Some critics argue that Paul was a pagan
thinker whose views were molded and shaped by Greek philosophies and mystery
religions. They say that Paul, not Jesus, created the Christian religion as we
know it. According to them, Paul believed in a mystical, heavenly Christ rather
than an earthly, historical Jesus.
Some skeptics say that Paul says nothing at all
about the historical Jesus. Others say that Paul did not believe that Jesus was
ever a human being.
In this article, we will see that these claims
are absurd. The Bible itself is the best defense against such nonsense. What
did Paul have to say about Jesus?
Paul and the
Historical Jesus
While it is true that Paul emphasized the
spiritual aspects of Christ in his letters, it is also true that Paul
recognized Jesus’ humanity. To Paul, Jesus was more than a mystical,
mythological, heavenly person. He was a flesh-and-blood human being.
Here are some examples of Paul’s statements
about Jesus:
God, “promised beforehand through his prophets
in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature, was a
descendent of David” (Romans 1:2-3). Paul claimed that Jesus was a human
descendant of David.
Paul says that Abraham’s seed was “one person,
who is the Christ” (Galatians 3:16). According to Paul, Jesus was a fleshly
descendent of Abraham.
“But when the time had fully come, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). Paul said that Jesus
was a human being, born of a woman.
In Ephesians 2:14-16, Paul said that Jesus
united Jews and Gentiles by “abolishing in his flesh the law with its
commandments and regulations”. Paul said that Jesus’ body was made of flesh.
To the Colossians, Paul wrote, “Once you were
alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil
behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death
to present you holy in his sight” (Colossians 1:21-22).
Without a doubt, Paul believed that Jesus was a
real human being. He said that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night
of his betrayal (1 Corinthians 11:23-29). The last supper and the betrayal by
Judas are historical events.
Paul also said that Jesus made the good
confession “while testifying before Pontius Pilate” (1 Timothy 6:13). Jesus’
trial before Pilate is an historical event.
In summary, Paul wrote that the historical
Jesus was born of a woman and was a descendent of Abraham and David. The historical
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, was betrayed by Judas, and testified before
Pilate. His fleshly, physical body died on the cross.
To say that “Paul says nothing at all about the
historical Jesus” reflects either ignorance of the scriptures or deliberate
deception.
Paul and Apostolic
Tradition
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul made three
claims: (1) He had received the gospel “by revelation from Jesus Christ”
(Galatians 1:12). (2) God had set him apart from birth, called him, and revealed
his Son to him so that he might preach Christ among the Gentiles (Galatians
1:16). (3) After spending three years in Arabia and Damascus, he had returned
to Jerusalem “to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days”
(Galatians 1:18).
One can only imagine the conversations Peter
and Paul had during those fifteen days. No doubt, Paul told Peter about his
encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus, his baptism, his commission, his
time with God in Arabia, and his preaching experiences in Damascus. And Peter
must have told Paul about Pentecost, the growth of the church in Jerusalem, the
apostles’ teachings, and hymns that were sung in church assemblies.
Paul began writing his letters in the early
50's, perhaps a decade before the gospels were penned. In some of his letters,
Paul incorporated hymns and confessions of faith that were used in the church.
These songs and confessions can be detected by
their poetic style. Some of the most important teachings of the early church
were contained in hymns preserved only in Paul’s letters. Examples are found in
Ephesians 5:14; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-20; and 1 Timothy 3:16. The
hymn in Philippians affirms that Jesus Christ was “in very nature God”. The
hymn in Colossians portrays Christ as “the image of the invisible God” and
declares that God reconciles all things to himself by “making peace through his
blood, shed on the cross”.
These hymns are not myths that developed late
in the first century. They were sung by the earliest Christians. The first
Christians regarded Jesus as a divine being worthy of worship.
Jesus in 1 Corinthians
15:3-8
The most significant confession of faith cited
by Paul is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. Here Paul uses a technical term that
indicates he is passing along an oral tradition that had come to him in fixed
form.
Paul writes, “For what I received (in fixed
form), I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the
third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter [Cephas],
and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of
the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have
fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of
all, he appeared to me also”.
The first part of the confession of faith
(verses 3-5) is written in a poetic style that was easy to memorize. The
original text refers to Peter as “Cephas” (Peter’s Aramaic name) and uses
several primitive phrases such as “the Twelve”, “he was raised”, and “the third
day”. These phrases indicate a very early date.
When and where did Paul receive this statement
of faith? And from whom? Assuming that Jesus was crucified around A.D. 30, he
appeared to Paul (Saul of Tarsus) about A.D. 32. Three days later, Paul was
baptized in Damascus by Ananias and was introduced to the church (Acts
9:19-20). He could have learned the confession of faith in Damascus. About A.D.
35, Paul spent time with Peter and James in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18-24).
Somewhere along the way, he heard about this confession of faith that was being
used in the early church. It is likely that Paul received it within three to
five years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
As we examine the evidence, it becomes clear
that there was a man named Jesus who lived, died, was buried, and rose again on
the third day. Parts of the New Testament can be traced to a very early date
leaving insufficient time for myth to develop.
Paul and Pagan
Idolatry
Modern critics claim that Paul was basically a
Greek thinker, schooled in Greek philosophy and mystery religions in Tarsus.
It is true that Paul was highly-cultured and
well-educated. He could quote pagan poets and hold his own in discussions with
Greek philosophers. However, he did not accept Greek religious practices. In
Athens, he was deeply distressed by the idolatry he saw (Acts 17:16). He
disputed with the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in the market place and on
Mars Hill.
Rather than preaching Greek theology, Paul
proclaimed that the God who created heaven and earth“does not live in temples
built by hands. And he is not served by human hands as if he needed anything”
(Acts 17:24-29).
Then, without apology, Paul called on the
philosophers to repent. He warned them that God had appointed Jesus to judge
the world. God had proved this by raising Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).
Even though Paul quoted the Cretan poet
Epimenides and the Cilician poet Aratus, he expressed disdain for pagan
idolatry. He drew on the Old Testament creation story (Genesis 1:1-25) to make
his point. Instead of affirming Greek culture, Paul condemned it.
Paul and the Old
Testament
Paul’s letters reveal a theology rooted in the
Old Testament, not in Greek philosophy and religion. In one of his speeches,
Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city
[Jerusalem]. Under Gamaliel, I was thoroughly trained in the law of our
fathers” (Acts 22:3). Paul had studied the Old Testament.
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul revealed
that he had been circumcised on the eighth day and that he was a member “of the
tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee”
(Philippians 3:5). Paul’s world view did not come from Greece. It came from the
Old Testament.
Paul and Monotheism
Now, let us see how Jesus fits into Paul’s
theology.
1. Paul believed in one God. He said, “We know
that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed
there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords,’) yet for us, there is but one God, the
Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:4-6a).
Twice, Paul echoes the monotheism of the shemma (Deuteronomy 6:4). The idea
that Paul was a pagan thinker is folly.
Then, in the next breath, Paul said, “there is
but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we
live” (1 Corinthians 8:6b). Paul saw no contradiction between the lordship of
Christ and the oneness of God.
2. In Philippians 2:6-8, Paul speaks of Jesus,
“who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God a thing to
be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he
humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross!” In other
words, Jesus gave up his divine prerogatives and became a human being. As a
man, he humbled himself and willingly sacrificed his life that we might live.
There were numerous gods in Greek mythology.
These “gods” sometimes killed human beings, but not one of them ever laid down
his life for humans. Not a single one died so that humans could live forever.
Jesus was not a mythical god.
Finally, Paul said, “Therefore God exalted him
to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.
(Philippians 2:9-11).
These words in Paul’s letter to the Philippians
were borrowed from Isaiah 45:22-23 where Isaiah affirms monotheism. God says,
“for I am God, and there is no other”. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul
identifies Jesus with the one true God.
Then, Paul identifies Jesus with the suffering
Servant in Isaiah 52:13-15; 53:1-12 who was pierced for our transgressions, who
took our punishment, who bore our sins, and who now makes intercession for
transgressors.
3. The third and final reason for believing
that Paul’s view of Jesus was rooted in the Old Testament ( and not in Greek
philosophy ) is seen in Second Corinthians 4:6. Paul writes, “For God, who
said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to
give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ”.
Here, Paul refers back to Genesis 1:3 where God created light. As God’s glory
was seen in the light he created in the beginning, so now, we see the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Summary
Again and again, Paul draws his understanding
of Jesus from the Old Testament and from the Spirit of God, not from Greek
religion. To Paul, Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament promises, and
Christianity is a continuation of God’s plan of salvation revealed in the
Hebrew scriptures.
Inspired by the Spirit, Paul sees no
contradiction between the divinity of Jesus and the Old Testament doctrine of
monotheism.
