RE: Why are Paul's writings in the Bible?
October 2, 2023 at 5:57 pm
(This post was last modified: October 2, 2023 at 6:16 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
The best case for the mythicist paul is that we already know that the character of paul is a composite one. When we set out to confirm or deny any given detail the list is populated by the attributes of a known composite character - from the word go. Hastily, lazily, we think "well, that just means cut out the supernatural shit, right?" No. There are completely mundane things that the characters do for reasons that we know are purely literary and theological.
The mythicist position is -not- that no one ever lived who ever did or said anything that seems similar if you look at it sideways in the right light on the proper phase of the moon. We know for a fact that someone said all of this shit. Every jot and tittle. At least one person......
It's that any factual details are grafts onto the important theological and mythological (or legendary, if we want to be super pedantic) details which predated any real boys. The way that the consensus uses terms is basically art and unfamiliar to an intelligent person who otherwise doesn't know the lingo. With paul, and with jesus, the consensus view is that both were historical and we know absolutely nothing about them from magic book, because magic book isn't about those real people. It is not, in any way shape or form, a history book - and never was.
If you think about it, as a prophetic book and a messianic religion, the deck was always stacked in favor of the mythicist position. Even the real boys, whoever they were if they ever were, had to check some boxes...to get the rest of them filled in by later authors. By design, there was a story before the heroes were born.
The mythicist position is -not- that no one ever lived who ever did or said anything that seems similar if you look at it sideways in the right light on the proper phase of the moon. We know for a fact that someone said all of this shit. Every jot and tittle. At least one person......
It's that any factual details are grafts onto the important theological and mythological (or legendary, if we want to be super pedantic) details which predated any real boys. The way that the consensus uses terms is basically art and unfamiliar to an intelligent person who otherwise doesn't know the lingo. With paul, and with jesus, the consensus view is that both were historical and we know absolutely nothing about them from magic book, because magic book isn't about those real people. It is not, in any way shape or form, a history book - and never was.
If you think about it, as a prophetic book and a messianic religion, the deck was always stacked in favor of the mythicist position. Even the real boys, whoever they were if they ever were, had to check some boxes...to get the rest of them filled in by later authors. By design, there was a story before the heroes were born.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
