Pistolpete,
let's review the Facts:
Let’s continue
then. I said in my last post;
But at the very end
of the book of Acts, when Paul visits Jerusalem for the last time,
before his imprisonment int Rome, Acts, reveals more – perhaps
more than intended, and the Truth seems to come out, at least by
implication, that rumors were circulating that Paul was
teaching a different message
According to Acts, toward
the end of his career, Paul arrived in Jerusalem and appeared before
James and all the elders of the Jerusalem church. At issue was a
“Rumor” that James wanted to DISPEL, namely that Paul
WAS TEACHING JEWS that they could disregard the Torah. Acts
records James addressing Paul:
“You see brother how many
thousands there are among the Jews of those WHO HAVE BELIEVED;
THEY ARE ALL ZEALOUS FOR THE TORAH.
And they have been told
about you, that YOU TEACH ALL THE JEWS WHO ARE AMONG THE GENTILES TO
FORSAKE MOSES, TELLING THEM NOT TO CIRCUMCISE THEIR CHILDREN OR
OBSERVE CUSTOMS (Acts 21:20-21)
James then proposes that,
to let everyone know that this rumor is false and that Paul himself
lives in observance of the Torah, he participate in a purification
ceremony in the Jerusalem Temple, which would involve bringing an
offering and entering the sacred areas within the Temple courtyard
where only Jews were allowed to go.
What is striking about
this scene in Acts is that Paul says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
He neither confirms nor
denies the rumor, though he does go along with the purification
ceremony.
But we know from Paul’s
own letters that he has established an operational policy that when
he is among the Jews, he becomes as “One under the Torah” and
when he is with the Gentiles, he lives as a Gentile (1 Corinthians
9:20-21) He plays the same game as the Watchtower.
We know that James and the
rest of the Jewish followers of Jesus, LIKE JESUS HIMSELF, were
Zealous for the Torah and their ancestral faith.
One might expect the author
of Acts would have Paul “Deny” the truth of the rumor, but
it seems he dare not do that, perhaps because he knows the picture of
harmony he is trying to pass off here had no basis in fact and
Paul WAS INDEED TEACHING JEWS AND GENTILES THAT THEY WERE NOW UNDER
WHAT HE CALLED THE NEW COVENANT-THE TORAH OF CHRIST.
But here is the thing,
we know from Paul’s letters that he unquestionably taught THE VERY
THING THAT JAMES, IN THIS CONCOCTED SCENE, IS SATISFIED-- HE DOES NOT
TEACH!
We have to ask whether
Peter, James, and the other apostles did in fact ever learned of
Paul’s real Modus Operandi in dealing with both Gentiles and Jews
and the FULL IMPLICATIONS OF HIS GOSPEL
Remember the Gospel Paul
preached was referred by him as “MY GOSPEL”
Also you may not be aware
but 2 Peter has always been questioned as being a Pseudepigrapha
text, from the 2nd
Century onward to today. Most
consider it a Pauline writer. The
debates still continue between Bible scholars and
conservative evangelicals.
Here are just a few
examples of those who did not accept that Peter wrote 2 Peter
Eusebius of Caesarea (c.
260 – 340 CE) quotes Origen (c. 184 – c. 254 CE) as
doubting the authenticity of 2 Peter (Ehrman 2013, p. 223).
Eusebius also referred
to 2 Peter as a “disputed book” and rejected its authenticity
(McDonald 2007, pp. 309, 396; Ehrman 2013, p. 223).
Didymus the Blind (c.
313 – 398 CE) referred to 2 Peter as a forgery (Ehrman 2013, p.
223).
Although Jerome (c. 347 –
420 CE) accepted 2 Peter as scripture, he mentions that many of
his colleagues did not (Price 2006, p. 833).
Even after doubts about the
authenticity of 2 Peter began to wane with the publication of
Athanasius’ Thirty-ninth Festal Letter in 367
CE, the Syrian churches questioned it until the sixth century CE and
Martin Luther had his doubts (McDonald 2007, p. 396).
There is no clear
evidence that 2 Peter was quoted by the Church Fathers before the 3rd
century CE (McDonald 2007, footnote 89, p. 277; Ehrman 2012, p.
485).
