godnotgod
Thou art That
The Early Church
In the days after Yeshua's death and resurrection, there was no Christian Church as we think of it today. The followers of Yeshua were with James, the brother of Yeshua in Jerusalem, Peter, and the other apostles. Some suggest they were there with the Essenes, in whose movement they may have been a part, although there is considerable disagreement about that, and the author of Luke, the only history of the early church we have, did not mention them. Outside of the core group were followers who were not willing to convert to Judaism and were simply "believers."
Then Paul, formerly Saul, a Roman citizen and persecutor of the early followers of Yeshua, began publicizing Yeshua widely. Paul never met Yeshua and knew about him only through the stories that were being circulated. Paul and the leaders of the Jerusalem church, Peter and James, the brother of Yeshua, were at odds over whether converts must first convert to Judaism before becoming followers of Yeshua.
Paul's teachings about Yeshua were very different from those of James, Peter, and the others in the Jerusalem group. It is striking that Paul's letters never quote Yeshua, rarely refer to Yeshua's teachings, and never mention Yeshua's life. Paul taught his own version of Yeshua's teachings and created his own rules. The Christian Church throughout the 2,000 years since Yeshua has been formed by Paul's teachings, not the teachings of James, the brother of Yeshua, and, some say, not the teachings of Yeshua himself.
The fact that Paul did not present Yeshua's teachings in his epistles or his own preaching has been acknowledged for centuries. Only the Church, built around Paul, fails to admit that fact.
Pauline Christianity
to be continued.....
In the days after Yeshua's death and resurrection, there was no Christian Church as we think of it today. The followers of Yeshua were with James, the brother of Yeshua in Jerusalem, Peter, and the other apostles. Some suggest they were there with the Essenes, in whose movement they may have been a part, although there is considerable disagreement about that, and the author of Luke, the only history of the early church we have, did not mention them. Outside of the core group were followers who were not willing to convert to Judaism and were simply "believers."
Then Paul, formerly Saul, a Roman citizen and persecutor of the early followers of Yeshua, began publicizing Yeshua widely. Paul never met Yeshua and knew about him only through the stories that were being circulated. Paul and the leaders of the Jerusalem church, Peter and James, the brother of Yeshua, were at odds over whether converts must first convert to Judaism before becoming followers of Yeshua.
Paul's teachings about Yeshua were very different from those of James, Peter, and the others in the Jerusalem group. It is striking that Paul's letters never quote Yeshua, rarely refer to Yeshua's teachings, and never mention Yeshua's life. Paul taught his own version of Yeshua's teachings and created his own rules. The Christian Church throughout the 2,000 years since Yeshua has been formed by Paul's teachings, not the teachings of James, the brother of Yeshua, and, some say, not the teachings of Yeshua himself.
The fact that Paul did not present Yeshua's teachings in his epistles or his own preaching has been acknowledged for centuries. Only the Church, built around Paul, fails to admit that fact.
Pauline Christianity
to be continued.....
