When Did Paul Return to Jerusalem?

I have yet one more thing to address concerning Paul in Damascus before I go on to discuss his stay in Jerusalem. How long was Saul (Paul) away from Jerusalem? Paul says in Galatians 1:17-18 that he didn’t return to Jerusalem for about 3 years after leaving there to arrest believers at Damascus. Yet, some critics seem to believe that Luke contradicts Paul making it seem like he returns to Jerusalem almost immediately after his conversion. Is this true?

 

Why is Paul’s Conversion so Important?

We need to remember that authors of books in ancient times didn’t have the luxury that modern writers have of adding a few pages here and there for color and depth. In the first century CE authors like Luke were limited to the length of a scroll. They had to be concise and choose carefully what they wished to say in order to successfully express the theme behind their work. Luke chose to record Paul’s conversion three times (Acts 9, 22 and 26)! Why? Wouldn’t once have been sufficient, knowing that space was limited? Looking back, our vision is 20/20; Paul turned out to be one of the most significant figures of western civilization. What he did, or rather what God did through Paul, changed the direction of the whole continent of Europe and ultimately of the Americas, and to some degree even how the East developed into our modern societies. But, Luke didn’t know this, so why did he take such an interest in Paul’s conversion?

 

Yet Another Contradiction in Damascus?

Before going on to other matters in Acts, I would like to mention one more place that some modern critics point to in their efforts to show disagreement between Luke and Paul. As we have seen thus far, these “contradictions” are really points of misunderstanding whereby the modern critics have read incongruities into the text, and that mentioned below will be no different. One must be very careful not to take a matter for granted when the text isn’t clearly stating one’s presumption.

 

Do We Rescue Luke at Paul’s Expense?

There seems to be a growing number of folks who believe Luke contradicts Paul and ancient history concerning events surrounding Paul’s conversion. Some even claim that in order to rescue Acts we must sacrifice Paul’s credibility on matters that pertain to his own life. Are the critics correct, or are they simply addressing these matters with some preconceived notions of what things were like back in the first century Middle East?

 

Does Paul Contradict Luke in Damascus?

Recently, I’ve been running across websites that claim Luke and Paul disagree concerning the events surrounding Paul’s conversion. Some critics say Paul’s vision was in, not on the road to, Damascus. I don’t know what difference that would make, if it were true, except to undermine the Scriptures’ claim that they are the word of God for us and aren’t contradictory within the text. Nevertheless, little things like these keep jumping out at me as I study the book of Acts and read what others say about it online.

 

Luke vs. Paul – Truth or Confusion

If the Bible can be proved to be in error, what would be our authority for truth about God? Unless we have certain truth about God, all we could have concerning an unseen God would be pure conjecture. Isn’t that so? It would be something like—your guess is as good as mine. Who could authoritatively tell us what God is really like, and who could prove that the false prophet is… well, false? I’ve been reading various websites that concern themselves with disproving the word of God by presuming contradictions in Paul’s conversion either within Luke’s three accounts of the event or between Acts 9 and Paul’s letters, especially Galatians. I thought it would be fun if we dwelt upon these things for a few blog-posts.

 

Paul’s Vision on the Road to Damascus

In recent years textual criticism has placed in doubt in the minds of some what actually took place on the road to Damascus. In a short essay (found HERE) John Dominic Crossan has taken issue with Paul’s vision of Jesus as recorded in Acts – where it took place, how long Paul was away from Jerusalem and who threatened Paul’s life in Damascus that he was saved by the brethren secretly letting him down through a window in the city wall under the cover of night to make his escape to Jerusalem (Acts 9:25).

 

Was Paul Converted or Called?

Luke treats Paul’s Damascus road experience as a very important event in his thesis, mentioning it three times. First, he describes the event as part of an historical narrative concerning the spreading of the Kingdom of God (Acts 9). However, later he has Paul recall the event, describing what occurred in his own words to the Jews at Jerusalem, including the Jewish authorities (Acts 22). Finally, Luke has Paul recall the event before King Agrippa, while other important authorities listened, including the Roman governor, Festus (Acts 26).

 

Is Suffering a Sign of Divine Favor?

Obviously, not all suffering is of God, nor does it mean one is held in his favor. However, I have read, and I believe it to be true, that suffering in the midst of one’s devotion to God is not only a sign one is in the narrow path to glory but also a sign of divine favor. Certainly we exalt those men and women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to risk life and limb for their country. So, there is reason to believe that suffering for one’s country or out of devotion to God is worthy of praise.

 

Why Doesn’t God Heal Amputees?

First of all, allow me to apologize to those who endure such a plight as to have a member of one’s body severed. No one who has his or her body intact could ever imagine the trouble you endure throughout life. Some of the little things we all take for granted, such as buttoning one’s shirt or blouse can be a major chore for you. It is sad to even discuss your condition as though it were an example of the proof for or against the existence of God, yet I had been asked on a discussion board to show how a loving God can exist and never heal anyone who has part of his or her body severed. The following was my reply.

 

Prayer in Jesus’ Name

Why does God answer some prayers but not other prayers? Why will God answer a prayer to save a cancer patient from death, but won’t have an amputee grow another limb? There are a lot of people who seem to know or at least think they know why God heals, but really, why would God heal one person, but not another? Jesus didn’t ask for qualifications when he healed anyone; he simply did what needed to be done. There was no hocus pocus, or do you have enough faith for the healing, or would it be God’s will for **you** to be healed. Jesus simply healed the person.

 

Thousands and Thousands of Errors!

When I first learned that there were about 200,000 errors in the early manuscripts of the New Testament or variants in the texts as they compared with other manuscripts of the Bible, I wondered how one could conclude we have an accurate Bible today. Then I read the fine print. Never overlook the fine print when making an important decision. It may contain the most important data one needs in order to make an informed decision about that very important matter at hand.

 

To Whom Did Mark Write his Gospel?

If we are to believe the testimonies of Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria that Mark wrote out Peter’s Gospel for the Roman Christians, could it be reasonably shown within the Gospel that this is true? The answer to this question is “Yes, and no!” There is no direct evidence within Mark that shows his labor was spent upon Roman believers, but there is some very good indirect evidence that implies Mark’s Gospel was written with the Roman believer in mind.

 

Three Blind Nights

I find it interesting that Paul was blind for three days and nights after he had a vision of Jesus. He was blinded by a light so bright that even at noon the light of the sun paled by comparison. Though all those with Paul were cast to the ground at the flash of the light, only Paul seems to have been blinded thereby. An equally interesting event occurred in the life of Jonah, the prophet. He was told by the Lord to go to Nineveh, a gentile city, and preach repentance toward God to those gentiles, but instead Jonah fled to Tarshish (or Tarsus), the city where Saul, the Apostle to the gentiles, was born. Jonah, too, spent three days and nights of deathly blindness but in the belly of the great fish.

 

The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb

I wonder how often, if ever, that we think of the prospect of coming into fellowship with one who hurt us badly. Most often, I suspect, we would simply seek to avoid such a person. People who seem to live to or at least enjoy hurting those who trust in Jesus are too often simply written off as unreachable, and perhaps unforgivable. Certainly, it would be very difficult to forgive such a one under normal circumstances who had beaten or killed a friend or a loved one, especially a harmless, gentle friend or loved one. Yet, as the Scripture keeps telling us, the thoughts of God are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9); yes, the depth and height of his wisdom is beyond our full comprehension (Romans 11:33).