Corpus-Paul

[Loren Rosson <rossoiii AT yahoo.com>]

Michael MacDonell wrote:

> Bornkamm (Paul, p. 15) argues pretty effectively 
> that there are strong reasons to question whether,
> contrary to Acts, Paul 
> was a persecutor of the early church...
> 
> "... a church which in fact still observed the Law
> and so was not in the 
> slightest exposed to the crucial charge of hostility
> toward it.  Luke's picture is also clearly 
> contradicted by the apostle's [Paul's] remark in 
> Gal 1:22, that he was personally unknown to the
> churches in Judaea. . .This is absolutely
> inconceivable in the 
> case of a man who in Jerusalem had previously taken
> the prominent part in persecuting Christians 
> ascribed to him by Luke (Acts 22:4 ff).

Paul simply mentions in Gal. 1:22 that he was unknown
“by sight” in Judea. After being away for three years,
this isn’t so strange. As a former Peace Corps
volunteer, who saw ex-volunteers come and go in a host
country, re-visiting years later, etc, I can say there
is nothing “inconceivable” about what you object to
here. 

The measure of law-observance by the earliest
Christians is unclear, but they must have been
unorthodox in some way, since Paul targetted them with
such zeal (elsewhere, if not Judea, though I think
both are likely). Phil Esler ("Galatians") suggests
that the offensive practice was indescriminate
eucharist fellowship, whereby Jews and uncircumcised
Gentiles shared bread and wine from the same vessels.
This naturally ran the risk of idolatry, as Gentiles
might taint the wine (i.e. transform it into pagan
libation wine).

In any case, I agree that Paul and the Beloved
Disciple were doubtfully understood -- by any -- to be
the same person.

Loren Rosson III,
Nashua, NH
rossoiii AT yahoo.com


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