Corpus-Paul

[Licia Kuenning <Licia AT compuserve.com>]

Jim West writes,

>>> It is for no small reason that Paul is seen as the founder
>>> of Christianity- 
>>
>> I for one don't see him that way.  If Christianity didn't
>> exist before Paul took it up, what was he persecuting?
>
> he was persecuting a schism within judaism.

Okay, I guess it could be described that way; but that doesn't
mean it wasn't Christianity.in the common sense of the word.
I realize that the word "Christian" hadn't been coined yet--for
that matter, it wasn't a word that Paul ever used, in any of the
writings that have come down to us.  But Paul said he
persecuted the church.  He obviously perceived a continuity
between the community he had formerly persecuted and the
community he was ministering to.  Call that community what
you like--Paul wasn't its founder.

Licia Kuenning

Licia AT compuserve.com
kuenning-licia AT voicenet.com