Ephesians 1:1 has Paul telling the church there that he is “an apostle of Christ Jesus.” And this claim is much more than a mere Paulinist boast. For of the 7 churches noted in the book of Revelation, the one in Ephesus is the only one cited for having dealt with false apostles (stating in […]
First off, let me state quite clearly that I no way claim to know “the Truth” about Paul or Jesus. I don’t know whether or not the words in my Bible (as someone interested in scholarship, I prefer the NRSV over all other translations) are fully accurate, I don’t know if the spiritual concepts expressed […]
Though Paul was a self-proclaimed Roman citizen regularly respected by the authorities (see Acts 16:37 & Acts 22:25-28), Jesus is portrayed as coming from the home of a common Jewish laborer1 & as an itinerant preacher often met with scorn and disdain (see Matthew 13:54-58, Mark 6:3, & John 6:42). ………………………………………………………………………….. 1Though common Christian tradition […]
Though the scholarship on this issue admittedly remains slightly divided, the majority of those “in the know” agree that the Bible shows Paul coming from an upbringing of great wealth and Jesus from one of great poverty. As far as the former is concerned (and aside from the fact that Paul himself admits to a […]
Throughout Paul‘s ministry we see him seeking material security (and this, despite his regular claims to the contrary – e.g. “The one who is righteous will live by faith,” cited by Paul in both Romans 1:17 & Galatians 3:11; see also Romans 5:1-2, Romans 8:1-2, Romans 8:13, Galatians 5:16-17, Galatians 6:8, 1 Corinthians 2:5, & […]
For the entirety of his ministry, Paul – wherever it suited him – openly proclaimed to be a devout member of the conservative Jewish sect known as the Pharisees (see Acts 23:6’s “I am a Pharisee and the son of Pharisees” – also his similar boasts in Acts 26:5, Galatians 1:14, & Philippians 3:4-5) … […]
Another marked contrast between Paul and Jesus is readily seen in their preferred audiences, with Paul frequently speaking to those with whom he was already familiar (a la “Come, let us return and visit the believers in every city where we have already proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing” […]
Note as well that whereas Paul claims that his succumbing to temptation is an innate inevitability (“But I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not comprehend my own choices, for I do not do what I want, but rather the very thing I despise … And yet in fact it […]
It is also interesting to witness how differently the two men handled situations involving physical adversity, especially ones dealing with threats of violence from their adversaries. On the one hand, Paul is regularly seen fleeing in fear from such encounters – most often in furtive fashion; often with the direct assistance of his followers (see […]
It is equally interesting to note the stark contrast in which Paul and Jesus dealt with the local political authorities whenever accused of any wrongdoing. On the one hand, Paul defended himself passionately & vehemently whenever charged with any legal offense, using whatever means he could to escape punishment – including purposefully inciting religious dissension […]
While it is true that exposing the vast differences in the lives & lifestyles of Jesus Christ and Paul of Tarsus does not in & of itself prove that the two men espoused competing theologies, those differences in upbringing do explain what I will now show – namely, that Paul & Jesus exhibited stark discrepancies […]
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