Can we settle once and for all what Paul did and did not do?

Question

Paul was a Jew, a Pharisee, who did his teaching and preaching in the synagogues wherever he went. He never taught rejection of his people, the Jews. Near the end of his recorded ministry, he stood in Rome and said, “"Brethren, though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans" (Acts 28:17).” The people whom he called “brethren” were Jews.

The gentiles, who were early converts or who took an interest in the teachings of Yeshua that were taught by the apostles, went to the synagogues to learn in the early days. “Trying to peddle the Gospel in the pagan marketplace would have been like trying to sell fresh fruit in a hardware store.” [Netivyah, “Paul and the Synagogue”]

If you’re interested in knowing what Paul really did and what he really did not do, I recommend two websites:

http://www.netivyah.org.il/English%20Web/MidrashaArticles/paul_synagogue.htm
http://www.netivyah.org.il

I often read at R&S that Paul started a new religion, with Christmas trees and Easter bunnies and that he perverted the word of Yeshua into this new religion, of which Paul was the head. Some say “Christianity” should be called “Paulism.”

Norris Penguin: LOL, good one. Maybe it was a bit of a rant and thanks for the break. :-)

sunestauromai, you are absolutely right. It was not taken over by gentiles. They only went there to listen and learn.

Hogie, LOL, you are a classic example of someone who does not read, but shoots from the hip. For just one thing, the word "marketplace" had an adjective, "pagan," the "pagan marketplace."

Sweetheeb, wait until closer to Christmas or Easter and you'll see it a lot. It's been around several times this week because of Halloween, which is still a month and a half off!

L'Chaim, Netivya is a Jerusalem-based organization. It is in no way connected to Jews for Jesus.

rukidding: mea culpa. I've been busy. I emailed you, since you've already checked back for an answer to your question. I apologize for being so tardy.

Answer 1

Paul did not only preach in synagogues. He also preached in prison and in fact a guard converted and let paul go because an earth quake and broken the prison open and paul did not leave (which would have gotten the guard executed).

However, paul did not start a new religion. He merely pointed out that which was true. He and the other apostles as chosen by Jesus.

Answer 2

1-No, you won't be able to settle this once and for all since people, especially here, will believe what they want to believe whether or not it is true.
2-All the apostles taught in the synagogues to Jews, obviously, since they all believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. They didn't leave the synagogues and go out on their own until they were kicked out by Jewish elders who blamed the "blasphemers" for the Romans coming down on them.
3-Initially, Saul was the leader of the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen.
4-Paul went to these gentile countries because the apostles, who worked mostly in what is now known as Israel, didn't trust that Paul had changed after the stoning of Stephen. Many thought he was a spy.
5-The apostles often disagreed with Paul and they way he evangelized, which added to the mistrust.

Now, I have some questions for you. If Paul preached only to Jews in those countries, why was he so adamant about them not having to be circumcised or adhering to the kosher laws of Judaism if they were Jews? Wouldn't they have already been circumcised and wouldn't they have already been familiar with and following the kosher laws? Why would it have been an issue then?

Gee, I even came back to see if you answered my question.

Answer 3

Controversy over Paul will not end until God brings this age to an end.

2 Timothy 3:1 But be certain of this, that in the last days times of trouble will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, uplifted in pride, given to bitter words, going against the authority of their fathers, never giving praise, having no religion, 3 Without natural love, bitter haters, saying evil of others, violent and uncontrolled, hating all good, 4 False to their friends, acting without thought, lifted up in mind, loving pleasure more than God; 5 Having a form of religion, but turning their backs on the power of it: go not with these. 6 For these are they who go secretly into houses, making prisoners of foolish women, weighted down with sin, turned from the way by their evil desires, 7 Ever learning, and never coming to the knowledge of what is true.

Even in the Apostle's time they knew that the false teachers were taking hold in the chruches:

2 Peter 3:14 For this reason, my loved ones, as you are looking for these things, take great care that when he comes you may be in peace before him, free from sin and every evil thing.
15 And be certain that the long waiting of the Lord is for salvation; even as our brother Paul has said in his letters to you, from the wisdom which was given to him; 16 And as he said in all his letters, which had to do with these things; in which are some hard sayings, so that, like the rest of the holy Writings, they are twisted by those who are uncertain and without knowledge, to the destruction of their souls.

Here we have the person who was supposedly fighting with and not trusted by the other Apostles having his writings equated with scripture.

People do not need your websites, my friend, they need to read, REALLY read, their Bibles. Old and New Testaments. Most of these folks don't even know that there are a huge percentage of quotes of "Old" Testament scriptures in the "New".

Better quit before I get accused of "ranting"....................

Answer 4

The early Gentile converts were attending synagogues when they heard Paul preach there. You are implying they continued to do so after converting to Christianity.

As far as peddling the gospel in the "marketplace" or rather, outside a synagogue:

Acts 17:17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.

So, you are in error on these two points, and I for one am not interested in your biased take on anything else.

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Answer 5

Many of the people who spread false claims about Paul's work in the early church are Muslim and have no interest in the TRUTH of scripture.

But...the synagogue WAS NOT the meeting place of the early Christians. The record establishes that the early Christians went to the synagogue TO TEACH JEWS ABOUT JESUS, not as their "worship." The church met in homes, not the synagogue.

Luke tells us in Acts 17:17 that Paul did indeed teach in the public square: "He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there."

Answer 6

You're exagerating, I think.
I've never seen anyone on here post about paul and bunnies.
Sorry if you don't want to hear it, but Paul DID, in fact, change much.
And distort more.
And yes, he went to the gentile communities when the Jews would tolerate him no more. This does not say he was a goy, it says he was rejected by the Jewish communities. Apparently that offends you. I'm sorry, but WHY?
You're the one with the 'faith based' religion.
In that case, why would you care what we know?

Answer 7

When Jesus chose his initial followers they came from the ranks of the "blue collar" Jews, working class people like Himself. Perhaps some had an ability to read and write the Hebrew Scriptures for the common practice was to foster this. However most were not trained in the traditions of Rabbinic Judaism as Scribes, Pharisees, or Saducees. These were the religious professionals of the time who had studied under great religious authorities and focused on a particular strand of teaching promoted in the various schools. The Saducees would have been the fundamentalist conservatives who mainly came from the priestly classes. Pharisees were those who were more "Middle Class" and had applied the teaching of the Prophets and the Writings to their interpretation of the Torah(First Five Books). They would have been more numerous, more popular, and more adaptable in their contemporary society. Jesus in fact seems to have been much more alligned with the Pharisees than with any other group in the rich matrix of 1st Century Judaism. Paul studied under Gamaliel a famous Rabbi of the Pharasees. He describes himself as exceeding his contemporaries and was a skilled authority of this vein. To have Paul in the ranks of the Christians was to provide a prestigious boost to the original followers. He was able to present the teaching of Jesus in a manner acceptable to the mainstream of Jewish thought as well as to the non-Jews who had associated themselves with the practices, morals, and understandings of Jews with whom they mixed. Paul was from Tarsus in a mixed community. Hence his transfer of allegiance to Jesus as the Christ allowed the new faith to speak to Jew and Gentile using the best means of religious authority. The other apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit and empowered to bring people to Jesus. Paul however was fitted to be the "Teacher of the World" adapting the message of the Gospel in accessible terms for Jews living in the Gentile world as well as for the non-Jews. Paul forced the Apostles to face the question whether Gentiles had to become Jews first to become Christians.(Acts 15). He was successful in bringing the original authorities to his position of acceptance into Christ without any observance of Jewish practice. Gentiles who had admired Judaism from outside but would not accept circumcision, kosher diet, or ceremonial worship could now join what was seen as the fulfillment of Hebrew Revelation. Christ was using Paul to build bridges rather than walls. The Hebrew Scriptures were seen as fulfilled in this manner and by the 2nd Century non-Jews dominated the membership of the Christian Church. While initially understood as a branch of Judaism and therefore under the protection of Roman Law the Christians eventually were seen as a new religion. Some evidence suggests that Jewish religious authorities in Nero's wife's circle made the distinction and thus surrendered the Christians to the legal persecutions of the Empire.
However even without the protection of Roman Law the new faith flourished . The blood of the martyrs was the seed of faith. Paul did not change the Gospel. Rather He showed its full range of possibility and brought those "far off" into the embrace of God. The religious authorities especially the Saducees took offense at Paul's ministry and opposed him even violently. When the Jewish Revolt against Rome 66-70 C.E. occured theJewish Christians left Jerusalem for Pella across the Jordan and formalized the split with the Old Faith. Jewish teachers who gathered in Jamnia after the collapse of Jewish resistance to Rome wrote a series of curses into the statement of their faith to highlight the differences between Jew and Chrstian. Thus the rancor continued well after the First Century and embittered Jew and Christian against one another. Paul reflects in Romans 9-11 over his anguish at the split with his people. While the majority of Jews did not accept Jesus as Messiah even in those days there was never any reason to allow one side to persecute the other.

Answer 8

Well. That's one way of reading the history.

Bottom line though, the Christianity he left us with is very far in substance and spirit from Judaism. Whatever his intention may have been, or his way of going about it, the results aren't anything you can call Judaism.

Please don't.

Answer 9

Nice website -- selling Jews-for-Jesus paraphernalia... For those of you who don't know, Jews-for-Jesus is another one of those door-to-door peddlers of Christianity groups! They are NOT Jews.

Sorry, Paul wasn't a Jew and Jesus was a Pharisee. If you will learn just a little bit about Judaism that will become obvious to you. It is explained in more detail in "The Mythmaker, Paul and the Invention of Christianity" by Hyam Maccoby
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Answer 10

This borders on ranting...

But I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and simply ask you,

Would you like to convert to Paulism with me?