The gospels are not the earliest works of Christian writing included in the Bible. The letters of Paul are. Scholars believe that none of the gospels were available or known to Paul when he wrote his letters. However, some of the many oral and written Jesus materials that circulated in the first century CE were available to both Paul and the gospel authors.
Neither was Paul’s understanding of Jesus informed by personal experience with Jesus. Paul was not one of the disciples chosen by Jesus, nor was he originally Paul. He was Saul, and he worked for the Jerusalem temple, suppressing Christianity among remote Jewish communities.
Saul saw the light after Jesus’ death while on the road to Damascus, when he was dazed by a flash of lightning. Jesus’ voice instructed him to stop persecuting and start cooperating. Saul temporarily lost his sight, and changed his name to Paul.
Early Christianity spread into Roman-ruled Hellenic cities by way of Greek-speaking Jews such as Paul. Galilee and Judea weren’t benign environments for innovations, as the stories of both Jesus and Saul illustrate. Jesus’ disciples were involved in this foreign missionary work, including Simon Peter, who made his way to Rome.
Paul set up Christian congregations in several Hellenic cities in what are now Turkey and Greece. He seems generally to have begun in the synagogues and worked as a tent maker to support his calling. His movement sooner or later developed frictions with the synagogue and his churches moved into private homes often under the sponsorship of widows. Paul nurtured (or disciplined, depending on perspective) several widely separated congregations. The letters of Paul that appear in the Bible are his attempts to guide these multiple groups.
Paul appears in the Bible first in the Acts of the Apostles, which was written together with the gospel of Luke. In Acts 20:35, quoting Jesus, Paul says “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Up to that point in Acts Paul has been proselytizing and performing miracles. He has been bringing in Gentiles and advising them that they can be sanctified by: 1) accepting Jesus as resurrected; 2) washing away their sins by baptism; 3) abstaining from blood and meat that has been strangled or sacrificed to idols, and; 4) avoiding unchastity. In his manner of teaching, Paul was like the Pharisees. If you’ve read my essay on the gospels, you’ll see that the list of requirements from Acts is very different from Jesus’ teachings in the gospels.
Paul as pictured in Acts isn’t dissimilar from Paul as portrayed by his own letters. Paul advocated many positions that differ from those recorded for Jesus. Paul advocated justification before God on faith alone (Romans 3:27-28, 2 Timothy 1:9, etc.), while Jesus required works (Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 10:25-37). Paul organized churches, while Jesus advocated private worship (Matthew 6:1-18). Paul proclaimed that Jewish law was at an end because of Jesus (Romans 3:19-21, 6:14), while Jesus stated that neither a jot nor a tittle had changed (Matthew 5:18). Paul proscribed interaction with sinners (1 Corinthians 5:11), Jesus dined with them. Paul made aid to the poor contingent (2 Thessalonians 413:10), while Jesus made it a primary responsibility, no questions asked (Matthew 25:31-46). And Paul introduced the concept of original sin in Romans 5:12.
Paul introduced several ideas to his followers which either don’t appear, or appear in a milder form, in the gospels: that God watches us and sanctions us communally; that, although Christians hear the intent of God through the Holy Spirit, nevertheless (as befits a Pharisee) apostles, evangelists, and preachers are necessary to guide them; that Paul himself is especially in touch with the understanding of God; that his congregants are to be kind and good particularly among themselves; that they are to avoid dispute; that they are to avoid exposure to any others who might tempt them into straying; that they are to expel any who err; that Gentiles, if attempting to adhere to the Jewish law, are acting as creatures of the earth or creatures of the belly; that marriage is allowed but not desirable except as a guard against erring.
Paul repeatedly expressed concern lest his congregants take guidance from other preachers, characterizing these as evil and following selfish motives. He seems not to trust his congregants to recognize a false prophet by his works, as Jesus trusted them.
In his letter to the Colossians (1:23) he claims that the gospel (now meaning the basic theology of Christianity) “has been preached to every creature under heaven.” In Colossians (1:24) he says that the church is “what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body.” He celebrates the idea of martyrdom and suffering for the sake of Jesus’ mission.
Paul amplified Jesus’ disdain of wisdom:
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)
Paul also proclaims in this statement his pre-knowledge of who will be safe when the age comes to its end. In 2 Thessalonians 1:6, he notes that “indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.” Paul often preached that God would punish those who were not chosen, see (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).
Paul had special concerns about women. (There is learned debate about which preposition is most apt here. Some say concerns "for" women, and others say "over" women is both most fitting and most clear.) Women shan’t braid their hair or teach. Women are saved through bearing children (1 Timothy 2:9-15).
Righteousness was in no way comfortable in Paul’s eyes. “Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12)
Like Jesus, Paul amended the written message from God at the same time that he endorsed it. “All scripture is inspired by God....” (2 Timothy 3:16) We don’t know just what scripture was available to Paul. We do know that he would have known of the Jewish scripture, and that he didn’t have access to the canonical gospels.
Paul was not one to see value in a free exchange of opinion:
As for a man who is factious [characterized by discordance or insubordination], after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. (Titus 3:10-11)
And we know where he will end up. No “lost lamb” parables for Paul. This is only one of many Pauline statements absolutely intolerant of disagreement.
Paul proved very influential in the development of Christian doctrine. Paul “formulated a [theological] meaning for Christ’s death and resurrection.” In fact, ”Paul’s Christ has relevance only through his death and resurrection....” [Freeman 2005, pp. 107 et cf.]
His message wasn’t always consistent. ”Paul’s thoughts changed with the context in which they were expressed...” [Freeman 2005, pp. 107 et cf.] Often this was in response to circumstances in individual congregations. Paul’s view about things such as idols, sexuality, and Greek philosophy, which are beyond and sometimes difficult to reconcile with those of Jesus, became part of Christian orthodoxy as Church Fathers tried to standardize thinking. Paul was of the urban Jewish diaspora in Asia Minor, and his theology is very much based on Jewish theology. Greek was probably his first language. His knowledge of Judaism was most likely derived from the Septuagint, a Greek translation of Jewish writings prepared in third century BC Alexandria.
In fact, Paul had much trouble working with the Judean Christians, and so he developed much of his theology independently of those who had heard Jesus. [Freeman 2005, p. 112]
Paul stressed the importance of faith, meaning acceptance of Christ’s life/resurrection as providing “justification” to God, in the context of a belief that the end was imminent. This resulted in a lack of attention to how a Christian should live life. [Freeman 2005, p. 118]
The letters of Peter and the letters of John contain many descriptions of good Christian behavior. These mostly concern behavior among Christians or behavior that might reflect upon the Christian community.
Next: The Old Testament
© 2021, Ross A. Hangartner