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100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
15. Genuine Pauline Epistles
In a court of law, evidence that both the prosecution and the defence agree upon is likely to be seen as legitimate by the judge and jury as well. Notice that both Christians and critics agree that the apostle Paul was a highly educated, intelligent and well travelled first-century evangelist and teacher. Furthermore, there is almost total agreement among Christian and sceptical scholars alike that at least seven of the Pauline letters found in the New Testament are authentic: 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, and Philemon A. What do these letters say?
These letters affirm beyond question that Paul, a Pharisee and contemporary of Jesus, had rejected outright the claims of Christians that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. Paul tells us however, that his views were radically changed when he had a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus B. From that point on, Paul would never be the same. According to Paul this event catapulted him into a full-time evangelistic and teaching ministry that proclaimed the truth of Christ as the promised Messiah.
Notice that before this encounter with the resurrected Jesus, Paul could boast that he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, instructed from his youth by the most respected teacher of his time, and concerning the Law, was absolutely blameless. We can only deduce from this that Paul was highly respected by his contemporaries to say the least. And yet, declared Paul, he deemed these personal attributes as utterly worthless compared to the knowledge of Christ C.
How can we explain the conversion of the Apostle Paul D? Before meeting the Lord, Paul was respected and admired. His work for Jesus on the other hand brought rejection, heartache, imprisonments, beatings, starvation and toil. While this radical change in Paul's attitude doesn't necessarily prove the truthfulness of the New Testament story, it does demonstrate that in Paul's day, the most intelligent and violently opposed to the new faith could not easily find historical evidences against its claims.
15. Genuine Pauline Epistles - Notes and References
A. "Paul's authorship of seven of the letters remains virtually undisputed. First Thessalonians, the earliest known Christian text (dating to about 50 CE), is universally ascribed to Paul, along with Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, and Philemon." Jeffery L. Sheler, (U.S. News and World Report religion writer) "Is the Bible True?", Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 1989, p. 36
"There is, however, general agreement that Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon are authentically Paul's." James L. Kugel (Starr Professor of Hebrew Literature at Harvard University and Professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University in Israel), "The Bible as it Was", Belknap Press, 1997, p.596
"In fact, except for the so-called Pastoral Epistles and Ephesians, it would be next to impossible to find any competent present-day scholarship that denies the Pauline authorship of the corpus of letters purporting to have been written by him." John Warwick Montgomery, "History and Christianity", Downers Grove, Illinois, Intervarsity Press, 1971, p.19
"Ignatius of Antioch tells the Ephesians that Paul mentions them in every letter. Polycarp of Smyrna, collector of the letters of Ignatius, refers to those of Paul. Somewhat earlier, Clement of Rome certainly knows I Corinthians, and he probably knows others as well." Robert M. Grant, "Historical Introduction to the New Testament", Harper & Row, 1963, p.171
B. "Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are ye not my work in the Lord?" 1 Corinthians 9:1
"And last of all he [Jesus] was seen of me also, as one born out of due time." 1 Corinthians 15:8
C. "Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Philippians 3:4-8
D. Many don't realize just how radical the change in Paul actually was. Montgomery explains: "…he applies to Jesus the Greek word Kyrios, 'Lord, which was used in the pre-Christian Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) as the equivalent of the most important Hebrew name of God, Yahweh, or YHWH. Note the implications of this. Paul, a monotheistic Jew, trained under the great Rabbi Gamaliel and therefore conversant with the Old Testament, ascribes to Jesus a word employed to render into Greek the most holy name of the one God." John Warwick Montgomery, "History and Christianity", Downers Grove, Illinois, Intervarsity Press, 1971, pp. 50-51.
Notice the parallel passages in Isaiah 45:22-23, where it is said of God that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear. Paul writes in Philippians 2:10-11 that at the name of JESUS every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.
What in the world happened to Paul to radically change his conception of the God of the Old Testament, and of Jesus? That he actually encountered the risen Saviour is the best explanation.