Was the Paul of the New Testament one of the World's Greatest Con Men?

Question

According to Thomas Jefferson - "Christianity...(has become)
the most perverted system that ever shone on man...Rogueries, absurdities and untruths were perpetrated upon the teachings of Jesus by a large band of dupes and importers led by Paul, the first greatest corrupter of the teaching of Jesus."

"There is strong reason to believe that St. Paul fabricated the belief system of Christianity from Zorastrian mythology in order to hide Paul's plagiarism." George Sarton - History of Sciences

While Paul never met Jesus, he was able to convince some gullible followers that he had seen Jesus in a vision.

Answer 1

Thomas Jefferson was a wise man. He was accused of being an atheist, and he wrote to his nephew that after a critical study of the Bible, "...one might conclude that there is no God", so the charge was true. Jefferson wrote his own Bible with the nonsense removed from it. Judaism borrowed much from Zoroastrianism during the Persian Captivity, including the Satan (Adversary) who is a copy of Ahriman. Before this, Yahweh (God in English) was responsible for both good and evil, except a serpent tempted Eve, and it is clearly not the Devil. I think Jefferson was correct about Paul, but I am sure many Christians will disagree and give silly reasons for doing so.

Answer 2

I'm always curious. How exactly do folks KNOW "what Jesus REALLY taught" that Paul supposedly distorted? It seems mostly to be based on what people WANT Jesus to have taught, not on any historical evidence. What's the SOURCE for all this??

Then there are the theories about Paul and others borrowing from Mithtraism, Zoroastrianism, etc. Superficially, that may appear to have something to it, though esp. for Mithraism this notion is frequently based on misunderstandings of what that religion taught, and overlooks the strong possibility that borrowing went the OTHER way.

More important than that, if you look more closely you find that the CENTRAL teachings of Paul, and other early Christians, have solid roots in Jewish belief and none in these other religions. In particular, the notion of sin, fall and redemption is very different... and the hope of the resurrection of the BODY (not some freedom of the spirit, as many others in the east taught) is distinctively Jewish and Christian. Perhaps most important of all is the Paul taught a faith open to ALL... NOT one for just a 'spiritual elite', as the Gnostics and Mithraists taught.

Answer 3

Paul, more so than any other person, even Jesus himself, is responsible for Christianity in its modern form. Though Peter was the first pope, the two often disagreed with each other, though Paul proved to be the superior rhetorician.

What Paul did was take the underlying philosophical frame work established by Jesus and apply the assimilating properties that have come to define Christianity. It's ability to adapt to local customs and the fanaticism of its conversion properties (Converting someone is seen as a great good in Christian religiosity, especially when compared to its isolationist parent religion; Judaism) are its greatest offensive abilities, and both characteristics were pioneered by Paul.

A corrupter? of course, the argument can be made (as it was by Friedrich Nietzsche, an atheist who was none the less a great admirer of Jesus as an individual) that the only "True Christian" died on the cross. So Paul is as much a corrupter as the Gnostics, the Arians, the Catholic Church, and modern American Evangelicals. That is to say, there is enough support canonically for there to be a cohesive structure of faith (all Christians, for example, believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three manifestations of one being), but there is enough space left for variation to adapt and appeal to local customs.

For example; the emphasis on Mary's virginity was probably concocted to appeal to Romans, whose pagan religious values stressed the purity of virginity in women through worship of deities such as Vesta.

In closing, I would agree with you that Paul was a great corrupter of Jesus's teachings. However, I would also argue that ALL people are corrupters of Jesus's teachings, but that very malleability is also the source of Christianity's greatest strength as a religion.

Answer 4

His teaching AGREED with that of Jesus! It is often IGNORED, but Jesus PREDICTED the END of the law. Jesus said he didn’t come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. (Matt 5:17) The effect was the same. Once fulfilled it was no longer in effect. The very next verse, Matthew 5:18, LOOKS FORWARD to the time when the law WOULD BE SET ASIDE. "...Not even the smallest stroke of a pen will disappear from the Law UNTIL EVERYTHING IS COMPLETED." This “UNTIL” clause REINFORCES THE TEMPORARY NATURE OF THE LAW. It ONLY makes sense when we understand that it was intended FROM THE BEGINNING to be SET ASIDE. On the cross, Jesus' last recorded saying, "It is finished," (John 19:30) is an important milestone. Because of Jesus life, Satan had been defeated. The law was finished and would no longer stand between God and mankind. So, we see that Jesus did, in fact, predict the end of the law. With his resurrection, the stage was set for this change to take place, and then, when the kingdom came with power (Mark 9:1 and Acts 2) it did end, ushering in a new age. Paul comes on the scene a few years later and miraculously meets the risen Jesus and becomes one of his greatest servants. His writing tells Christians HOW they are freed from the law: Ephesians 2:15 Through his body on the cross, Christ put an END to the LAW WITH ALL ITS COMMANDS AND RULES. He wanted to create one new group of people out of the two. He wanted to make peace between them. Colossians 2:14 He wiped out the written Law with its rules. The Law was against us. It opposed us. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. Galatians 2:16 ...No one can be made right with God by obeying the law. Galatians 2:21 ...What if a person could become right with God by obeying the law? Then Christ died for nothing! Romans 3:20 So it can’t be said that anyone will be made right with God by obeying the law. Not at all! The law makes us more aware of our sin. 21 But now God has shown us how to become right with him. The Law and the Prophets give witness to this. It has nothing to do with obeying the law. Galatians 5:4 Some of you are trying to be made right with God by obeying the law. You have been separated from Christ. You have fallen away from God’s grace... The ONLY verse that talks about falling from grace, and they did it by trying to follow the law! The 10 commandments along with the rest of the law ("commands and rules" from Ephesians 2:15) were "set aside" when they were fulfilled or completed at Jesus' resurrection. We are no longer bound by that law. BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE WORTHLESS OR MEANINGLESS ! Romans 15:4 Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us strength to go on. They cheer us up and give us hope.

Answer 5

Paul was an enemy of Christians He persecuted them. The vision of Christ you refer to was more than a vision. It was an actual visitation of Christ. This profoundly change Paul. Who went on fearlessly unafraid of death. It was a life changing event. No one changes that much due to a lie. Think of it above any near death experience you have ever read or Angel story you have ever seen. Profound. Evita

Answer 6

The writings attributed to Paul are full of wicked misogyny and have been responsible for many people's sufferings

Answer 7

A total fantasist.

Answer 8

Everything is either getting better and better or it is getting worse and worse. What is better for you can be worse for others and vice versa. All is well.

Answer 9

you are nuts