By Michael Runyan ~
It can be said that Jesus, assuming he actually existed, was the engineer of the Christian religion and that Paul was the architect. As we know, in the design of any structure, engineers must work together with the architects to ensure a sound, functional, and aesthetic finished product. But it didn’t happen in this case.
Jesus was already dead by the time that Paul had his alleged vision, so a direct collaboration was not possible between the two men. But Paul had the ability to interview Jesus’ disciples and learn the essence of Jesus’ teachings. It is evident that he didn’t do this or even consider it to be necessary. He acted as if he knew more about Jesus than the disciples, a clearly implausible claim.
If Paul had been a legitimate ambassador for the Christian faith, he would have joined up with the disciples immediately after his flash encounter and learned what Jesus did and what he said. In his letters we should read things like this:
If someone today was writing about Ronald Reagan but never bothered to interview anybody who knew him, how much credence would you give his work? This is the situation with Paul. We can confidently dismiss his writings as that of a disjointed, egotistical fanatic who misinterpreted his dreams and visions as an authentic facsimile of reality. Considering that his were the original writings of the New Testament and that much of the gospels were influenced by them, the truth of Christianity stands on very fragile ground.
It can be said that Jesus, assuming he actually existed, was the engineer of the Christian religion and that Paul was the architect. As we know, in the design of any structure, engineers must work together with the architects to ensure a sound, functional, and aesthetic finished product. But it didn’t happen in this case.
Jesus was already dead by the time that Paul had his alleged vision, so a direct collaboration was not possible between the two men. But Paul had the ability to interview Jesus’ disciples and learn the essence of Jesus’ teachings. It is evident that he didn’t do this or even consider it to be necessary. He acted as if he knew more about Jesus than the disciples, a clearly implausible claim.If Paul had been a legitimate ambassador for the Christian faith, he would have joined up with the disciples immediately after his flash encounter and learned what Jesus did and what he said. In his letters we should read things like this:
‘My fellow warriors in Christ, remember how Jesus taught us the parable of the talents and how each of us must take what God has given us and use it for the common good. Do not hide your abilities, but let them shine for the glory of the Lord.’
‘As Jesus brought forth Lazarus from the tomb, he also brought forth himself from his own tomb. My friends, what more do we need to have faith in our own resurrection at the end of times?’
‘I heard that Thaddaeus was chastised by you for gathering logs on the Sabbath. Remember not that Jesus said the Sabbath was made for Man, not Man for the Sabbath? Allow for grace and understanding to guide your actions.’
If someone today was writing about Ronald Reagan but never bothered to interview anybody who knew him, how much credence would you give his work? This is the situation with Paul. We can confidently dismiss his writings as that of a disjointed, egotistical fanatic who misinterpreted his dreams and visions as an authentic facsimile of reality. Considering that his were the original writings of the New Testament and that much of the gospels were influenced by them, the truth of Christianity stands on very fragile ground.
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