'Apologie' for an Apostle

Brainerd and I have been reading a book these past couple of days. The author makes covert suggestions that the apostle Paul had a clandestine motive for preaching the message that he did. It must be added that the idea she is trying to purport is not even a novelty, but cud that popular media masticates to a pulp. We see countless instances where television documentaries and popular books vie for the attention of an audience who would concur with their undermining of traditionally held values and beliefs.

The author’s not so blatant claims aim at projecting Paul as being an ill-informed, self-contradicting, self-seeking, man who oft allowed the status quo to remain for fear of opposition. She says that the hellenistic Paul never fully understood the essence of the Torah (The Jewish bible, and the first five books of the Christian bible), hence he pitted the gospel of love against the religion of Laws. In addition to this she adds that Paul contradicts himself when he talks about the observance of the Law. Furthermore, she says that Paul fearing the discredit of the Romans abstained from addressing issues like slavery. Finally she delivers what surely would appear like a deathblow to the very germ of traditional Christian belief by suggesting that the Christian faith is but the creation of one man called Paul.

The author’s claims appear alluring till one delves deeper into Scripture. Paul might have been informed by the Greek translation of the Torah, but one must also add that he learned at the feet of Gamaliel, a Palestinian master of Jewish law. Paul doesn’t contradict himself when talking about the Law, rather all along he states the inadequacy of the law in providing salvation; It is vital that we understand that while the Christian faith subscribes to salvation through Christ, nowhere does it undermine the place of good works that the Law requires in the life of a saved human being.

In answering the final suggestions that the author makes regarding the self-seeking nature of Paul, I can only go back to his conversion, the life of hardship and imprisonment and his eventual martyrdom. Paul, an ardent persecutor of the church ,had his life-altering experience on the road to Damascus. His conversion was almost dream-like. Only days ago he participated in the execution of Stephen, one of the early Christian believers, and now he was on his way with letters from the high priest to the synagogues at Damascus authorizing him to bring bound any follower of what was then called the Way. Nothing save divine intervention could have brought about so great a change. So devout a person, could not have abandoned all that he held close to his heart just in order to create personal, posthumous fame. If fear of the Romans held sway in Paul’s life he wouldn’t have willingly allowed himself to stand trial and even face death in the hands of the Romans. In my opinion nothing authenticates the message more than a life so drastically transformed – from persecutor to persecuted!

In Paul we do have a member of “so great a cloud of witness.” May our conversion experience be as real if not as dramatic as Paul’s and may we be willing to be as fearless for the sake of Christ and His gospel.