Kilgore Trout

Here is a quote from paul...

1 Corinthians 19-22

19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

I think this quote is pretty self-explanatory. It pretty well says it all. This makes it clear that he does pretend to be like people. You say he is a Jew, so he does not need to pretend to be a Jew. Well, he no longer thinks he is a Jew, because he is no longer under the law. That is why he says "To the Jews I became like a Jew." Also, all the stuff that he said about being a Jew, we have no way of verifying. It could all be a lie.

Amaleq13

He didn't. Two authors make two different attempts to create an ancestry they individually believed appropriate.

He didn't. Once again, two authors make two different attempts to fulfill what they considered to be a biblical messianic requirement. The efforts contradict and each, on its own, has sufficient problems to warrant concluding they are without any basis in reality. Luke fabricates an entirely unbelievable census process while Matthew produces an obvious midrash of the story of Moses' birth.

Getting crucified by the Romans during a politically charged Jewish holiday would not have required divine powers. All you needed to do was draw a crowd and/or give the appearance of a potential threat to Roman rule.

Both of these are examples of Gospel authors taking what they believed to be biblical messianic requirements and turning them into a narrative.

Do you refer to the "timing" of being born during Herod's reign (GMt) or the "timing" of being born while Quirinius conducted his census (GLk)? There is a 10 year difference so choose wisely.

Al Kafirun

Hyam Macoby is kind of a sloppy scholar but I've always been impressed by his theory that Paul was never a Jew let alone a Pharisee. Its impossible to offer anything conclusive, but that fact cuts both ways.