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  • From: "David C. Hindley" <dhindley AT compuserve.com>
  • To: <dhindley AT compuserve.com>, "Corpus-Paul" <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc:
  • Subject: RE: [Corpus-Paul] Why did Paul choose the Aegean?
  • Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 19:41:33 -0500

Pardon me,

>>Herod of Chalcis had superintendence of the Temple and its treasury and
the right to appoint High Priests between 44 - 50 CE. Agrippa II held this
power between ca. 50 - 66 CE.<<

I seem to have left out Agrippa I, 41 - 44 CE, who appointed three high
priests.

>>The author of Acts, and the author of 2 Cor,<< etc

Rather than be vague, here are the passages in the Pauline letters that
refer to his activities as a young man and in Damascus and his residency in
Arabia:

GAL 1:13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted
the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; 14 and I advanced in
Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was
I for the traditions of my fathers. [= Acts 7:58-8:3, 9:1-2]

GAL 1:15 But when it pleased God ... 16a to reveal 16c to me that I might
declare <his> 16e "good news" among the Gentiles, I did not confer with
flesh and blood*... [= Acts 9:3-19]

*?? 2 COR 12:2a I know a man ... 2c who fourteen years ago was caught up
to the third heaven--whether in (the) body I do not know, or outside of
(the) body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught
up into Paradise --whether in (the) body or apart from (the) body I do not
know, God knows-- 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may
not utter.

GAL 1:17a nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before
me, but I went away into Arabia... [= Acts has no record, except possibly
9:20-21 if the synagogues he went to were in Arabia]

GAL 1:17b and again I returned to Damascus. [= Acts 9:22]

2 COR 11:32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of
Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a
window in the wall, and escaped his hands. [= Acts 9:23-25, although author
makes the Jews plot against Paul, not the governor appointed by Aretas]

GAL 1:18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and
remained with him fifteen days. 19a But I saw none of the other apostles
except James ... . 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not
lie!) [= Acts 9:26-28 with minor differences in detail]

GAL 1:21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22a And I was
still not known by sight to the churches ... 22c in Judea; 23 they only
heard it said, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once
tried to destroy." 24 And they glorified God because of me. [= Acts 9:29,
which includes an additional detail about a death threat by the Hellenists]

GAL 2:1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with
Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up by revelation*... [= Acts
15:1-4]

*?? 2 COR 12:2a I know a man ... 2c who fourteen years ago was caught up
to the third heaven --whether in (the) body I do not know, or outside of
(the) body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught
up into Paradise--whether in (the) body or apart from (the) body I do not
know, God knows-- 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may
not utter.

In Acts the story is thus:

ACT 7:58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him [Stephen]; and
the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named
Saul. 8:1 And Saul was consenting to his death. And on that day a great
persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all
scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
... 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he
dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. ... 9:1 But Saul,
still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went
to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at
Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he
might bring them bound to Jerusalem. [Roughly Gal 1:13-14]

ACT 9:3 Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light
from heaven flashed about him. 4 And he fell to the ground and heard a
voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5 And he
said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting; 6 but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you
are to do." 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul arose from the ground; and
when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand
and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight,
and neither ate nor drank. 10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named
Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I
am, Lord." 11 And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called
Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul;
for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen a man named Ananias come in
and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." 13 But Ananias
answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has
done to thy saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the
chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name." 15 But the Lord said to
him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the
Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much
he must suffer for the sake of my name." 17 So Ananias departed and entered
the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord
Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that
you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 And
immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his
sight. Then he rose and was baptized, 19a and took food and was
strengthened. 19b For several days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
[= Gal 1:15-16, with "reveal" a possible allusion to the event described in
2 Cor 2:2-4]

ACTS 9:20 And in the synagogues [of Arabia?] immediately he proclaimed
Jesus, saying, "He is the Son of God." 21 And all who heard him were
amazed, and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those
who called on this name? And he has come here for this purpose, to bring
them bound before the chief priests." [Very loosely resembles Gal 1:17a]

ACT 9:22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the
Jews who lived in Damascus ... [= Gal 1:17b]

ACT 9:23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but
their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night,
to kill him; 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down over
the wall, lowering him in a basket. [= 2 Cor 11:32-33, except that in 2
Cor it is the governor appointed by Aretas who plots against him]

ACT 9:26 And when he had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the
disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he
was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles,
and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him,
and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he
went in and out among them at Jerusalem, [= Gal 1:18-20 with some minor
differences in details]

ACT 9:29 preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed
against the Hellenists; but they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when
the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to
Tarsus. [= Gal 1:21-24, which lacks the death threat by the Hellenists]

ACT 11:27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28
And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there
would be a great famine over all the world; and this took place in the days
of Claudius. 29 And the disciples determined, every one according to his
ability, to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea; 30 and they did
so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.; + ACT 12:25
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their
mission, bringing with them John whose other name was Mark. [The letters
have no such account at all]

ACT 15:1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren,
"Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be
saved." 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate
with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up
to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So,
being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia
and Samaria, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, and they gave great
joy to all the brethren. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed
by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that
God had done with them. [= Gal 2:1-5]

I've left out details of the "Peter in Antioch" debate on purpose.

Respectfully,

Dave Hindley
Cleveland, Ohio, USA







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