Corpus-Paul

["Ron Price" <ron.price AT virgin.net>]

I set out a list of three theological assertions made by Paul in 1 Thess
1:10:

>>(1) Jesus is the "Son of God"
>>(2) Jesus rose from the dead 
>>(3) Jesus is a spiritual saviour (the adjective here is to distinguish
>>the concept from that of Messiah)

Mark Nanos wrote:

>Do you really think that Paul "invented" all of this before anyone else was
>proclaiming these things, especially points 1 and 2 of your list?

Mark,
  Yes.

> Do you
>mean by "invented" to refer to his rhetorical activity, how he decided to
>proceed to argue for these things, or that he imagined this to be the case
>and stated it as such before anyone else had done so?

  The latter, though he attributed these things (which are at the heart
of his gospel) to a revelation of Jesus Christ as he tells us quite
openly (Gal 1:11-12, c.f. 1 Cor 11:23). When I used the word "invent", I
meant to imply only that previous followers of Jesus had not said these
things about him. I was not intending to make any judgement about the
validity of the revelation. 
  Historically it was Paul who first defined the Christian "gospel". He
was its pioneer.
  Of course if someone thinks they have evidence to the contrary, I'm
prepared to listen.

> I find the later as
>surprising as the proposal that Paul is the BD.

  Then perhaps the rather staid world of NT scholarship needs a breath
of fresh air.  :-)

Ron Price

Weston-on-Trent, Derby, UK

e-mail:  ron.price AT virgin.net

Web site:  http://homepage.virgin.net/ron.price/index.htm