Paul the Ambassador: Paul in Arabia

One of the more intriguing passages in Paul’s valuable autobiographical statements in Galatians is his explanation of his activities after receiving the revelation of Christ. He states that, after these visions, “I did not go to ask advice from any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles

Paul the Ambassador: What kind of Man was Paul of Tarsus?

Much can be said about a person based on their underlying character qualities. With Paul, we have access to a rather unfiltered version of him in that the evidence that remains is from his own hand (or, more realistically, the hands of his enslaved secretaries), and is written to people he knew. This means that

What is Paul’s Gospel?

If it is not abundantly clear, the announcement, or gospel, as it has come to be known is the most important thing for Paul, if not the only important thing. It is quite literally the key to understanding the entirety of Paul’s life and mission. He is singly devoted to this revelatory experience in a

Paul the Ambassador: What does Paul Mean by “Judaism” in Galatians 1?

The content of Gal 1 is the origin of Paul’s announcement (incorrectly translated ‘gospel’ in most translations). This is the proclamation of Jesus’ messianic candidacy and the remedy to the spiritual death of the Gentiles through the reception of his life-breath (pneuma, incorrectly translated as ‘spirit’ in most translations), which has the capacity to revive

Paul the Ambassador: Paul’s Response to the Antioch Incident

Paul responds sharply to the halakhic position of the agitators, Peter, and the men from Jacob for the sociological implications of their position vis-a-vis the religious identity of his followers. Here is my modified NRSVue rendering of Paul’s words. I have modified the Greek Christ for the Semitic Messiah. Following the suggestions of many scholars,

Paul the Ambassador: Galatians as a Halakhic Letter

Considering Galatians to be a halakhic letter is something that has been proposed before but might be somewhat surprising for the average reader. How could a letter so famously associated with the idea of “justification by faith alone” be considered a Jewish legal opinion? The problem is that “justification by faith alone” is an incorrect

Paul the Ambassador: The Halakhic Debate about Gentiles

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Follow me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter. Follow me on Youtube. After Paul’s message was rejected in Damascus, several scholars propose that this was what led to his turn to the Gentiles. This would place Paul’s mission to the Nations beginning around 36 CE,

Paul the Ambassador to the Synagogues

If you enjoy this post, consider like and sharing it on social media! Follow me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Follow me on Youtube Paul’s mission as the Messiah’s ambassador was a defined role that Jews understood as accompanying the Messiah, meaning he was not unique in any sense. This is not meant as a negative comment

Does Jesus Follow His Own Teaching? Mark and Q: Jesus and the Poor

We have two early accounts of Jesus that formed the later Gospels of Luke, Matthew, and John. Those two sources are the Q document and the Gospel of Mark. The first is a hypothetical document, but a theory that explains the double tradition between Matthew and Luke, but missing in Mark. Mark certainly knows Jesus