WHAT ABOUT SAINT PAUL?

     For all of my criticisms of Paul of Tarsus I must in the end admit that he was a, if not the, key pivot point in the origin of the Christian Religion. On the one hand, I think he invented the whole “sacrificial atonement” business and manipulated several other unfortunate twists and turns in Christian theology. Worst of all, he completely ignored the life and teachings of Jesus himself, focusing exclusively on his death and resurrection. On the other hand, however, Paul opened the way for gentiles to join with Jews in creating the Christian faith. This was a very surprising and wonderful turn of events. Moreover, he also saw to it that women believers received their rightful place in the newly formed Christian Church.

     For me, perhaps the most astounding and impressive accomplishment of Paul’s career was the way he undertook to spread the Christian message nearly all over the then known Western world. He made three missionary journeys throughout the Mediterranean world by foot (and donkey?) introducing Jews and gentiles alike to his message about the Christ (not really Jesus). Not only were these journeys long and difficult, but several times his life was beaten, seriously threatened with death, and he was imprisoned. Finally, he made a courageous trip, including a shipwreck, to Rome in order to put his case against the Jews on trial before the Emperor.

            No one knows what happened to him after he reached Rome. He was still in prison there when the Book of Acts concludes without a clue about what would eventually happen to him. One tradition has it that he was eventually put to death (Crucified?) by the Roman officials, but there is no convincing evidence to this effect. Along the way of his journeys Paul established numerous young churches throughout what is now Turkey and Greece. He also kept in touch with the “Mother Church” in Jerusalem and raised money for some of the other churches. All of this because he believed, and lived, the claim that God had intervened in our world’s affairs in the person of Jesus, especially at his death, and would soon come to set the whole world straight. He preached and taught that jesus would soon return to earth and set up his Kingdom.

            When one considers the limitations of his days as regards distances and conditions, it is simply amazing that Paul accomplished and survived all these things. The sheer physical strength needed to walk all those miles and deal with all that hostility staggers my imagination. He was, in fact, perhaps the sole reason the world has ever heard of Jesus of Nazareth. Even though one can well imagine that he was rather a cantankerous, bossy character, the fact remains that Paul was the primary reason the Christian religion has existed and grown down through the ages and still exists today. As much as I reject much of his theology, I stand in awe of his intellect, strength and courage. He really had nothing to gain from all his sacrifice, and he died in ignominy.

            You may have noticed that I have as yet said nothing about Paul’s many writings. While he was travelling all over the New Testament region, he was also writing letters to the folks at the churches he had started. About a dozen of the books, or letters, of the New Testament seem to have been clearly written by Paul. A couple of these, Romans and Galatians, contain some very deep thought and insights. Indeed, they are the very foundation of much of Christian theology. We need totake time and imagine what sort of education and perseverance must have gone into writing these letters to his newly founded churches. Very few people in his day knew how to write at all, let alone to write deeply and clearly about such theological issues as did Paul. Although it is clear that none of his original writings have survived, it is also clear that his was an enormous intellect.

            One can imagine Paul hunched over a table before a candlelight scribbling away in an effort to make his understanding of the Christian Faith clear and forceful. Then these letters had to be delivered somehow to folks in other parts of the then Western world. So, in spite of my misgivings about Paul’s theology, my hat is off to him for his intellect, courage, and some of his theological insights. I still think that he nearly completely misunderstood the nature of Jesus’ death and teachings (which he never mentions, because he never heard him teach and none of the Gospels were yet written in his day). Nonetheless, Paul did manage to compose an understanding of Jesus’ message that brought together Jewish and Gentile believers.