Corpus-Paul

["cfjacks" <cfjacks AT attbi.com>]

My apologies for not having responded to this inquiry sooner, for I agree
that this "fourteen years ago" is an important datum as it does refers to an
ecstatic experience which Paul himself had.  My "point of departure" is John
Knox's little book "Chapters In A Life Of Paul," a citation which I have
been meaning to mention in response to many of the comments as well worth
consulting.

In this book, Knox admits that in two publications back in 1938 he had
argued/assumed that this "fourteen years" was the same asthe "fourteen
years" cited in Gal. 2:1, but he recanted of this in his book.
Unfortunately, he did not then address just what event or date it did refer
to.  Which is where my own attempts at reconstructing Paul's chronology made
a guess.

On the usual dating of II Cor. 12's being written in the "early 50s" (say 52
or 53), "fourteen years ago" would place this event of "revelation" at (say)
39 or possibly even 40, a date probably too late for his "conversion" but
too early for his having travelled much as an evangelist.  Thus, my guess
(provisional hypothesis) is that it relates to just why Paul went to
Jerusalem
for his "visit with Peter" as recounted in Gal. 1.  In effect, I am
suspecting that this was Paul's second (of many ... after all,
Paul DOES use the plural for "visions and revelations" in II Cor. 12:1)
experience of trance phenomena.

Thus, if your questions/inquiry suggest that this passage has much much too
neglected by many in "Pauline studies," I would quickly agree and wish for
more attention and discussion, which is largely why I am making this belated
posting.

Clive F. Jacks, Th.D.
Professor of Religion, Emeritus
Pikeville College,
Pikeville, KY

(but now happily retired in metropolitan Atlanta)


----- Original Message -----
From: David Inglis <david AT colonialcommerce.com>
To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2002 2:55 PM
Subject: [corpus-paul] 2 Cor 12:1-7


> Eric Zuesse wrote regarding what Paul wrote in 2 Cor 1-7
>
> > He is here alternating between referring to himself in the first person
and
> > in the third person, using the third person "he" as the person who had
these
> > visions that might have been either delusional or even made up, and the
> > first person "I" as the person who is so modest that he will not brag
about
> > having had that experience.
>
> What evidence (scientific, scholarly, or otherwise) is there for the view
> that Paul is here referring to himself in the third person?  And if Paul
> *is* referring to himself, does not the "fourteen years ago" give us an
> important datum?  Or can we simply not assume any relationship between the
> events of "fourteen years ago" and the Damascus road experience?
>
> Dave Inglis
> david AT colonialcommerce.com
> 3538 O'Connor Drive
> Lafayette, CA, USA
>
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