Paul of Tarsus, the author of
most of the New Testament, claimed to be an apostle equal to the twelve
apostles, the men authorised by Jesus to give his teaching to the world with
his authority, and gave no evidence
whatsoever for this authority. He says
nothing more than that the apostles gave him their blessing to preach the
gospel which need not imply approval of his apostolic claims. Not everybody
agreed that Paul really was an apostle (1 Corinthians 9:2,3). To these he
replied that his success as a missionary was the proof that he really was an
apostle in the eyes of God. Anybody could use evidence like that and Paul was
obviously up against a brick wall. He was using weak arguments to defend
himself as liars always do. Marcion of
Sinope and his huge band of followers insisted in the second century that Paul was a schismatic and the only true apostle
and they followed him alone. They formed
a rival Church to the Church that pretended allegiance to the twelve apostles.
At times, Paul talks as if he alone understood or had got the correct message of Jesus. In Romans 16 he glorifies God for giving the Romans the strength to live the good news "I preach" and "I which I make proclamation of Jesus Christ" which is "a mystery hidden for countless ages but now its clear and must be presented to Gentiles and pagans everywhere to bring them to obedient faith". He was certainly not the only one who was preaching to the Romans. He says I in the sense that he considers himself to be the only source the Church must go to to get Christ's authorised teaching. It is possible he considered the apostles to be apostles only of the resurrection but himself the apostle of correct doctrine not just the resurrection.
Paul said that his being the apostle and revealer of the mystery to the Gentiles is only what the Jewish scriptures written by God have predicted and it is the way God wants it to be and he alone is wisdom. He feels embarrassed at the role he takes to himself and so he has to use the Jewish Bible to take the sting away. Even that is not enough and he has to say that God knows what he is doing no matter how it looks for God is wise.
There is a very serious problem with Paul’s credentials as an apostle.
Only the person we know as Luke calls Paul an apostle and does it only twice
(Acts 14). Acts also calls Barnabas who was not one of the twelve an apostle so
Luke may not be making Paul equal to the twelve. But Paul in his letters says
he is equal but not once does he or anybody write that he was accepted as such
by the twelve and at most the Bible says he was tolerated. This man is the real
foundation of Christianity and there is no evidence from man or God that he was
really who he claimed to be. His work testifies to the awesome credulity of the
early members of the Christian Church. They were easily lied to. It is the
greatest of blasphemies to exalt this man as an apostle of God and a writer of
infallible scripture. It is putting a man’s word before the divine word without
clear authorisation. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul defends his role as an apostle by
saying that he has the right to eat and drink, marry and enjoy the fruits of
his work and bases this on the Law. In other words, he is an apostle because
God has blessed his work with material happiness. But that is clearly not
enough. Paul could do no better. He could not depend on the testimony of the
other apostles either because there was none that would do or because a
testimony coming from liars like them would be worthless. On the way to
Galatians 2 indicates that Paul and the apostles did not see eye to
eye. It took him fourteen years before
he could be bothered to even meet them to request their approval. This shows plainly that he was a
schismatic. He would not even meet them
publicly in case his visit would be in vain.
He said that Titus who was with him was not compelled to get circumcised
meaning that it was expected the apostles would order him to undergo it. Paul knew what the apostles wanted and did
not give it to them or care enough to have Titus circumcised. He ignored their sensibilities about Titus
not being circumcised.
The apostles even dallied with false brethren during that meeting who
wanted submission to the Law to be carried out rigidly. Interesting that the apostles were so chummy
with them. It shows they had much the
same religious inclination. And then
quite nastily Paul referred to the chief apostles as those who seemed (dokeo)
to be the leaders and added that what they were made no difference to him
because God has no favourites. The
Church explains that this just says that they were leaders but equal to
everybody in the eyes of God. What it
says is not that but that the chief apostles had no right to function as
leaders. Why else would Paul say such a
thing? He agrees with leaders, both
spiritual and political, in many other places so why would he feel compelled to
say that God has no favourites just here?
Paul declared that they had nothing important to say which was quite nasty. Then he said they saw that himself and Barnabas were in touch with God like they were and they gave them the hand of fellowship. So they only got some acceptance fourteen years. Paul then named the three apostles who were reputed as leaders as Cephas, James and John and said again that they seemed to be pillars. Paul does not tell us what convinced them that he had real authority from God to preach. Was it his glib tongue that convinced them? His motive in telling the Galatians all this was to give himself an air of authority. So why did he mess it up by not saying how he talked the apostles into accepting him as a preacher but not as an apostle for that was not mentioned? There is no evidence that the apostles used their alleged infallibility to accept Paul. Paul even swore at one point that his tale was true (though Jesus banned oaths!). This shows that many were denying that his story was true. That is a strong indication that it was indeed false for there was nothing that anybody would want to deny in what he said unless it really was not true.
Paul might have got the hand of fellowship. Did he really or was it just his take? Did he get the hand of full fellowship? The apostles might not have approved of Paul
so very much but decided to let him minister among the Gentiles and bless
that. Though Jews in first century
And did all the apostles approve of the proceedings? James and Cephas and John can’t speak for everybody.
2 Corinthians chapter 13 is where Paul quotes with approval the Old Testament Law of God that in the mouths of two or three witnesses all things must be established. He threatens then to discipline wrongdoers when he comes. Why did he quote the law? Was it because of the wrongdoers and to let the people know that its God's will that they refuse to let them get away with it? No he was not asking for two or three witnesses for everything the recalcitrant did. That would be absurd. He said then that the people in Corinth wanted evidence that Jesus was really speaking through Paul. This was what the quoting of the law was about. He was applying it to himself. He was saying that he had nothing to fear from the law in terms of his own claims - the main one which was that he saw the risen Jesus and thus had authority over the believers. Then he explained that the proof was how God and Jesus were working in the people. So they were his two witnesses. God and Jesus working in Paul's converts was supposed to prove that Paul was authentic - God was one witness and Jesus the other. The people weren't denying that they felt God and Jesus were working in them. They were denying Paul's claim to have the right to govern them in the name of God and Jesus. That he couldn't mention any affidavits from the apostles in Jerusalem or any testimony from them is significant. It proves that they were saying, "We feel that Jesus rose therefore he did." They could not appeal to evidence. The lack of evidence shows that he was understandably regarded with suspicion by them if not outright opposition. He was using a very subjective proof, "I feel that God and Jesus are working in me and therefore Paul speaks with Jesus' authority and Jesus speaks through him." Such proofs are dangerous and lead only to chaos for any religious teacher could use similar logic. Its no incentive for implementing effectual discipline.
There is no evidence that Paul was a true apostle. He gave fake evidence that he was an apostle. He was a liar. Even if the apostles themselves accepted him, his lies would have marked him out as an impostor.
16 January 2008