Paul: A Would Be Apostle
Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism can be laid squarely at the feet of Paul the apostle. He was a hellenistic Jew and a mystic who never saw Jesus of Nazareth but, based on a life changing experience, a vision, he took it upon himself to reshape a tradition for which he had minimal sources and no direct experience.
Roman retaliation was swift and brutal. After the failed revolt led by Judas the Galilean, Saul and his family were relocated from Gishala to Tarsus. There he was educated and immersed in hellenistic Judaism, as well as Greek metaphysics and Mystery cults. When he went to Jerusalem as an adult, he zealously persecuted followers of the messianic movement called the Way. However, after a traumatic, mystical experience on his journey to Damascus, his name was changed to Paul, and he became the most vocal advocate of this new sect.
Over the next three years he shaped his own version and meaning of that life and death. He then spent fifteen days in Jerusalem, telling James and Peter his plans to take his “gospel” to the Gentiles, and left for fourteen years of ministry in Syria and Cilicia. Their initial differences were magnified and the break between them acknowledged when he returned for a short visit. By then Paul had rejected the Law, ignored circumcision, and created his own narratives of resurrection, baptism, and eucharist. To this he added the myth of a returning Lord. He spent most of the next ten years sharing his interpretation with cities in Asia Minor and Greece. By the time he arrived in Rome after being arrested for a disturbance caused in the Temple back in Jerusalem during his third and last visit, Paul was claiming the Law had been surpassed by the death and resurrection of the Christ, Jews were blind to their own scripture, God had rejected them, and that Jews were cursed.
Paul died a martyr to his “faith,” but it was his reinvention of a Jewish narrative that took root in a Gentile world shaped by a hellenistic perspective and seeking deliverance from fear and insecurity. His language fueled attitudes of superiority and provided fodder for centuries of discrimination and anti-Semitism.
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Roman retaliation was swift and brutal. After the failed revolt led by Judas the Galilean, Saul and his family were relocated from Gishala to Tarsus. There he was educated and immersed in hellenistic Judaism, as well as Greek metaphysics and Mystery cults. When he went to Jerusalem as an adult, he zealously persecuted followers of the messianic movement called the Way. However, after a traumatic, mystical experience on his journey to Damascus, his name was changed to Paul, and he became the most vocal advocate of this new sect.
Over the next three years he shaped his own version and meaning of that life and death. He then spent fifteen days in Jerusalem, telling James and Peter his plans to take his “gospel” to the Gentiles, and left for fourteen years of ministry in Syria and Cilicia. Their initial differences were magnified and the break between them acknowledged when he returned for a short visit. By then Paul had rejected the Law, ignored circumcision, and created his own narratives of resurrection, baptism, and eucharist. To this he added the myth of a returning Lord. He spent most of the next ten years sharing his interpretation with cities in Asia Minor and Greece. By the time he arrived in Rome after being arrested for a disturbance caused in the Temple back in Jerusalem during his third and last visit, Paul was claiming the Law had been surpassed by the death and resurrection of the Christ, Jews were blind to their own scripture, God had rejected them, and that Jews were cursed.
Paul died a martyr to his “faith,” but it was his reinvention of a Jewish narrative that took root in a Gentile world shaped by a hellenistic perspective and seeking deliverance from fear and insecurity. His language fueled attitudes of superiority and provided fodder for centuries of discrimination and anti-Semitism.
Paul: A Would Be Apostle
Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism can be laid squarely at the feet of Paul the apostle. He was a hellenistic Jew and a mystic who never saw Jesus of Nazareth but, based on a life changing experience, a vision, he took it upon himself to reshape a tradition for which he had minimal sources and no direct experience.
Roman retaliation was swift and brutal. After the failed revolt led by Judas the Galilean, Saul and his family were relocated from Gishala to Tarsus. There he was educated and immersed in hellenistic Judaism, as well as Greek metaphysics and Mystery cults. When he went to Jerusalem as an adult, he zealously persecuted followers of the messianic movement called the Way. However, after a traumatic, mystical experience on his journey to Damascus, his name was changed to Paul, and he became the most vocal advocate of this new sect.
Over the next three years he shaped his own version and meaning of that life and death. He then spent fifteen days in Jerusalem, telling James and Peter his plans to take his “gospel” to the Gentiles, and left for fourteen years of ministry in Syria and Cilicia. Their initial differences were magnified and the break between them acknowledged when he returned for a short visit. By then Paul had rejected the Law, ignored circumcision, and created his own narratives of resurrection, baptism, and eucharist. To this he added the myth of a returning Lord. He spent most of the next ten years sharing his interpretation with cities in Asia Minor and Greece. By the time he arrived in Rome after being arrested for a disturbance caused in the Temple back in Jerusalem during his third and last visit, Paul was claiming the Law had been surpassed by the death and resurrection of the Christ, Jews were blind to their own scripture, God had rejected them, and that Jews were cursed.
Paul died a martyr to his “faith,” but it was his reinvention of a Jewish narrative that took root in a Gentile world shaped by a hellenistic perspective and seeking deliverance from fear and insecurity. His language fueled attitudes of superiority and provided fodder for centuries of discrimination and anti-Semitism.
Roman retaliation was swift and brutal. After the failed revolt led by Judas the Galilean, Saul and his family were relocated from Gishala to Tarsus. There he was educated and immersed in hellenistic Judaism, as well as Greek metaphysics and Mystery cults. When he went to Jerusalem as an adult, he zealously persecuted followers of the messianic movement called the Way. However, after a traumatic, mystical experience on his journey to Damascus, his name was changed to Paul, and he became the most vocal advocate of this new sect.
Over the next three years he shaped his own version and meaning of that life and death. He then spent fifteen days in Jerusalem, telling James and Peter his plans to take his “gospel” to the Gentiles, and left for fourteen years of ministry in Syria and Cilicia. Their initial differences were magnified and the break between them acknowledged when he returned for a short visit. By then Paul had rejected the Law, ignored circumcision, and created his own narratives of resurrection, baptism, and eucharist. To this he added the myth of a returning Lord. He spent most of the next ten years sharing his interpretation with cities in Asia Minor and Greece. By the time he arrived in Rome after being arrested for a disturbance caused in the Temple back in Jerusalem during his third and last visit, Paul was claiming the Law had been surpassed by the death and resurrection of the Christ, Jews were blind to their own scripture, God had rejected them, and that Jews were cursed.
Paul died a martyr to his “faith,” but it was his reinvention of a Jewish narrative that took root in a Gentile world shaped by a hellenistic perspective and seeking deliverance from fear and insecurity. His language fueled attitudes of superiority and provided fodder for centuries of discrimination and anti-Semitism.
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Paul: A Would Be Apostle
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Paul: A Would Be Apostle
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940149255306 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Harold Littleton, Jr. |
| Publication date: | 03/12/2014 |
| Series: | Destiny #05 , #2 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 270 |
| File size: | 461 KB |
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