Why do christians pay any attention to Paul(Saul) who never met Jesus and argued with the real disciples?

Question

Sorry-never talked to Jesus whilst Jesus was in a corporeal form, heard him onlyduring an incident many believe was a lightining strike. Argued, disagreed, he still never talked at length to jesus, unlike peter, but as a roman educated intellectual trained in rhetoric,was able to bamboozle the simple galilean fishermen into accepting his opinions.

Answer 1

Ah, if someone didn't physically do it, then it wasn't done, eh?

Luke records that Paul was accepted because of the spiritual encounter. Some have considered the book of Acts as largely the explanation of Paul so that Paul's work would be accepted to the church at large, and possibly as a defense of Paul when he went to trial at Rome before the emporer. The early church saw Paul as a strong and important leader--their example of acceptance is what Christians today use. So what if he argued with the apostles, the apostles also commissioned him for his work. We can disagree and still be on the same team, it happens in workplaces around the world everyday. The disciples certainly had their moments when it was "me instead of we" but those were brief and early. The early church accepted him and we find this in 2 Peter:

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (3:14-16).

Answer 2

While Paul was not one of the 12 Apostles, or even one of Jesus' disciples prior to his crucifixition, because he preached to the Gentiles and did so over such a large area, he had probably the greastest impact in the development of early Christianity. He threw away a lot of Jewish Law to make the teachings easier for converts (a fact which had him at odds many times with the Apostles), but this very abolishing of the old Law was what enabled Christianity to become the mass religion that it is. Otherwise, it may have become nothing more than an odd Jewish sect... Christianity as we know it would not exist! He travelled all over the known world all the way to Babylon (Rome) where he was finally executed. He set up, organized, and reformed churches throughout the region, and the teachings from his letters showed the early Church the path it would follow. That's why the teachings of Paul are so important. Now... as to why Christians believe any of it... well... that always comes down to faith! :) First of all, you have to believe that the vision that he had on the way to Damascus really was a vision from God. You believe that, and the rest follows suit naturally.

Answer 3

a million. How do you be attentive to Luke in no way met Jesus? 2. Luke did meet the apostles and Jesus' mom, etc. 3. there have been better than 12 disciples- in case you examine the NT Gospels heavily you will see that- yet in easy terms 12 are ever suggested by ability of call. with the aid of fact Luke become no longer named, does no longer propose he become no longer a disciple. 4. Luke is by ability of a good distance the excellent and maximum precise historian from antiquity, as even secular historians renowned. 5. there is not any contradiction as to the way of Judas' loss of life interior the NT. you may understand what the situations have been like in Judea to understand this. there have been, and nonetheless are, many previous olive timber in Israel, a lot of which improve on the sting of a cliff. If Judas hanged himself from the variety of tree, that's maximum in all probability, then ultimately the dept from which he hung suspended might wreck with the aid of fact of his weight and the age of the tree. this might consequence in his physique falling "headlong" to the floor a good distance under and can actually chop up open his guts, as is defined someplace else interior the NT. no longer a contradiction, in easy terms a pretend impact by ability of a few readers. 6. Luke become certainly around in the process Jesus' day. the whole NT become written in the previous the destruction of the temple in advert 70. Luke has been regarded as an historian of the utmost calibre by ability of Christian and secular historians.

Answer 4

Paul DID meet Jesus while on the road to Damascus. Read Acts 9. AND he never argued with the disciples, only disagreed on some minor doctrinal issues with Peter. (i.e. Can a Jew become a Christian, clean/unclean foods, etc.)

Answer 5

He was knocked off his *ss and saw the light. Heard voices and for the best part even preached contrary to what Jesus taught. Got into a fight with Pete, who the boss had put in charge and won. If that fight took place 300 years later, it would be called "The Paulist Heresy", Pauly would be burned at the stake, and all Christian men would be circumcised. How do you like them apples?

Answer 6

Part literary, part philosophical, part Geo-political, part theological

Paul's version of christianity became the standard for a number of reasons...the least of which was the theological..
His writings tried to synthesize the preferred/admired Grecian philosophical ideology of that day....
His writings had a style that was literary superior to many of the other contemporary authors
His writings survived the Roman suppression/war of the area; the more Jewish literary traditions - with the destruction of the temple in 70, with the continued Jewish rebellion in ~110's -120's were lost...
His writings reflected one of the current theological ideologies of the area--combining Mithraic, Perseid, and gnostic images with Jewish messianic literature...
and especially,,,,,,Paul wrote to and preached to the gentile world..if you are referring to an "argument" between the apostles and Paul....it was based on the preaching to the gentiles...specifically....if gentiles had to follow the Law [Torah] to be a christian...this is seen in the different views over :
circumcision, table meals, unclean sacrifices
as is called in Judaism...the "three nets of Belial"

so, as a relative of Herod, as a Romanized citizen, as a educated person [Greek thought], as a preacher to the gentiles, as one who held that converts need not be held under the precepts of the Torah....

Paul's version of christianity not only survived the other versions, but prevailed at the cost of the others...

Witness the "dead sea scrolls" , the gnostic writings of Nag Hammadi, and the works of the Apocrypha

Answer 7

His thinking found a middle way without which Christianity would either have disappeared back into Judaism, or become just another of the many cults of the Roman Empire.

Answer 8

Paul never met Jesus he would have been born after the crucifixion. He never really speaks of Jesus as a physical person as well

Answer 9

Great question. For a more detailed explanation I suggest you read The Mythmaker :Paul and the Invention of Christianity by Hyam Maccoby

Answer 10

Paul (Saul) did meet Jesus. He has a major part in the life of Jesus. I think you need to go and read the Bible. Any of the first 5 books would help you get your history right.