Jayhawker Soule

Who's on 1st?

Kosh

NO NO NO! Jesus was the re-born Joseph!

NOGO

Riiight! Is that what Jesus meant when he said, Jn8:58 "... before Abraham was born, I am."

offa

Offa; Jesus was Paul's father-in-law. Saul discovered Jesus in Damascus (Psuedo name for a locality close to Jerusalem - Mar Saba). Jesus survived the crucifixion. Jesus had a daughter born shortly after the crucifixion and Paul married her (got his hair shorn ... a nazorite rite for taking a wife).

Kosh

Clearly, you don't need a net to a fisher of men.

Tristan Scott

I think it's possible Saul had met Jesus. He says he was employed by the temple priests around the time of the crucifixion. I don't think it would be such a stretch to put him at the scene of Jesus' arrest, or even his crucifixion.

Guilt would make a more plausible reason for his conversion than the story of the road to Damascus, IMO.

MortalWombat

double post

[ October 04, 2002: Message edited by: MortalWombat ]</p>

MortalWombat

If I recall, in none of his letters does Paul mention that:

1. He used to be named Saul
2. He was employed by the temple priests at the time of the crucifixion.

Unless I am mistaken, these events are only described in Acts, which was probably written after his death and not by himself, and contain other events that he does not mention about himself, such as his previous persecution of Christians (including the participation in the stoning of Stephen), his conversion on the road to Damascus, his becoming temporarily blind when seeing Jesus in a vision, etc...

[ October 04, 2002: Message edited by: MortalWombat ]</p>

Atticus_Finch

Actually, Paul does mention his previous persecution of the church. See Gal. 1:13. "For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it."

He also makes reference to his conversion occuring at or near Damascus. Galations Chapter 1,

"1:13 For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. 1:14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. 1:15 But when the one who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was pleased 1:16 to reveal his Son in me so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from any human being, 1:17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia, and then returned to Damascus. "

I think Galatians is generally considered to be Paul's earliest epistle. So in the first 13 verses of his first epistle to links himself to the facts described in Acts.

Regards,

Finch

[ October 04, 2002: Message edited by: Atticus_Finch ]</p>

Tristan Scott

1. You're right, he didn't say he was employed by the priests around the time of the crucifixion, Luke had him say it in ACTS.

2. So? It's speculation.

3. Who knows when ACTS was written, and why is that pertinent to this speculation? Besides, it could be argued that ACTS was written before Paul's death because it does not mention it.