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“Revision Vs. Reality”
Categories: DOCTRINE, NEW TESTAMENTThe argument is made that Paul never mentioned Mary, Joseph, Calvary, Pilate, Bethlehem, the virgin birth, the tomb, etc. because these gospel stories had not yet developed. His Christ was a celestial being of a Platonic formula and not a literal historical Jesus figure. How would you answer that?Sincerely,
Don’t Drop The Details
Dear Don’t Drop The Details,
It is important to note that any time someone makes a claim that is contrary to what the majority of historians teach, the responsibility is on the person making the claim to prove their case. That would be the first answer we would give to the argument. You can’t just say that Paul taught Jesus as a celestial being and not a legitimate historical figure – you have to prove it. In fact, history teaches Jesus was a real person. Even the secular writers Josephus and Tacitus mentioned Jesus as a real, flesh-and-blood person.
Secondly, we would point out that Paul does mention some of the things on that list. In Rom 6:1-4, Paul mentions Jesus’ death and resurrection from the tomb. In 1 Tim 6:13, Paul notes that Jesus stood before Pilate. Php 2:8 (amongst many others such as Col 1:20-24, Eph 2:16, Gal 6:14, 1 Cor 1:18) clearly states that Jesus was crucified (which implies the location of Calvary and Golgotha). Paul was aware of the story of Christ’s life and mentioned those details when appropriate. In fact, one of the writers of the four Gospels was Luke – Paul’s traveling companion.
