Paul's "persecution" of the early Christians?

[Godscreated]

 Now you're just trying to save face by dodging the conversation with another that wasn't being discussed, shame. You know the conversation was about Jesus arrest at the garden because it is the only time we know He was arrested. No the Romans did not arrest Jesus at the cleansing of the Temple, and your inference isn't logical only to save face. There was only one time Jesus cleanses the Temple, though it like many other stories was written about in three different gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke. I'm surprised you didn't ask if I believe in one, two or three different times He cleansed the temple. Now you have two things to answer the arrest and the number of times He cleansed the Temple.
GC

And, so, you believe that Jesus went to Jerusalem, got a whip, went into the Temple, overturned tables, and chased people around, and the Roman and Jewish authorities did nothing???

 Many times the Jewish religious authority wanted to do something with Jesus and did not because they feared what might happen. The Romans gave little thought to this event, they tried to stay away from religious events to prevent further trouble with the Jewish people. By the way I do not remember any account saying He chased anyone around, I believe you are adding to the story for dramatic purposes, it's no wonder you and the other atheist think the Bible was corrupted by inconsistent retelling because it's all you know how to do to try and prove a point. Get things straight.

GC

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Like the tale of Jesus' arrest in a garden, the story is not believable.  For instance, cutting off someone's ear off with an ancient sword would, in and of itself, be a miracle.  Swords in that time were not sharp, and the angle of attack would be impossible for anyone to make.

But, such makes for a good story, for believers at least!

Aren't you overlooking the symbolism of one of the disciples cutting off the high priest's servants ear to the story in Genesis 3:24 (NLT) = "After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."

Yeshua is depicted as the tree of life and when the disciple cut off the servant's ear he was acting like the cherubim who was guarding the tree of life in the Garden of Eden after Adam & Eve had been expelled. And you will notice that the Yeshua incident also takes place in the garden of Gethsemane.  So the later story is a repeat of the first story.  

When the disciple cut off the servant's ear he symbolically prevented the servant from hearing the message from the tree of life.  But Yeshua had mercy on the one who would do him harm (also repeated in numerous passages) and gave him an opportunity to hear the message of eternal life.  

The thing to remember when reading the biblical stories is that even if they seem illogical and ridiculous they are all based on the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 34:12-28 and that they are all related to other stories in the Bible.

 You are correct in a way you do not see or understand the Bible is like a fine woven tapestry, it's all related. However your thought on Peter cutting off the ear of the servant and the angel guarding the Tree of Life just doesn't mesh. You are also using a paraphrased Bible that is made for easier reading and not necessarily totally accurate. I have the NLT and enjoy reading it but study more accurate translations.

GC