jules?

It is of course a rhetorical question but why did early Christians go to such lengths to add to Paul's letters, add names to the anonymous Gospels, pull facts out of the air in some cases and write nonsense gospels such as Pilate's? Why were they compelled to destroy every critics work, Celsus is a good example that only survived through the back door? Surely if arguement can rage now on just a few letters of Paul and the four Gospels it should have been good enough for the doubters then? Unless......they knew something we don't.

aa5874

One explanation is that these so-called Christians wanted the readers to believe that there was a God called Jesus living on earth that was born of a virgin and was essentially equal in status to the God of the Jews.


This is perhaps the reason why "Paul" got his revelations from Jesus who was supposed to be already in heaven after Jesus was dead and buried.

mens_sana

Additions to the Pauline corpus were probably seen as bringing Paul up to date with the then current problems in the church, much in the same way that pastors make the ancient accounts "relevant" on Sunday. There was also the common practice of attributing to the school's founder studies that had become accepted after the founder's death. And Paul did have followers.

Names were attached to the anonymous Gospels during a period in which the authority of church leaders was being questioned. What better way to defend one's position that to claim direct descent from the original founder?

And the wealth of later gospels (various Acts as well) we can attribute to the very human mode of thinking that "fills in the gaps," thus making a fully fleshed, "rational" and coherent account out of what was originally just bits and pieces.

aa5874

Which "Paul" had followers?

There are at least 3 "Pauls", one in Acts and two in the Epistles

I thought the "Paul" in Acts conversion was fake, and the other "Pauls" in the Epistles had fake revelations.

Toto

The general idea is that those who added to Paul's letters or the gospels did not think of themselves as forgers, any more than Joseph Smith did. They were following what they thought the spirit told them, or producing more useful literature for their own purposes or the use of their churches.

In addition, the proto-orthodox church needed to establish a line of authority for itself by connecting its current teachings to the founders of the church.

aa5874

Are you claiming to know the motives of Joseph Smith or the intentions of the unknown Gospel writers and the multiple unknown writers of the Epistles?

It is inconceivable that a person can deliberately make false statements about the origin of the information contained in their bible and then think such a person honestly thought he was following the words of God.

Joseph Smith MUST have known that he NEVER found any metal plates that he translated by the help of God and his angel, Moroni.


There is a massive difference between claiming you had a vision or a dream about God and claimimg you physically found in a real geographic location and had in your possession actual real plates that you personally translated and copied. These things are just not true.

jules?

I would agree that those wishing to add to the faith were up front about their own revelation, slipping in a few extra texts under another name reminds me of Lucian of Samosata satire on his views of Christianity in The Passing of Peregrinus and features the central character producing his own works. But of course we have no evidence of motive so all the solutions offered are valid.

jules?

More information please, what when who etc, sounds interesting.

Minimalist

To get those letters to say what they wanted them to say....of course.

Toto

It had to do with Marcion and the general struggle between gnostics of various types and the "proto-orthodox." Identifying the gospels with those who knew Jesus or who knew someone who knew someone was very important to Irenaeus, who was the first that we know about to put author's names on the gospels.

Google Marcion for more general information.