Paul, Balaam and Heliodorus

I recently ran across a website comparing Paul’s conversion experience to Balaam’s effort in the book of Numbers to aid Balak’s wish to curse and destroy Israel. The website also compared both with Helidorus’ journey to Jerusalem to rob the Temple treasury in 2Maccabees. I have to admit it is an interesting comparison. I would even go as far as to say that I agree that the comparison is a valid one, but I don’t agree with the author’s conclusion? The reason for my disagreement is that there are key points that the author of the website leaves out.

 

Has the Sabbath Morphed into Sunday?

Most Christians today worship on Sunday, and many of these worshipers call Sunday the Christian Sabbath. Yet, I have not found a single Scripture to support this idea. Am I saying that Christians should return to worshiping on the 7^th day rather than Sunday? No—even though the reason we turned to Sunday had more to do with anti-Semitism than the truth, it is done. We do, however, need to be honest about what occurred, admit what we’ve done and move on. We are not under the Law but under Christ.

 

Did Paul Intend to Visit Jerusalem?

Some scholars have a problem believing Paul ever intended to visit Jerusalem when he left Corinth, because neither he nor Luke mentions that intention. I love to study scholarly reviews of the text, and see the things that they see, because my eyes are simply not trained to pick these things out. But, I almost pity them in their search of exactitudes that will permit them to believe this or that about the text.

 

Luke, Gallio and Sosthenes

It is difficult at times to know what to include in my blog to make it informative, on the one hand, but not adding so much information that I leave more questions in the end than answers. Therefore, before bringing Paul’s second missionary journey to an end, I would like to address certain questions, concerning both Luke and what occurs in Corinth involving Gallio’s court and Sosthenes, the synagogue ruler.

 

A Plan Sensitive to the Spirit of God

I often wonder if Biblical scholars actually believe Jesus is Lord of anything or, for that matter, Lord of anyone. I suppose, since many Biblical scholars don’t even believe in God, it is not surprising that these otherwise dedicated men and women see so many contradictions between Paul’s letters and Luke’s Acts. Nevertheless, I agree with the contemporary wisdom of a seldom quoted man—at least not in scholarly circles: “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”[1]

 

The Peter-Paul Faceoff at Antioch

Many Biblical scholars seem to think Paul’s conflict with Peter at Antioch occurred after the Jerusalem Council. I don’t believe that reasoning is correct. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul claimed that he visited Jerusalem twice before he wrote his epistle—once three years after his conversion (Galatians 1:18), and a second time fourteen years after he met Jesus on the Damascus road (Galatians 2:1). Some scholars conclude that Paul either missed a visit (Acts 11:28-30; 12:25), or Paul’s visit fourteen years later occurred during the famine, and the Jerusalem Council visit occurred sometime later, perhaps after he left Corinth in Acts 18. Nevertheless, the ‘two’ are the same visit. That is, the Famine-Relief visit and the Jerusalem Council visit were one and the same visit, and occurred cir. 49 CE.

 

When Did Paul Return to Jerusalem?

from Google Images

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?

 

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 what is 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 Damascus, not on the road to the city. 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

from Google Images

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

from Google Images

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).

 

Thousands and Thousands of Errors!

from Google Images

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?

from Google Images

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!” While there is no direct evidence within the Gospel of Mark that shows his labor was spent upon Roman believers, there is some very good indirect evidence that implies his Gospel was written with the Roman believer in mind.

 

Whose is Mark’s Gospel?

from Google Images

What we know to be the Gospel of Mark is not signed, and neither is there any direct internal evidence linking the Gospel to any individual. However, does this mean the work is truly anonymous? That is, do we have no reasonable idea of who its author is? The answer to this question largely depends upon your personal bias. If one completely rejects early testimony of its authorship and clings to modern criticism stating the author is unknown, then for you the author cannot be known. However, if you are willing to accept ancient testimony as evidence of its authorship, then one can be reasonably certain that John Mark, Peter’s assistant, wrote the Gospel we know by his name.