“Only One Cog In The Machine Pt. 2”

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

(This is a follow-up to “Only One Cog In The Machine”)

Thanks for your reply.  This is very interesting history.  How is it possible that Paul never mentions what he heard about Jesus in Jerusalem since they were both about the same age?  His story starts as a persecutor of the early Jewish followers at the behest of the Sadduccee establishment, but Paul was around for years before that when Jesus was still alive, and he never mentions having heard of Him or having known of Him when they were both in Judea.

How many of the other preachers and teachers does Christianity believe were required to have revelations like Paul? And if there were so many other apostles and preachers, why does Christianity focus almost exclusively on Paul's epistles?

I know there are also a few other epistles (Jude, John, James, Hebrews) that Paul didn't write, but presumably other preachers also had congregations they were working with, so what happened to them and their epistles, and why don't people like Polycarp get included?

Although his congregations may have known about the history, doesn't it seem unusual that Paul does not include an occasional reference to any of the historical events or sayings of Jesus (such as "Remember what we heard from our Lord on the Mount, let us recall the events as Christ was led to Calvary, do not forget the greatness of His mother Mary, let us recall what He told His followers in Galilee," etc.)?

Plus, since Acts identifies Paul as a student of Rabbi Gamaliel, why don't we find any references to anything he ever learned at the feet of the greatest Jewish sage of the day, the head of the Sanhedrin?  Presumably, there were great and valuable teachings and ethical aphorisms that he heard, not to mention relevant issues regarding the Torah; yet, Paul never mentions a single one.

Sincerely,
Passionate About Paul

Dear Passionate About Paul,

You are asking why Paul didn't say this or that – the answer is simple... he did say other things instead.  It is impossible to explain why Paul mentioned certain facts about Christ's life and left others out.  The short answer is that he mentioned what he did because that was necessary to make the point he was making at the time.  The Bible isn't a compilation of every detail and every sermon that was ever preached in the first century.  In fact, John specifically says there wouldn't be enough ink to write down all that Jesus did (Jhn 21:25).  The Bible includes what God believed was necessary for mankind to know in order to live and be godly (2 Pet. 1:3).  Polycarp, like many other later writers, was not inspired, and his works, though illuminating and insightful, are not directly from the mind of God.

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