Title: Paul the Apostle See Harris, pp. 464-473
1Paul the ApostleSee Harris, pp. 464-473
- Paul is born a Hellenistic Jew and educated as a
Pharisee (Phil. 35 2 Cor. 1122) - I was circumcised on the eighth day, a member
of the people of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews as to the
law, a Pharisee as to zeal, a persecutor of the
church as to righteousness under the law,
blameless. - Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites?
So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
2- Paul harasses members of the early Jesus movement
(1 Cor. 159 Gal.113-14) - For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be
called an apostle, because I persecuted the
church of God. - You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in
Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church
of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced
in Judaism beyond many among my people of the
same age, for I was far more zealous for the
traditions of my ancestors.
3- Paul encounters the risen Jesus (ca. 32-34 CE)
(1Gal. 110-12, 16) - Am I now seeking human approval, or Gods
approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I
were still pleasing people, I would not be a
servant of Christ. For I want you to know,
brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was
proclaimed by me is not of human origin for I
did not receive it from a human source, nor was I
taught it, but I received it through a revelation
of Jesus Christ When God was pleased to
reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim
him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any
human being
4Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared
also to me. 1 Corinthians 158
5- After his revelation, Paul travels to Arabia
and then returns to Damascus (Gal. 116-17) - When God was pleased to reveal his Son to me,
so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles,
I did not confer with any human being, nor did I
go up to Jerusalem to those who were already
apostles before me, but I went away at once into
Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.
6- After three years, he visits Jerusalem to meet
Peter (Cephas) and James the Lords brother
(Gal. 118-19) - Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem
to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days
but I did not see any other apostle except James
the Lords brother.
7- He then travels to Syria and Cilicia,
presumably as a missionary to Gentiles
(non-Jews), and steering clear of Jewish churches
(Gal. 121-24) - Then I went into the regions of Syria and
Cilicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the
churches in Judea that are in Christ they only
heard it said, The one who formerly was
persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he
once tried to destroy. And they glorified God
because of me. - Fourteen years later, with Titus and Barnabas,
Paul makes a second visit to Jerusalem (ca. 49
CE), presumably to confer with Peter, John,
James, and representatives from Antioch about
admitting Gentiles as equal members of the church
(Gal. 21-10 cf. Acts 15)
8Then after fourteen years I went up again to
Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with
me. I went up in response to a revelation. Then I
laid before them (though only in a private
meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel
that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to
make sure that I was not running, or had not run,
in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not
compelled to be circumcised, though he was a
Greek. But because of false believers secretly
brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom
we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might
enslave us we did not submit to them even for a
moment, so that the truth of the gospel might
always remain with you. And from those who were
supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they
actually were makes no difference to me God
shows no partiality) those leaders contributed
nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw
that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the
uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted
with the gospel for the circumcised (for he who
worked through Peter making him an apostle to the
circumcised also worked through me in sending me
to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and
John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized
the grace that had been given to me, they gave to
Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship,
agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and
they to the circumcised. They asked only one
thing, that we remember the poor, which was
actually what I was eager to do.
9- After the Jerusalem consultation, Paul returns to
Antioch, where he opposes Peter over the issue of
dining with Gentiles (Gal. 211-14) - But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to
his face, because he stood self-condemned for
until certain people came from James, he used to
eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he
drew back and kept himself separate for fear of
the circumcision faction. And the other Jews
joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even
Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But
when I saw that they were not acting consistently
with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas
before them all, If you, though a Jew, live like
a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel
the Gentiles to live like Jews?
10- Traveling from Antioch to Greece, Paul
establishes the first Christian congregations of
Europe (Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth) he
remains in Corinth for eighteen months (ca. 49-51
CE), and writes a letter to the Thessalonians
(ca. 50 CEsee Acts 1811-12) - Paul visits Ephesus (ca. 52-55 CE) he writes 1
Corinthians (ca. 54-55 CE) - Paul makes a (second?) tour of Macedonia and
Greece (Acts 191, 10, 22) he writes various
parts of 2 Corinthians (and Galatians?) - Paul makes a third and final visit to Corinth he
writes Romans and plans to revisit Jerusalem and
then to stop by Rome en route to Spain (Rom.
1523-29)
11- Paul makes a third visit to Jerusalem, where he
is arrested and then imprisoned at Caesarea - Under armed guard, Paul is transported to Rome,
where he remains under hous arrest for two years
(60-62 CEActs 27-28) - Paul is executed in Rome under Nero (ca. 62-64 CE)
12Pauls Letters
Considered pseudonymous by most Ephesians 1
2 Timothy Titus
Considered genuine by almost everybody 1
Thessalonians 1 2 Corinthians Galatians Roman
s Philemon Philippians
Considered genuine by many 2 Thessalonians Colo
ssians