:20, John 12:32-332 | 1 Corinthians 1:18, 11:25, Ephesians 2:8, 16, Colossians 1:20, 2:143 | John 1:29, 36, Acts 8:32, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2:24, Revelation 5:12-14, 7:144 |
| Believe in Jesus for eternal life | Job | Job 19:25-265 | Matthew 19:29, Mark 10:29-30, Luke 9:24, John 3:166 | Romans 5:21, 6:23, 1 Timothy 1:16, Jude 1:217 | Acts 11:17-18, 1 John 5:118 |
| Righteousness by faith | Moses, Habakkuk | Genesis 15:6, Habakkuk 2:49 | Mark 11:22, Luke 7:5010 | Romans 1:17, 3:22, 3:25-26, 4:3, 9, 11, 13, 5:17, 9:30, 10:4, 10, Galatians 3:6, 11, Philippians 3:911 | Hebrews 11:4, 7, 2 Peter 1:112 |
| Justification by faith | Moses | Genesis 15:6, Isaiah 53:1113 | Luke 7:50, 8:12 Mark 16:16, John 3:18, 5:2414 | Romans 3:28, 30, 5:1, 18, Galatians 2:16, 3:8, 2415 | James 2:2316 |
| Forgiveness of sin through faith | David | 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 86:5, Jeremiah 31:33-3417 | Matthew 9:2, 6, 26:27-28, Mark 2:5, 10-11, Luke 5:20, 24, Acts 26:1818 | Acts 26:18, Ephesians 1:7, 4:32, Colossians 1:13-14, 2:13, 3:1319 | Luke 1:76-77, Acts 2:38, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, Hebrews 10:18-20, James 5:15, 1 John 1:7-9, 2:1220 |
| Repentance | Isaiah | Isaiah 1:27, 30:15, Ezekiel 18:3221 | Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15, Luke 5:32, 13:3, 24:46-4722 | Romans 2:4, 2 Corinthians 7:9-1023 | Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3, Acts 2:38, 17:30, 20:21, 2 Peter 3:924 |
Besides the core doctrines of Christianity, Paul taught on many other theological topics, also taught by Jesus. Below is a list of some of these teachings (found in the gospels) compared to what Paul taught in his letters to the churches.
| Teaching | Paul | Jesus |
|---|---|---|
| Parable of sower | 1 Corinthians 3:6-10 | Matthew 13:1-23 |
| Stumbling stone | Romans 9:33 | Matthew 18:7 |
| Ruling against divorce | 1 Corinthians 7:10 | Mark 10:11 |
| Support for apostles | 1 Corinthians 9:14 | Luke 10:7 |
| Institution of Lord's supper | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 | Matthew 26:26-28 |
| Command concerning prophets | 1 Corinthians 14:37 | Matthew 23:34 |
| Lord's return | 1 Thessalonians 4:15 | Matthew 24:1-51 |
| Blessing of the persecuted | Romans 12:14 | Luke 6:27 |
| Don't repay evil with evil | Romans 12:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:15 | Matthew 5:38-48, Luke 6:27 |
| Pay taxes to authorities | Romans 13:7 | Mark 12:12-17 |
| No stumbling block | Romans 14:13 | Mark 9:42 |
| Nothing is unclean | Romans 14:14 | Mark 7:15 |
| Thief in the night
|
1 Thessalonians 5:2 | Luke 12:39 |
| Peace among yourselves | 1 Thessalonians 5:13 | Mark 9:50 |
| Peace with everyone | Romans 12:18 | Mark 9:50 |
| Do not judge | Romans 13:10 | Luke 6:37 |
The claim is often made in skeptical circles that Paul never describes the man Jesus of Nazareth, but only refers to a celestial Jesus. Of course, the claim is false, although the claim seems to be believed by a number of skeptics who probably never read any of Paul's New Testament books. In reality, Paul indicates that Jesus came into the world,25 and that he himself saw Him.26 In addition, Paul states that Jesus was a man27 made of flesh,28 ate and drank,29 bled,30 was crucified,31 died,32 and was raised from the dead.33 These are not the kinds of things that happen to some ghost Jesus. In virtually every book he authored (over 80 verses that I found), Paul clearly makes reference to Jesus the man, who lived and died on earth.
| Physical Attribute | Verses |
|---|---|
| Jesus came into the world | 1 Timothy 1:15, Philippians 2:5-825 |
| Jesus was seen by Paul | 1 Corinthians 9:126 |
| Jesus was a man | Romans 5:15, 1 Timothy 2:5, Philippians 2:5-827 |
| Jesus was flesh | Romans 1:3, 8:3, 9:5, 2 Corinthians 5:16, Ephesians 2:14-15, 1 Timothy 3:1628 |
| Jesus ate and drank | 1 Corinthians 11:23-2529 |
| Jesus bled | Romans 3:24-25, 5:9, 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:25, 27 Ephesians 1:7, 2:13, Colossians 1:2030 |
| Jesus was crucified | 1 Corinthians 1:13, 23, 2:2, 8, 2 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 3:1, Philippians 2:831 |
| Jesus died | Romans 5:6, 8, 10 6:3, 5, 9-10, 8:34, 14:9, 15, 1 Corinthians 8:11, 11:26 15:3, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Galatians 2:21, Philippians 2:8, 3:10, Colossians 1:22, 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 5:1032 |
| Jesus was raised from the dead | Romans 1:4, 4:24-25, 6:4-5 9, 7:4, 8:11, 34, 9:17, 10:9, 1 Corinthians 6:14, 15:4, 12-17, 20, 2 Corinthians 4:14, 5:15 Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:1433 |
The idea that Paul invented Christianity out of some theological vacuum is completely without merit. Although Paul's Letter to the Romans is radically different from just about any other book of the Bible, the teachings found in the Book of Romans is also found in the Old Testament, the teachings of Jesus, and the teachings of the disciples. So, Paul didn't just make up doctrines to create a new religion. However, he did write the greatest theological treatise of all time in the Book of Romans. Not only are the core doctrines of Christianity found outside Paul's writings, but Paul himself taught many other theological issues that reflect the teachings of Jesus during His years of ministry. Contrary to the claims of some, Paul did not just write about some "cosmic Jesus," but described Jesus as a real man who lived and died on planet earth. In conclusion, Paul of Tarsus did not invent Christianity, but clarified the teachings of the Bible as no other Bible author ever has. In addition to his great theological writings, Paul was Christianity's greatest evangelist.
Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity? by David Wenham. Oxford New Testament lecturer Wenham examines the question, Was Paul thoroughly aware of Jesus' life and teaching, or did he largely create Christianity himself? Most of the discussion utilizes comparison of brief passages from the Epistles to the final written Gospels. Wenham points out both parallels and divergences, considering how Paul's writings and teachings may have influenced the oral traditions and early written texts that coalesced into the Gospels, and vice versa. He makes a strong case that most, but not all, of Paul's beliefs conform to the received Jesus tradition.
Paul’s mission was to carry Jesus’ ministry to the Gentiles.
RE: Why do all chrstians without exception simply assume from the outset that J*sus/the Church/the “new testament” have the right to authentically interpret and apply the prophecies in the Hebrew Bible???
I think you can replace the word ‘Christians’ above with Jews and it would also be a relevant question.
Christianity was never “founded”.
That’s what this is about. Gospels are historical biographies of Jesus. Espistles describe the church with specific doctrine and morality. Liberals are evil and despise morality.
The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years (Vol. 1)
Paul, Missionary of Jesus (Vol. 2)
Finding the Historical Christ (Vol. 3)
Paul. The heretics’ favorite bad guy.
Very good! I had thought aboutthe first part but not the second part.
Well, it certainly wasn't losted :-)
Seriously, to say that Christianity was "founded" is simply to denote a moment in time that splits what was before with what is afterward: beforehand the Messiah was a future hope for whom people waited, afterward He was a recognizable figure who could be specifically worshipped.
Because Jesus is the messiah spoken of in the Torah and by the Prophets.
Why is anyone even asking this? I guess the person who wrote the article believed that to be a Christian is to practice a religion rather than having a relationship with God because of the finished work of Jesus Christ!
Tough article on the Catholics.
S&A: “I posted this as a reference for Christians who tell me that they have encountered on many occasions, people who claim that Paul “invented” Christianity.”
Thank you. Many years ago, in a spiritual chatroom, I ran into a person who called himself Christian, but excluded all of St. Paul’s letters from his version of the Bible. His arguments never made sense to me. And I rejected them.
He was the only person I’ve ever seen declare that “belief.”
?? How’s that?
If you were studying early America would you learn more from Columbus or the American Indians?
I would learn far more from Jesus than Paul writing about Jesus. But the more sources I can get the better my understanding becomes.
Thanks for posting this.
bkmk
Back in Norman Vincent Peale’s heyday, someone commented that he found Paul appealing and Peale appalling.
Jesus didn’t have to say anything about homosexuality — because He had already said it — in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
Read Leviticus 18; warning: it is very graphic especially if you read the NIV, NKJV, and the NASB.
In my experience, when someone tries to set Jesus and Paul against each other, it’s a major hint that I’m dealing with some kind of apostate. Suddenly, my open-mindedness goes on vacation.
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