question...

candidlynuts

in the new testament paul writes letters to congregations.. corinthians, ephesians etc.

were these congregations jewish? had the catholic church been founded yet? was it an organized christian religion?

hope this isnt a stupid question.

Lady Lee

were these congregations jewish?

Good question but I haven't got a clue when Gentiles were included

had the catholic church been founded yet?

Nope. I think that didn't happen for another 300 years

was it an organized christian religion?

organized? Well there must have been groups of people who were meeting together and discussing their beliefs but organized in the way we the WTS thinks of it - I really doubt it

Terry

Judaism was an ethnic and social realization that stemmed from a shared history and mythos.

There were many sects within. Judaism was not just one thing.

Followers of Jesus were Messianic Jews. They were not Christians.

Paul was a sort of failed Jew.

When he was passing around his theory of how ancient Jewish beliefs dovetailed into Jesus' ministry he was promoting the idea among Messianic Jews mainly.

Political events of the day were creating pressures on mainstream Judaism. The Roman empire did not take kindly to Jewish insistance on a King who would deliver them from Gentile rule. The zealot Jews were creating uprisings and bringing the wrath of the Roman empire sharply into focus vis a vis religion/politics.

What Paul offered was a kind of coherent theory of how Jesus could be Messiah/King and Deliverer without having to fight the Romans. Paul's view was that of transcendence. He converted the flesh and blood aspirations of the Jews into a kind of Spiritual fulfillment of ancient promises.

When this failed Paul sought support among non-Jews by cashing in on the ancient credibility of Jewish religion. Paul offered a way for the downtrodden to escape from their dismal lives by offering a heavenly kingdom which would solve each and every societal problem without warfare.

So, in answer to your question, Paul started his theorizing among his own kind first and gradually widened the scope of discussion to include Gentiles. His strategy was to tell each group what they needed to hear to accept him.

The Christian religion became a gradual thing which wasn't at all a single religion until the emperor Constantine sought to shore up discord by the authority of a Church Creed and Orthodoxy.

There was never a monolithic Christianity just as there was never a monlithic Judaism.

candidlynuts

thanks LadyLee..

i was thinking last night, how the wtbs says its modeled after christs ministry and it got me wondering how the congregations mentioned in the new testament worked..

obviously they werent all leaving hearth and home roam around and to preach like Jesus apostles did. i doubt if there is a lot of information about these early congregations other than what is in the NT.

the comment was made to me recently that it seems to him that jw's expect all their members to be a "moses" or " abraham" or an apostle.. and maybe gods ok with me being me.

simple statement but it meant a lot to me.

candidlynuts

thanks terry,that makes a lot of sense.

i was shocked recently when a friend of mine said the jews adopted yahweh from a group of gods that was worshipped? that he was a lesser god who had a wife.. and built monotheism on that?

digging in history just confuses me more.

who knows what to believe!

SickofLies

who knows what to believe!

Step into the light my friend!

AuldSoul

candidlynuts,

and maybe gods ok with me being me.

According to the Bible, he loves you enough to ransom your life. An odd decision if he wasn't okay with you being you.

Another little tidbit about Paul's writings, he claims he went to Gentiles preaching Christ and him crucified. Jehovah's Witnesses believe in Jesus (sort of) but they preach Jehovah God and him sending his son to be impaled. Paul preached Christ's kingdom, over which Christ was king and high priest like Melchizedek even in the first century. Jehovah's Witnesses announce Jehovah's kingdom and that he lets his son rule in his place for a while (only since 1914).

Just an interesting little twist to your beautiful line of thought.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

NoMoreMeetings

According to the Nelson Study Bible, Paul was rejected by the Jews after preaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath. He ministered in Corinth for 18 months, eventually establishing a church. This church, like the city, had a mixture of nationalities, Though some Jews had been converted, most of the believers were Gentiles (12:2)

Galatians was not written to one church but "to the churches in Galatia". Galatia was a geographic area in modern Turkey. Jews were part of these churches. Paul's correction in Galatians deals with Judaizers, who were trying to impose the Law, including circumcision, on the Gentiles.

A key verse in Galatians concerning Paul's view of one universal church in 3:28- "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor femane; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Paul was teaching the immature church that salvation comes only through the Gospel: faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior brings eternal life.

As for the Catholic church's beginning, it depends on who you ask. The Catholics say the church was founded by Peter in the first century. Others say that the church officially began several hundred years later with Constantine.....etc.

NMM (Pastor Ron)

candidlynuts

SOL i dont wanna be touched by any noodly appendage!! well.......not right now anyway lol..

auldsoul, i never understood why people at the doors would say we dont "believe" in Jesus.. that is, i never understood it till i started lookign into things after i stopped going to meetings. its fascinating the depths you discover to him when you study the bible with a more open mind and think for yourself instead of thinking how the watchtower wants you to think!

nomoremeetings.. thank you! thats good information and answers some of the questions i have. more and more i'm thinking organized religion isnt how we gain salvation.

Undecided

hope this isnt a stupid question.

There are no stupid questions about the bible, just a bunch of stupid answers.(not referring to those here)

Ken P.

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