Paul and Jesus

PRAISE FOR PAUL AND JESUS

“James Tabor is a meticulous historian who carefully and convincingly lays out the actual Jewish theology of earliest Christianity which lies shrouded in the New Testament. . . . Tabor’s thorough yet succinct writing style brings a welcome new clarity to our understanding of the development of Christianity.”

—The Rev. Jeffrey J. Bütz, S.T.M., adjunct professor of Religious Studies, Penn State University, and author of The Brother of Jesus and the Lost Teachings of Christianity

“A fresh, imaginative and insightful treatment of the original years of the Christian faith. It is not as we have been taught through the centuries. It is infinitely more complex and infinitely more exciting. James Tabor makes this clear.”

—John Shelby Spong, author of Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World

“This superb, well written book carefully shows just how different Paul’s religion was from that of Jesus and his first followers. . . . A fascinating book, packed with illuminating insights. Highly recommended.”

—Barrie Wilson, Ph.D., Professor, Humanities and Religious Studies, York University, and author of How Jesus Became Christian

“Tabor does a particularly fine job of explaining Paul’s unique view of Jesus. . . . The crisp, clear writing gives readers much to consider—especially the fact that it is a Pauline Christianity that most Christians practice today. . . . The depth of his scholarship shows, but he also makes this an enjoyable read for those who want to know more about one of history’s great mysteries.”

—Booklist (starred review)

“Digging beneath the acceptable, scholars like Tabor . . . break through assumptions—even the sacred ones—and give rise to new perspectives and stories.”

—Robert Orlando, Huffington Post

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CONTENTS

MAP: THE WORLD OF PAUL

TIMELINE OF MAJOR EVENTS AND FIGURES

PREFACE: DISCOVERING PAUL

INTRODUCTION: PAUL AND JESUS

ONE: CHRISTIANITY BEFORE PAUL

TWO: RETHINKING RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

THREE: READING THE GOSPELS IN THE LIGHT OF PAUL

FOUR: LAST BUT NOT LEAST

FIVE: A COSMIC FAMILY AND A HEAVENLY KINGDOM

SIX: A MYSTICAL UNION WITH CHRIST

SEVEN: ALREADY BUT NOT YET

EIGHT: THE TORAH OF CHRIST

NINE: THE “BATTLE OF THE APOSTLES”

APPENDIX: THE QUEST FOR THE HISTORICAL PAUL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT JAMES D. TABOR

NOTES

INDEX

TO MY ESTEEMED TEACHER

JONATHAN Z. SMITH

WHO FIRST TAUGHT ME TO MAKE

THE FAMILIAR STRANGE

AND THE STRANGE FAMILIAR

TIMELINE OF MAJOR EVENTS AND FIGURES

63 B.C.

Roman conquest of Palestine by Pompey; Judea made a province

31 B.C.–A.D. 14

Rule of Augustus, 1st emperor of Rome

37–4 B.C.

Rule of Herod the Great, King of the Jews, over Palestine

4 B.C.

Death of Herod the Great and uprisings in Galilee and Judea

5 B.C.

Birth of John the Baptizer, Jesus, and Paul

4 B.C.–A.D. 39

Rule of Herod Antipas, son of Herod, over Galilee and Perea

A.D. 14–37

Rule of Tiberius, 2nd emperor of Rome

A.D. 29

Execution of John the Baptizer

A.D. 30

Execution of Jesus

A.D. 37

Conversion of Paul to the Nazarene movement

A.D. 37–41

Rule of Caligula, 3rd emperor of Rome

A.D. 41–54

Rule of Claudius, 4th emperor of Rome

A.D. 50

Jerusalem conference

A.D. 51–56

Paul preaches in Asia Minor and Greece, writes his early letters

A.D. 54

Rule of Nero, 5th emperor of Rome

A.D. 56

Paul’s final trip to Jerusalem: confrontation with James

A.D. 62

Execution of James the brother of Jesus

A.D. 64–67

Paul’s imprisonment in Rome and his execution

A.D. 69–79

Rule of Vespasian, 6th emperor of Rome; destruction of Jerusalem, A.D. 70

PREFACE

DISCOVERING PAUL

I have spent my thirty-year career as a scholar of Christian origins investigating the silence between two back-to-back statements of the Apostles’ Creed, namely that Jesus was “Conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary” and that he “Was crucified, died, and was buried, and on the third day He rose again from the dead.”¹

Is it not striking that this oldest and most foundational Christian creed jumps from Jesus’ birth to his death and resurrection, entirely skipping over his life?