(February 15, 2011 at 7:06 am)ziggystardust Wrote: You are right in the epistles Paul only mentions those two things about Jesus you describe. However the epistles were written for a very specific purpose.
True but that wasn't the original question. The original question was what Paul tells us about the historical Jesus. The answer is limited to the two points I mentioned, once where Jesus allegedly says "take and eat" at the Eucharist and the other his his death and resurrection. One explanation for this is to say Paul was just writing letters to clarify worship practices (though in contradiction to the later Matthew). Another is to say the story hadn't yet been written.
Christians are free to believe the former if they wish but they must rationalize away parts of the epistles. Paul in 1Cor 15:8 says that Jesus did not live within his lifetime. 1John 4:1-3 and 2John 1:7 both establish the existence of early Christians who didn't believe in a flesh and blood Jesus.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
