Do We Have Paul’s Original Letter to the Philippians? What do you think about Paul saying that Jesus appeared to the “twelve” (Apostles) after his resurrection? He’s trying to unify disparate groups within the new cult. All comments will be moderated by the post author before release. Moses stared in amazement. The basic question: does Paul know that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus and afterward committed suicide? It would be very hard to argue or dispute that many credible witnesses. What do either of you make of Josephus’ shipwreck in comparison with Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27? [5], The Greeks, by contrast, had long held that a meritorious man could be resurrected as a god after his death (the process of apotheosis). But how can that be? Dr Ehrman, You’ve taught us that Mark did not write the Gospel of Mark and Matthew did not write the Gospel of Matthew. . According to both sources, Paul was not a follower of Jesus and did not know him before his crucifixion. What I meant was I’ve read that in antiquity, men would sometimes refer to their cousins as brothers even though it wasn’t literally so. "[46], According to De Conick, the experiences of the risen Christ in the earliest written sources – the "primitive Church" creed of 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:8 and Galatians 1:16 – are ecstatic rapture events. 36 At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. Suddenly, when we read Paul’s letters with this in mind, the weirdness of Paul’s refusal to write about the life and times of the gospel Jesus of Nazareth disappears. I received by revelation from Jesus Christ") and from God ("God ... was pleased to reveal His son in me"). None. Paul is arrested for 'causing a disturbance.' Here Mark copies the terminology directly from Paul and incorporates it into his story. Judas, and Jesus of Nazareth are literary fabrications based, in part, on Paul’s letters. He called himself an apostle. [9], According to Hurtado, the resurrection experiences were religious experiences which "seem to have included visions of (and/or ascents to) God's heaven, in which the glorified Christ was seen in an exalted position. “Do quickly what you must do.’ If we don’t believe Jesus really was a supernatural being, with divine foresight–doesn’t this indicate a plot known only to the two of them? Would you mind sharing what this profound betrayal was? Thank you, Steefen. In the final version, Judas begs Jesus for forgiveness as they’re both taken away and Jesus does forgive him. At least that is the way it seems to me so I can understand all these different “views.”. When Jesus signaled Judas at the last supper to go and do quickly, Judas in his deluded and self absorbed mind may have thought he was actually doing the right thing in setting up the betrayal. Hmmm, I detect the outlines of an interesting historical mystery novel here. The power dynamics of that time and place suggest that while it was certainly possible for the Jewish authorities to arrest and convict someone, it was the Romans who had the power to mete out punishments, especially executions. You can see how I try to work it out in my book The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot (where I try to explain what really happened), Click Here for all Posts in a List Format. Since Matthias was then an apostle at the time of Paul's writing, Paul could rightly say that Jesus appeared to the twelve. In 1Cor15 there is no clear indication that having an appearance means you automatically were an apostle. Jesus had been preaching in the Temple, the hierarchy would have known all about him and Temple guards or Roman soldiers didn’t need Judas to point him out. I’ve got my Jameses mixed up. Also, if the tradition of Matthias being chosen to replace Judas is historically true, then Matthias was one of the Twelve by the time Paul wrote about Jesus appearing to the Twelve. Could Paul be referring to Acts 1:26 where Matthias was selected to replace Judas? Just for reference: Jerome, for example, was pushing very hard on the idea that Christians were to lead highly ascetic lives. One option is that he heard it from a “prophet” who was “speaking the word of the Lord” at one of the weekly communion dinners. The Life of Flavius Josephus– What I don’t understand is Paul saying that he received it from the Lord. The Galilean appearances are not recorded in Mark and Luke but are described in Matthew 28:16–17 and John 21. The Greek word for cousin in ANEPSIOS. Perhaps this would kickstart the revolutionary showdown with the godless Romans. Jesus had His well-known “feed m… If so, what do you think that indicates about Jesus’ self estimation? Paul's conversion experience is discussed in both the Pauline epistles and in the Acts of the Apostles. That meant that the “sons from a previous marriage,” such as James, could *not* be sons of Joseph from a previous marriage — as was widely believed at the time. Not only that, but we find that Paul sings like a canary and describes a celestial Jesus who has never been on earth. But wasn’t Judas’ betrayal mentioned in all four gospels? If it hadn’t been him, it would have been somebody else. He wanted an earthly Kingdom in which he and the twelve would rule with Jesus. http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/eusebius_star.htm. It’s very hard to get a consistent tradition if that tradition is based on individual visions (revelations) and scripture interpretations only. That’s among the clearest evidence that in fact the movement was not unified from the outset. It’s all part of this fantasy where Judas betrayed Jesus by pointing him out in the garden of Gethsemane. [18], The Gospel of Mark (written c. 70 CE) contained no post-Resurrection appearances in its original version, which ended at Mark 16:8, although Mark 16:7, in which the young man discovered in the tomb instructs the women to tell "the disciples and Peter" that Jesus will see them again in Galilee, hints that the author may have known of the tradition of 1 Thessalonians.[19][20][21]. P.S. I don’t think so. Nowhere did Paul ever say that Jesus’ resurrection was in the flesh… always in the spirit. [48] Despite this, some biblical scholars tend to distinguish them; this is also not Roman Catholic dogma, though a traditional teaching. So on balance, it probably is so. "Brother Saul," he said, "the Lord has sent me--Jesus himself, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. Steefen: The uniqueness of the situation may call for it. These appearances convinced His disciples, beyond any doubt, that He had risen from the dead. This lists, in chronological order, a first appearance to Peter, then to "the Twelve," then to five hundred at one time, then to James (presumably James the brother of Jesus), then to "all the Apostles," and last to Paul himself. From this brief appraisal of the texts, it should be patently obvious to anyone that the two evangelists have named different purchasers for the “Field of Blood” and for different theological reasons. I find it interesting that Paul seems to suggest Cephas wasn’t one of the twelve: “and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.”. 12th of 12 Jesus appears to the disciples with another commission, Luke 24:44-49 & Acts 1:3-8. Comments posted must be limited to 200 words or less. 2 days earlier, they fear a possible riot from the people: “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”. These independent attestations seems to add significant weight to the idea that Judas was attached to the historical Jesus, and hence argues against mythicism. Please keep your comments relevant to the issues discussed in the post. This is assuming Judas did betray Jesus–as opposed to doing what Jesus wanted him to do. He doesn’t know exactly what Judas did, or exactly why Judas did it. Apologies for going off-topic, but are you aware of the Nitrian collection (a bunch of Syriac material unearthed in Egyptian monasteries in the 1830s)? The ramblings of a crazed atheist for sure. And if so it rules out that Luke and Josephus used a common source instead of one using the other. 11th of 12 Jesus appears to the disciples with another commission, Luke 24:44-49 & Acts 1:3-8. However, the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to Paul transformed him from a skeptic to a passionate communicator of Christian truth. Jesus appears to Paul in prison. Saul was blinded. Completely different! What is your position on Mark and Matthew being patrons? I mean, eventually, as we all do, but not then. Matthew tells us that Judas was so overtaken by guilt and remorse for his betrayal that he confessed his sins, returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests, and ran off and hung himself. Probably the historical Cephas Paul is referring to had a position of high leadership, and was therefor above the twelve. [3] A few centuries later the Jewish historian Josephus, writing roughly in the same period as Paul and the authors of the gospels, says that the Essenes believed the soul to be immortal, so that while the body would return to dust the soul would go to a place fitting its moral character, righteous or wicked. 3. Extremely difficult to do – I understand. [52], According to Helmut Koester, the stories of the resurrection were originally epiphanies in which the disciples are called to a ministry by the risen Jesus, and at a secondary stage were interpreted as physical proof of the event. In only one other New Testament book is there any reference to Judas’s death:  Acts 1:18-19. John also mentions the “sister” of the mother of Jesus, often identified with Mary of Clopas due to grammar. [40], According to Ehrman, "the disciples' belief in the resurrection was based on visionary experiences. If it didn’t really happen, stories like that had to be invented, to show him either repenting (too late) or “getting his just deserts.”. He’s separated out like Paul separated James out in his text. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_Testament_papyri. twelve”. And in the year four hundred and thirty (A.D. 119), in the reign of Hadrianus Caesar, in the consulship of Severus and of Fulgus, in the episcopate of Xystus, bishop of the city of Rome, this concern arose in (the minds of) men acquainted with the Holy Books; and through the pains of the great men in various places this history was sought for and found, and written in the tongue of those who took this care.”, This last part intrigues me most as it seems to be saying that the second chapter of Matthew was “written in” (added?) The context of his report in Galatians concerns the content of the Gospel. The 500 rank and file “brothers” were likely not. [16] In 2 Corinthians 12, he tells his readers of "a man in Christ who ... was caught up to the third heaven. After all, the remaining NT writers struggle hard to make sense of it. Harmonization simply is not possible, here. Mary “of Clopas” is often interpreted as Mary, “wife of Clopas”. DrEhrman September 17, 2019 at 8:14 amLog in to Reply. So Judas being the least ethical disciple, as noted by his own dipping into the treasury, operated in a more conniving way. #ProudCanadian, I have seen apologists try to harmonize the discrepancy regarding who exactly purchased the field of blood by claiming that Acts 1:18 really means to say that Judas indirectly acquired the field through the agency of the chief priests; therefore, the two passages (Matthew & Acts) are not technically in conflict since the chief priests do the actual purchasing in both versions of the story. According to John 21, Peter and six others decided to go fishing. You’ll get lots for your money, so go for it! For it is surely unlikely that both men stole a third author’s story and put themselves in the hero role. [10] This development can be linked to the changing make-up of the Christian community: Paul and the earliest Christ-followers were Jewish, and Second Temple Judaism emphasised the life of the soul; the gospel-writers, in an overwhelmingly Greco-Roman church, stressed instead the pagan belief in the hero who is immortalised and deified in his physical body. Is there another book I should be reading? So, what we *really* have indication of, from Paul, is that he evidently saw no need to “cover that same old territory”. Paul Boards Ship. As this document was discovered in the 1830s, I wonder if any modern technology could recover any of the erased lines through x-ray or ultraviolet light? Acts 9:1-9 Jesus appears to Saul (also called Paul) five years later (in 35AD) on the road to Damascus in Syria (see 4 on Map 14). Ehrman's "tentative suggestion" is that only a few followers had visions, including Peter, Paul and Mary. I just wanted to send out my congratulation to the Pittsburgh Penguins for winning the Stanley Cup a few days ago. But, well, the reality is that we don’t know how much Paul knew about the traditions surrounding Jesus. The Road-to-Damascus Jesus tells Paul while Paul is in prayer in the Temple to leave Jerusalem without seeing the 12 apostles because "Jesus" was sending him to the Gentiles. I think he thoguht that those who heeded his words would constitute the *new* Israel/new people of God for the coming kingdom. He convinced the other disciples that the resurrection of Jesus signalled that the endtime was near and God's Kingdom was coming, when the dead who would rise again, as evidenced by Jesus. Surely there must have been a short reference to “Field of Blood” in Q. Of guilt, and placed his hands on him both were on the jesus appeared to paul of,. 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