RE: If theists understood "evidence"
October 10, 2018 at 8:43 am
(This post was last modified: October 10, 2018 at 8:54 am by The Grand Nudger.)
Pushing onward, in summary, and still limiting ourselves to authentic paul and an early date for authentic paul-
The narrator makes vague but still dubious claims. The only explicit information we have is that he didn't persecute christians in the only place in which open persecution of this sort was possible. Implicitly, the narrator has his base of operations in damascus..and the damacene authroites did have reason, in the 30's 40's and 50's to suppress what they would have seen as trouble jews. If his capacity was to point the finger and levy accusations, so that legitimate authorities could spirit away those "trouble jews" this is, at least, plausible. You have to wonder, though, why the damascene authorities would pick hellenists out as the trouble jews - they were syncretists, sympathizers. It does, however, explain why a hellenist like himself could have ended up working in that capacity..while paul's hellenism is what we might call a fail condition for service, today...if jewish theocratic elements were looking for an inquisitor.
Take care to remind yourself of saul of tarsus claimed pedigree. Here again acts raises it's ugly head - but- again it is at least what people believed. He was a roman citizen from a wealthy family. If this were true, he would have been educated in the hellenist tradition - and this would explain why his source of reference for hebrew scholarship invariably turns out to be greek. It would also explain the hellenism present in his positions of faith. Here, though, lets turn back to galatians..authentic paul.
Two things stick out in this. First, he just flat out says that the gospel he preaches he received from no man. Secondly, he appears to be (or at least think he is) a celebrity, already, to his audience. He thinks they've heard of him. He's a personality. He has a story to tell. Even in this his tendency to fib about his qualifiactions is made evident (and that's laying aside the fact that the guy thinks god set him aside in the womb, and that people who only know about him through stories in judea are thanking god on account of his "conversion", lol). Rabbinical tradition has never taken seriously the claim that pauls theology is in any way demonstrative of his having outperformed his peers in a hebrew setting - nor have his many expressed sentiments about judaism ever left people with the impression that he was zealous in the tradition of his fathers (a problematic claim on it's own) - entirely the opposite.
The narrator makes vague but still dubious claims. The only explicit information we have is that he didn't persecute christians in the only place in which open persecution of this sort was possible. Implicitly, the narrator has his base of operations in damascus..and the damacene authroites did have reason, in the 30's 40's and 50's to suppress what they would have seen as trouble jews. If his capacity was to point the finger and levy accusations, so that legitimate authorities could spirit away those "trouble jews" this is, at least, plausible. You have to wonder, though, why the damascene authorities would pick hellenists out as the trouble jews - they were syncretists, sympathizers. It does, however, explain why a hellenist like himself could have ended up working in that capacity..while paul's hellenism is what we might call a fail condition for service, today...if jewish theocratic elements were looking for an inquisitor.
Take care to remind yourself of saul of tarsus claimed pedigree. Here again acts raises it's ugly head - but- again it is at least what people believed. He was a roman citizen from a wealthy family. If this were true, he would have been educated in the hellenist tradition - and this would explain why his source of reference for hebrew scholarship invariably turns out to be greek. It would also explain the hellenism present in his positions of faith. Here, though, lets turn back to galatians..authentic paul.
Quote:11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
21 Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me.
Two things stick out in this. First, he just flat out says that the gospel he preaches he received from no man. Secondly, he appears to be (or at least think he is) a celebrity, already, to his audience. He thinks they've heard of him. He's a personality. He has a story to tell. Even in this his tendency to fib about his qualifiactions is made evident (and that's laying aside the fact that the guy thinks god set him aside in the womb, and that people who only know about him through stories in judea are thanking god on account of his "conversion", lol). Rabbinical tradition has never taken seriously the claim that pauls theology is in any way demonstrative of his having outperformed his peers in a hebrew setting - nor have his many expressed sentiments about judaism ever left people with the impression that he was zealous in the tradition of his fathers (a problematic claim on it's own) - entirely the opposite.
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