(April 15, 2019 at 7:15 am)Acrobat Wrote: And definitely not something, that could be so speciously interpreted to suggest Paul didn't' believe Jesus was a historical person.
There are other reasons to suggest Paul didn't believe Jesus was a historical person like Paul never even mentioning Jesus' teachings or ministry, life, miracles, disciples, even when they were specially relevant to the point he was trying to make.
I mean if Jesus' disciples didn't understand him, like you say, then why even go corporal when all he needed to do is show up at Paul?
Paul seldom quotes Jesus directly, but often indirectly alludes to the teachings and sayings of Jesus.
Seldom quotes Jesus? Make that never. There are only four times when Paul relays information he has received “from the Lord” – he never says from Jesus – and in none of these cases is he quoting any “teachings and sayings” of an earthly Jesus; or claiming to.
In 1 Corinthians 9:14 Paul says “the Lord” commands that preachers like him should be supported financially - something Jesus never taught in the Gospels. In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 he assures his readers “by the word of the Lord” that dead believers will rise first when Jesus comes and those living will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (“the Rapture”). Jesus never says anything remotely like this in the Gospels.
Twice in 1 Corinthians Paul says that, not he, but “the Lord” condemns divorce (1 Cor. 7:10-11, 25). If this is authentic and not just a later interpolation, then this would be the closest match to anything Jesus says in the Gospels. But again, he never claims to be doing so.
