St Paul and His Contribution to the New Testament St Paul’s writings are believed to be the earliest in the New Testament. Paul a Jew, after viciously persecuting the Christians was blinded by an intense light attributed to God. He was cured of that blindness by a Christian’s prayer and thus became a believer and follower of Jesus. Paul’s letters attest to his worshipping of Jesus as God, no small thing for him as previously he had been a ferocious persecutor of Christians; he had detested Jesus and His followers. Central to Paul’s letters are Jesus’s death and Resurrection and the future resurrection of Christians who persevere, including the resurrection of our very bodies. When Christ rose He had a resurrected body, and Paul affirms that upon the glory of the next world we will also have a resurrected physical body. As I have covered in the chapter Evil: Does it Exist?, our soul and body belong together, hence we too will conquer death. Saint Paul writes:
What I am saying, brothers, is that mere human nature cannot inherit the kingdom of God: what is perishable cannot inherit what is imperishable. Now I am going to tell you a mystery: we are not all going to fall asleep, but we are all going to be changed, instantly, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds. The trumpet is going to sound, and then the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed, because this perishable nature of ours must put on imperishability, this mortal nature must put on immortality. And after this perishable nature has put on imperishability and this mortal nature has put on immortality, then will the words of scripture come true: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin comes from the Law. Thank God, then, for giving us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 15:50-57).
Jesus conquered death and so will we. Eternal life awaits us, if we respond to Christ’s call. What is intrinsically tied to the death and resurrection of Jesus is His ascension and glorification; if Jesus did not ascend into Heaven, but had merely died later, then His resurrection would not have held such importance. We can relate Jesus’s ascension to that of several people in the Old Testament who ascended into heaven. One such example is Elijah: ‘Now as they walked on, talking as they went, a chariot of fire appeared and horses of fire coming between the two of them; and Elijah went up to heaven in the whirlwind.’ 2 Kings 2:11.
In comparison with Elijah, Jesus was able to ascend without any assistance, such as a fiery chariot or a whirlwind, since He was the Son of God:
And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it (Mark 16:19-20).
As St Paul’s writings are the earliest in the New Testament, let’s explore the earliest creed so that we can discover what the earliest Christians believed. Scholars believe this creed to be written within 2 – 8 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus and so prior to any of the books of the New Testament.
The tradition I handed on to you in the first place, a tradition which I had myself received, was that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried; and that on the third day, he was raised to life, in accordance with the scriptures; and that he appeared to Cephas [Rock/Peter]; and later to the Twelve; and next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still with us, though some have fallen asleep; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:3-7).
This creed is also known as a statement of religious belief. The early Christians believed that in accordance with the Old Testament, or Hebrew Scriptures, that the Messiah died for our sins and was raised to life. Because the tradition has been handed onto Paul then it is also one that was believed and promulgated before Paul, anywhere from 0 – 7 years prior to Paul’s utilising it. We thus have a historic creed which links the forgiveness of sins, with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Lee Strobel brings forward the latest date that the creed could be written; he links the letter of Paul to be within 2 years of Jesus’s Resurrection, therefore the creed could have been promulgated 0 –2 years before Paul.5
The late F.F. Bruce, author and eminent professor from the University of Manchester, England declared, ‘There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament.’6
Sir Frederic Kenyon, former director of the British Museum, also confidently affirms that, ‘In no other case is the interval of time between the composition of the book and the date of the earliest manuscripts [copies] so short as that in the New Testament.’7
I’ve heard people refer to the implausibility of Sacred Scripture because the Gospels were written a number of years after Jesus’s death. The Jews were an oral culture and the elite who could read used scrolls and papyrus which were extremely rare and valuable. With the recalling of the life of Jesus the early speakers would have been corrected by the disciples or direct witnesses if they omitted vital details in their recollection. Therefore for all the Gospel writers to confirm that Jesus was divine and worked miracles is remarkable; it is obviously an essential aspect which the writers wanted to portray.
Blomberg believes that it is likely that a lot of the similarities and differences among the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are explainable because the disciples and early Christians committed to memory a lot of what Jesus said and did. They were in an oral culture, one that retold stories and passed information by word of mouth. He also implores us to consider the way the Gospels were written as implicit evidence: They were written in a sober, responsible way with accurate incidental details, obvious care and precision while omitting any outlandish embellishments or any blatant mythologising found in many ancient writings. Therefore the Gospel writers intended to record what actually occurred, in an ancient way.
Falsifying Facts in the Gospels? It is also conspicuous that there are several precedents in which the Gospel writers should have omitted certain details from their writings. Typically it would have been expected to portray Jesus’s followers in a better light. St Peter, though good natured and well intentioned he didn’t know his own limitations. At times he was weak and his impulsiveness landed him in trouble with Jesus, even being rebuked as Satan. He was one of Jesus’s closest friends, and yet three times he denies even knowing Him; he denies his friendship with Jesus. Furthermore Sacred Scripture did not hide that the disciples at times bickered over petty arguments; most of them ran away and hid like scared rats when Jesus was arrested and crucified; and even one disciple was a thief and betrayed Jesus to His death. Blomberg underscores the motive of writing in so much detail and with such honesty:
So had they left some of this out, that in and of itself wouldn’t necessarily have been seen as falsifying the story. But here’s the point: if they didn’t feel free to leave out stuff when it would have been convenient and helpful to do so, is it really plausible to believe that they outright added and fabricated material with no historical basis?8
It is imperative to emphasise that the books of Sacred Scripture were individual documents (scrolls) or letters. One of the Church Fathers, St Athanasius (295-373 AD) reveals which books of the New Testament were considered as Sacred Scripture (see The Thirty-Ninth Festal Letter) – 27 New Testament writings. But not simply St Athanasius made this decision. Such a significant decision needed the authority of a Church Council. The canon of scripture (old and new testaments) was decided by the Council of Hippo in AD 393, and also the Council of Carthage in 397. The question was revisited by Pope Innocent 1 (405), and the Council of Trent in 1546 was responding to the various claims and attacks of Luther and the Protestant Reformation (the printing press was invented in 1436 when only about 5% of the population could read as it was still an oral culture). At the Council of Trent the Catholic Church again confirmed the deuteronomical books of the Old Testament (i
t first did so in the Council of Carthage as mentioned above). For the Catholic Church the canon of scripture consists of 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 Books of the New Testament, 73 books in all.
Corroborating Evidence of the Gospel Corroborative evidence supports the notion that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. At His arrest and following His death His disciples were terrified; they feared that they too would be arrested, tortured and put to death. Therefore if they were so afraid, why would they claim that He had risen, and so draw attention to themselves? Why would they publicly testify that they had seen Him alive? This would ultimately make them vulnerable to the Jewish and Roman authorities or worse to the religious fanatics. Why would they encounter beatings, imprisonment and death, and yet still continue with their testimony? Why would they ultimately be willing to give up their very lives unless they truly believed that Jesus was God? Why did the Jewish authorities never manage to produce a body after His resurrection when the tomb was guarded? Jesus’s followers knew and saw Him alive again. This inspired them with hope, and they knew that only God could resurrect – to resurrect is to give life. Jesus obviously had God the Father’s approval as well as a divine nature. Therefore everything Jesus said, testifying to be being sent by God the Father was true. If we look at the prophets sent by God, none of them gave false witness in their words and deeds. Jesus is greater than the prophets and none of what He said was false as He is the source of truth as Scripture depicts. He is the Messiah whom the people of Israel longed for.
The followers of Jesus had a refreshing hope and special authority in which to preach with. For 3,000 Jews to be converted simultaneously (Acts 2:37-41) shows those proclaiming would have to have had a unique authority; Peter preached with conviction and testified to Jesus’s death (which many of the Jews present would have been witnesses to), and resurrection; and some of those present may have seen Jesus post-resurrection. Therefore being witnesses together with the power of God, could be the main reasons for their strong conviction. This was no meager feat for Jews to convert to the Christian faith which held many new teachings. For most it was abhorrent that their fellow Jews would believe in Jesus as the Messiah and thus the fulfillment of the divinely inspired Jewish Scriptures. It would seem as if Jesus supplanted their beliefs with teaching of His own, including what seemed to be heresy. The followers of Jesus, the Christians would have known they would be making a huge sacrifice, including being ostracised by one’s family for believing that Jesus was the Messiah or the Son of God. In fact they would be barred from the Jewish Temple.
New Zealand zoologist, and theologian Professor John Morton, in Man Science and God refers to Dr A.R.C Leaney’s lecture series entitled, ‘Selwyn Lectures’ in 1996 on the topic, The Christ of the Synoptic Gospels in which he says that the historical material from St Mark’s Gospel ‘fastens Jesus to history as firmly as he was nailed to the cross’.9 It was a major stumbling block for the ordinary folk; Jesus wasn’t an earthly king although they expected that the Messiah would be one and thus overthrow the Romans. Therefore when Jesus was crucified it was truly remarkable that His followers risked torture. It’s also astounding that they often surrendered to execution rather than denying their faith in Jesus. A major question facing us concerning the motives behind the Christian faith at its beginnings is: If this was a hoax why were the founders willing to be tortured even to death?
Old Testament Prophecies of the Messiah The Old Testament books are the writings of the Jews written over many centuries prior to Christ and were inherited by the Church, the new Israel. There is overwhelming evidence in the writings of the Jews, that relate to a suffering Messiah, thus directly to Jesus. In fact all these ancient prophecies have never related to, nor have ever been claimed to relate to anyone else in history. Firstly I will quote one of the most acute Scriptures from the Old Testament that refers to the Messiah:
Who would believe what we have heard?
To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before him,
like a shoot from the parched earth;
There was in him no stately bearing
to make us look at him,
nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men,
a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem.
Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,
Our sufferings that he endured,
While we thought of him as stricken,
as one smitten by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins,
Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed (John 19:1; Matthew 26:63; 27:12-14).
We had all gone astray like sheep,
each following his own way;
But the Lord laid upon him
the guilt of us all.
Though he was harshly treated, he submitted
and opened not his mouth;
Like a lamb led to the slaughter
or a sheep before the shearers,
he was silent and opened not his mouth.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, And who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people (John 18:28, Matthew 27:57-60).
A grave was assigned him among the wicked
and a burial place with evildoers,
Though he had done no wrong
Nor spoken any falsehood
[But the Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.] If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him (Luke 23:34; Mark 15:27-28).
Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days;
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
Because he surrendered himself to death
and was counted among the wicked;
And he shall take away the sins of many,
and win pardon for their offenses (Isaiah 53:1-12)(New American Bible).
Cross references:
v2 – John 19:1-5; v3; 1 Peter 2:3-8; Luke 23:27-31; 19:41. v4 – 11 Corinthians 5:18-21; 1 Peter 2:24; v4-12; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, 1 Peter 2:24.
v5 – John 19:1; 1 Peter 2:24; v7 – Matthew 26:63, 27:12-14; Acts 8:35. v8 – John 18:28; 2 Corinthians 5:21; v9 – Matthew 27:57-60. v10 – Acts 2:23, 3:18; v12 – Luke 23:34; Mark 15:27-28.
This scripture gives a startling portrayal of the Messiah. He was to carry ‘our infirmities (v 4)’ … ‘pierced for our offences, crushed for our sins (v 5)’. Therefore to carry our infirmities means the Messiah took upon Himself our sins and suffered as a consequence. The Lord (God the Father) ‘laid upon him the guilt of us all’; and was ‘smitten for the sin of his people’ (this implies a kingship or being able to represent the people). ‘If he gives life as an offering for sin (v 10).’ The Messiah had the power to take away (forgive) sins and His sacrifice was to overcome sin: ‘He shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses (v 12).’
Jesus’s lineage was from the line of King David, and the following prophecy points to a descendant of David being blessed with the spirit of grace and prayer, but it also points to remorse over treating someone very cruelly. In hindsight we know that it is a prophecy relating to the Messiah, and thus to Jesus:
But over the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem I shall pour out a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look to me. They will mourn for the one whom they have pierced as though for an only child, and weep for him as people weep for a first-born child (Zechariah 12:10-11).
This is similar to Isaiah 52:14-537 and was fulfilled in
John when Jesus was pierced in the side: When they came to Jesus, they saw he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs [confirms Psalm 34:20] one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it – true evidence, and he knows that what he says is true – and he gives it so that you may believe as well (John 19:33-35).
John clearly emphasises that he was an eyewitness to the death of Jesus. Psalm 22 is full of prophetic utterances that were fulfilled in Christ. It rings eerily as they contain the words that Jesus cried out to God the Father while on the Cross when He was in excruciating pain.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The words of my groaning do nothing to save me, My God, I call by day but you do not answer, At night, but I find no respite (Psalm 22:1-2).
Jesus would have been crying out in prayer to God the Father during day and night as night descended prematurely at the ninth hour (3pm), possibly via an eclipse. Once again He quotes Psalm 22. It was also night when He was in mental anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Gospels we see the darkness descend during the day:
From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:45-46)’ [See also Mark 15:34.]
Another section in Psalm 22 also has a strange resonance as it implies Jesus saying He is a worm, hence less than human. Jesus would have felt like He was at the pit of despair, the lowest anyone could go without losing hope, because He had miraculously taken all our sins upon Himself. Because He took upon Himself our evil, He felt totally abandoned by God.
But I am a worm, less than human,
scorn of mankind, contempt of the people;
all who see me jeer at me,
they sneer and wag their heads,
‘He trusted himself to Yahweh, let Yahweh set him free! Let him deliver him, as he took such delight in him. (Psalm 22:6-8).
God: Fact or Fiction?: Exploring the Relationship Between Science Religion and the Origin of Life Page 20
