A Very Small Essay on Saul the Letter Writer

 

I suspect that if we were to ask most modern Christians whether the writings and teachings of Paul (Saul), the probable author of seven of the letters attributed to him, are the same as or congruent with the teachings of Yeshua of Nazareth, the Christian Messiah (we do not have any writings from Yeshua himself to compare), the answer would be "yes."

A close examination of the scriptures, the official record of both Yeshua and Paul, will yield, I believe, some doubt to this question.

It is important to look at the historical context in which the reports of both men are placed.  Yeshua was a Jew living in the small town of Nazareth in Roman Judea.  He was born to the wife of a local man named Joseph who is described in the Bible as a craftsman or technician of some kind.  One English translation says he was a carpenter.  The Greek word "tektōn" is used.  It has been translated to mean carpenter, laborer, or craftsman.  We do not know whether Yeshua was literate.  The Bible does not tell us.  It does tell us that he was teaching in the temple when he was 12 years of age.  We know very little else about his life before his ministry began.

Saul, later Paul, was a Jew, a Pharisee by faith, and a Roman citizen.  He spent his time before his conversion, by his own report, persecuting the members of the Yeshua religion.  After his conversion, he spent his life in a mission to bring the good news of Christ to the world outside Roman Judea.

We know from Luke's account in the book of Acts of the Apostles, Paul (Saul) was writing his letters within a few years of Yeshua's crucifixion. ("St. Paul’s Contributions to the New Testament," Encyclopedia Brittanica)

image: Reseachgate

The gospels were written later.  "The four canonical gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were all composed within the Roman Empire between 70 and 110 CE (± five to ten years) as biographies of Jesus of Nazareth, written about a generation after the crucifixion of Jesus (ca. 30 CE)." ("Historical Context for the New Testament," Columbia University)

Why does that matter? It matters a great deal.  Paul never met Yeshua. His conversion came after Yeshua's crucifixion. In fact, Paul was a Pharisee and was first opposed to Yeshua.

"The apostle Paul, born between 5-15 CE, was a devout Jew, “circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the churches; as to righteousness under the law, blameless” (Phil. 3:5-6).

Paul was also a Roman citizen.

Since Paul never met Yeshua and did not have access to the gospels we have today, how did he even know about Jesus and his teachings?

The inevitable answer is that he got his information from other people, presumably from both believers in Yeshua and non-believers. The Bible does not give us any more information.

After his conversion, Paul set out to convert the Gentile world to the Yeshua religion. It did not. at that time have the present name. It was known simply, as "the way."

"The Way" is what early Christians called their belief system. In part, it refers to Jesus, "the way, and the truth, and the life," (John 14:6). (Bibleref.com)

Paul quoted Yeshua in only one of his letters.

"Paul made only one direct quote from Jesus: '24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' " 

(1 Corinthians 11:24-25 KJV) (https://ourdailybread.org/article/why-didn%E2%80%99t-paul-quote-jesus/)

Throughout Paul's writing, he wrote very little about Yeshua's life and teachings. His writings were concerned primarily with instructing his churches about salvation and also convincing them that he was not lying to them. This insistence on his part was a large part of his writings.  Interestingly, this fact is not emphasized by the proponents of Paul's ministry, namely the Western Christian church and its derivatives.

Paul was concerned with whether Gentiles had to become Jews (and be circumcised) before they could achieve salvation. He concluded, importantly, that one did NOT have to become a Jew and that salvation is achieved ONLY through a belief in the death and resurrection of Yeshua, the Messiah of the Jews. Paul believed and taught that this message of salvation was for all the world, Jew and Gentile alike.

In one of his letters, a jailer asked Paul what he must do to be saved. Paul replied “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31, KJV)

For Paul, salvation came ONLY through a belief in Yeshua and in his death and resurrection.(Paul's Concept of Salvation Theology and Its Relevance (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES (IJOSMAS) Volume: 03 No. 02)

It is interesting to compare what Yeshua himself is reported to have said when asked about the requirements for salvation.

There are two times in the gospels that Yeshua was asked how salvation could be achieved:

The first is the parable of the sheep and the goats: (Matthew 25:31-46 KJV) 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: "32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

We see clearly that Yeshua's beliefs about salvation were different from Paul's. Yeshua said that one achieves salvation simply by treating other people as one would treat Christ. Period. Full stop.

The second instance in which Yeshua addresses the requirements for salvation is the parable of the rich young man (Mark 10:17-23 KJV) (bold type added by me for emphasis) 17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!"

We see here that Jesus specifies two requirements: keep the law and one will "inherit eternal life;" sell one's goods and donate the proceeds to the poor and one will receive "treasure in heaven." 

Yeshua also is reported to have said "take up thy cross and follow me." This image would obviously resonate with Christians as a reference to the central symbol of the religion. Keeping in mind that the gospels were written long after Yesua's life, it is not particularly surprising to find anachronistic passages like this one which took place before the crucifixion.

These verses from the Holy Bible show clearly that Yeshua and Paul (Saul) had very different ideas about salvation.

Paul stated clearly that salvation could be achieved ONLY through a belief in Yeshua's death by crucifixion and his resurrection from the dead after three days.

Yeshua himself stated that treating people with love is the key to salvation. This is consistent with his teachings about the greatest and next greatest commandments: (Matthew 22:35-40 KJV) 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Here, Yeshua states clearly that one can be saved by keeping specific portions of the law and treating others with love.

Yeshua's version of the requirements for salvation makes all of the monuments, magnificent church buildings, television networks, and other institutions that have been built by Christian denominations would be more pleasing to YHWH if they were sold and the proceeds used to help the poor.

We see that it is obvious that Paul has strayed far from Yeshua's teachings in his own interpretation of Yeshua's message.

Evangelicals today seem to be focused ONLY on the theology of Saul (Paul) and I believe that they have missed the point and that some Christians have been missing the point since Saul himself was traveling, evangelizing, and writing.

The most crucial concept in Christianity, the concept of salvation, is presented by Yeshua, the Messiah, in easy-to-understand,  clear, and lucid language.  One simply has to love YHWH and be a good person in his dealings with others.  He does include a caveat.  A rich person, in order to show his love for others, would have to divest himself of riches and use the money to help the poor.  For the non-rich, there is no specific action required beyond treating people as one would treat Christ.

Saul, on the contrary, ignores the teachings of Yeshua and focuses on his death and resurrection.  If one simply believes that these events happened, as reported in the gospels, and one proclaims that belief, one is saved in spite of the wrongs he might have done.  This would, of course, be a comfort to Saul, whose earlier career was capturing and torturing those who believed in Christ.

Perhaps my approach here is simplistic, but it seems to me that Yeshua's concrete and simple instructions to be good make much more sense than the belief in an event that defies logic and the laws of biology and physics.  The deity portrayed by Saul and the Evangelicals can and has been used to justify wars, slavery, and genocide.  

I cannot think of a way that Yeshua's teachings could be used for these entirely evil purposes.

Which theology makes sense to you?

PLEASE comment.