He wasn't one of the disciples; quite the opposite, he persecuted them. Did he somehow gain special insight when he 'fell to the ground' (Acts 9:4) and blinded? Were his eyes 'truly opened' when he regained his vision?
2007-02-02 00:50:39 · 9 answers · asked by wholenote4 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
...that I might preach him among the heathen (ethnos or nations) ..."
Galatians 1:11-12, 15-16
2007-02-02 01:07:15 · answer #1 · answered by màrrach 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Romans were well known for assimilating anything that they could not beat militarily. They recognized that Christianity had grown so large that they could not possibly stamp it out.
So they did the same thing that they always did when they found themselves in this position. Paul was roman, one of the first roman undercover agents if you will to gain prominence in the Christian hierarchy. His job was to subvert the faith correct the teachings so they were more palatable to roman tastes and take over and control as much of the leadership as possible. His cover story about being blinded and thrown from his horse was designed to play right into the Christian idea of a forceful Jesus that was the defender of the faith.
He was accepted by most of the Christian world and eventually trumped Peters wishes on many issues. Apparently everyone thought that Jesus had made a mistake in selecting Peter to take care of running the faith because Paul was and is still taken quite seriously.
Christianity is barely recognizable today if you compare it to what Jesus actually taught. If you read closely you can still see occasional glimpses of Jesus’ teaching in and among the nonsense that was overlaid on it by Paul and others. The roman conquest of Christianity took quite some time, but was completed in the 4th century around the time of the council of Nicea when the current bible was compiled.
Constantine also had one of these miraculous encounters with Jesus that lead to his conversion, but oddly continued to worship roman gods in private right up to his death. In public of course he was a true Christian.
The new faith that replaced the one Jesus entrusted peter with was called the universal, or Catholic Church. It is better known as the Roman Catholic Church. I guess you could call that a hint.
A truly brilliant plan actually. Made possible by the efforts of a roman double agent named Paul who called himself an apostle, but never actually met Jesus. For his loyalty and meritorious service he was later killed to cover up the truth
Love and blessings Don
2007-02-02 09:01:10 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes I think you are on the right lines, Paul probably received great insight into the things concerning Christ by the meeting on the road to Damascus,but we are also told that he studied and learned for a period of 3yrs before actually assuming the role of Apostle,and also he met with the other Apostles who also may have instructed him.
2007-02-02 08:56:59 · answer #3 · answered by Sentinel 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
He was a Disciple appointed by God on the road to Damascus. After his eyes were opened God lead Paul throughout his life. Do we know everything? No, but if you let the Lord guide you he will open your eyes so you may tell others.
2007-02-02 08:59:32 · answer #4 · answered by Boomrat 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He received a special outpouring of grace that enabled him to recognize Christ for who He was. But his knowledge about Christ he obtained from the Church, the same way all Christians received knowledge of Christ.
2007-02-02 09:22:34 · answer #5 · answered by PaulCyp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He compiled a mixture of Pagan thought, political propoganda and gossip about Christ, then filled in the gaps by making stuff up.
Then he compiled the New Testament to retroactively "support" his new religion.
2007-02-02 09:34:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might find this book very enlightening...
"The Mythmaker, Paul and the Invention of Christianity" by Hyam Maccoby
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2007-02-02 09:21:48 · answer #7 · answered by Hatikvah 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That guy was exceptionally smart... he stayed with some of the twelve disciples for some time, and he filled in the gaps. Of course, it helped to have God also.
He taught... based on what he felt and what he heard from God.
2007-02-02 08:54:52 · answer #8 · answered by controlfreak 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was a pharisee,a teacher of the law.He was very knowledgeable about the scripture and when he was saved and the holy spirit started living inside of him.Jesus revealed the truth to him and he taught it very well.
2007-02-02 09:00:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋