How do you explain this?

Question

Paul (the founder of Christianity ) never knew ANYTHING about Jesus being real:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMiAwe6TAYM

Answer 1

wow. That's very interesting!

Answer 2

I couldn't get the youtube page to load, so I have NO IDEA what point it makes (or tries to make). However, I have a few things to point out.

1. Paul was NOT the founder of Christianity. When Paul was converted, the Church was already well settled in Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside. Missionaries had gone to other countries as well, but they preached almost exclusively to Jews. Saul of Tarsus was a latecomer to the faith, starting his "professional religious career" as a Pharisee Non-believer, persecuting Christians wherever he found them! Not content with jailing Christians in Jerusalem, Saul took his legal action on the road. He was headed for another city when he was knocked down by a powerful vision of Christ. While everybody in the party (he wasn't travelling alone) heard the same voice as Saul, only Saul could see the speaker. AFTER his conversion, Saul became a "regular disciple" with the believers of Antioch, where he lived, worked, and worshipped for at least 10 years.

2. It is incorrect to say that Paul/Saul knew nothing about Jesus being real. He is known to have had several visions of the ressurected Christ, and spent considerable time in the desert seeking revelation from God about the Gospel of Christ. AFTER he recieved these revelations, he sought out the Church Fathers in Jerusalem (Peter, James, and John), to make sure his understanding of the Gospel of Christ was correct. These men did not add or subtract anything to Saul/Paul's understanding, they merely confirmed the message he had already recieved from Christ.

3. So, Saul/Paul did not know Christ in His physical ministry. Big deal. There are plenty of men who DID walk with Christ, and S/P was acquainted almost all of them!

Answer 3

Paul wasn't the founder of Christianity, youtube isn't exactly the inspired Word of God; and the author has conveniently omitted the book of Acts from his "facts".
Since Luke's gospel was the first book addressed to Theophilus, it is logical to conclude that Luke is also the author of Acts, although he is not named in either book. The writings of the early church fathers such as Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Ortigen, Eusebius, and Jerome affirm Luke's authorship, and so does the Muratorian canon (ca. A.D. 170). Because he is a relatively obscure figure, mentioned only 3 times in the NT (Col. 4:14; 2 Tim. 4:11, Philem. 24), it is unlikely that anyone would have forged a work to make it appear to be Luke's. A forger surely would have attributed his work to a more prominent person.
Luke was Paul's close friend, trveling companion, and personal physican (Col. 4:14). He was a careful researcher (Luke 1:1-4) and an accurate historian, displaying an intimate knowledge of Roman laws and customs, as well as the geography of Palestine, Asia Minor, and Italy. In writing Acts, Luke drew on written sources (15:23-29; 23:26-30), and also no doubt interviewed key figures, such as Peter, John, and others in the Jerusulem church. Paul's two-year imprisonment at Caesarea (24:27) gave Luke ample opportunity to interview Philip and his daughters (who were considered important sources of information on the early days of the church). Finally, Luke's frequent use of the first person plural pronouns "we" and "us" (16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16) reveals that he was eyewitness to many of the events recorded in Acts.
Some believe Luke wrote Acts after the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70; his death was probably in the mid-eighties). It is more likely, however, that he wrote much earlier, before the end of Paul's first Roman imprisonment (ca. A.D. 60-62). That date is the most natural explanation for the abrupt ending of Acts-which leaves Paul awaiting trial before Caesar. Surely Luke, who devoted more than half of Acts to Paul's ministry, would have given the outcome of that trial, and described Paul's subsequent ministry, second imprisonment (cf. 2 Tim. 4:11), and death, if those events had happened before he wrote Acts. Luke's silence about such notable events as the martyrdom of James, head of the Jerusalem church (A.D 62 according to the Jewish historian Josephus), the persecution under Nero (A.D. 64), and the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70) also suggests he wrote Acts before those events transpired.
Jesus is real and you're going to meet Him.
Prepare ye the way of the Lord!!

Answer 4

There were Christians before Paul.

Answer 5

It totally ignores what scripture says. Paul was the one that was arresting and killing Christians , of course he knew Jesus.

Jesus said to Paul " why do you persecute me?

Answer 6

True enough.
In fact the name Jesus doesn't appear in ANY gospel until at least 325 "ad".
That's when the Council of Nicea decided that the religion needed a deity. So they made one up.

Answer 7

Nothing surprising there, but an interesting watch.

Answer 8

Yes, well. It's a long standing theory/belief that Paul took advantage of Christ's death, life and teachings to start his own religion.

Answer 9

I don't belive the bible is true (why weren't the gnostic scriptures added also, why was it constructed out of only select scriptures, ones that fitted their way of life http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed), I do thou, belive jesus was a great person and teacher. the modern day bible is collection of jewish and roman pagan religions, with alittle of jesus's teaching. to me, jesus was not a jew by religion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_Buddhism), and was not born of a virgin and resserected from death(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osiris_dionysus ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life-death-rebirth_deity).
also, I can not accept god is a "he" and "Father"... a supreme single god should not have a sex (the bible says god created man in his image, more like man created god in his image), or a favord race of people. I think paul made half of it up.

Answer 10

Wow. You better go and read a Bible.

Acts 9
Saul's Conversion
1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"
"Yes, Lord," he answered.

11The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."

13"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."

15But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" 22Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.[a]
23After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

26When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

Answer 11

The Bible says different in the Book of Acts. I'll take the New Testament over YouTube for my theology lessons any day, thanks.