...(Paul the Apostle)? It seems to me that ol' St. Paul wrote the bulk of the Christian theology and teachings used today, as well as a very good deal of the new testament. So who is the more important figure in the creation of the early church, Paul or Jesus?
(note: I refer to the HISTORICAL Jesus present in HISTORY, not the Godly Jesus referred to in the gospels and the like. I mean the actual (Jewish) Nazarethan preacher that walked the earth some 2,000 years ago)
2007-07-09 15:57:54 · 15 answers · asked by Moodrets 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Jesus, of course, got the whole movement going, but I think it's clear whether you believe what the gospels say about Jesus or not that it was the apostles, including Paul, who established the church.
Of course if you make the distinction you do between the historical Jesus and the Jesus of the gospels, then you must be assuming the theology entailed in the gospels is not really from the historical Jesus. In that case, of course Paul has more to do with Christian theology than Jesus. But if that's the case, why even ask the question since the answer to your question is entailed in your assumption?
If your assumption is wrong, then Paul did not invent Christian theology. Rather, it came from the teachings and actions of Jesus.
One might argue than even if it didn't come from Jesus, it's still more primitive than Paul. While Paul may have written more than the others, he didn't invent a wholly different theology than the others. In his letters, Paul dealt very harshly with his critics, but he never counted the apostles in Jerusalem among them. Instead, he depends on them for his legitimacy, and considers them pillars. It stands to reason that Paul got some or most of his theology from those apostles. Both the oral tradition he recites in 1 Cor 11:23ff and 1 Cor 15:1ff, Paul received. He didn't invent them. They contain the crux of Christianity as we know it now.
2007-07-09 16:08:20 · answer #1 · answered by Jonathan 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Paul only added details to what Jesus was teaching. Evidently it didn't take long for some of those who followed Jesus to start adding THEIR own ideas to Jesus' teachings (which is why we have a trinity doctrine and hellfire and immortal souls being taught), so God inspired Paul to continue in Jesus' teachings with things a little more "spelled out" for people. How many times did Jesus tell his disciples an illustration and then they had to ask him what it meant, to which Jesus would reply with something like, "Do you still not get the sense of it?" Paul got the sense of it and, under inspiration, expounded on it!
2007-07-09 16:09:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Answering you question directly. Everything in the NT and OT may be attributed to God and only God.
Having said this, it is interesting to note that God used the highly educated, highly intelligent Paul to teach us most things.
Paul is the one teaching us
that Christ is the Last Adam,
that death came through Adam to all,
that the law covenant and its works are null and useless,
that the new law is the law of faith and that it too requires works,
etc.
Thus Paul more than Jesus was used to explain the Christian faith, its commands, and its limitations to Christians.
Still, we have to remember that Paul did this as a Born Again Christian, anointed with the Holy Spirit - specifically, the Helper, which he received from Christ himself. So, knowing that we could say that the heavenly Christ talked through Paul.
2007-07-09 16:09:02 · answer #3 · answered by Fuzzy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that if it wasn't for Jesus, we would have never heard of Paul or anyone else for that matter.
Remember also that Jesus was the one who knocked Paul down on the road to Damascus and converted Paul.
What Paul had was an advantage as the the nature of what Jesus did. Though all the Apostles had their issues, Paul was closest to understanding what Jesus taught.
2007-07-09 16:05:13 · answer #4 · answered by Christian Sinner 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeshua ben Yosef is just the Hebrew/Aramaic name of Jesus, son of Joseph. Its a Hebrew name. In Scottish Gaelic Jesus's name is Iosa Mac Eòsaph
2016-05-22 01:16:47 · answer #5 · answered by mari 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, Paul definitely laid down most of the theology for Christianity. But you wouldn't have Paul's theology without Jesus, soooo, it's kind of a faulty premise for a question.
2007-07-09 16:03:30 · answer #6 · answered by keri gee 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In the gospels Jesus is revealed and in the epistles He is explained. Paul did most of the writing but Peter, John, and Jude all had their turns at it.
2007-07-09 16:05:29 · answer #7 · answered by Martin S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well if you're ttaking a Historical view, then it would be still Jesus..... His being godly has nothing to do with his teachings, even if he wasn't godly he died without putting up a fist and without him there would be no influence for Paul to put together the works that he did, and his works were based on Jesus' acts....
2007-07-09 16:05:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Neither, All scripture is inspired of God.
2 Timothy 3:
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2007-07-09 16:03:10 · answer #9 · answered by Michael B 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
To know the Messiah, you must know all of Scripture which leads up to it. To have it explained to you after the Messiah comes, you need further Scripture explaining what the fufillment/occurance meant.
The Messiah didn't write anything.
2007-07-09 16:16:16 · answer #10 · answered by Thomas Paine 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋