Hi
I will not start Paul bashing, I don’t have to, I love Jesus and Mary and I would be presenting their teachings and their life account which are distinctively different from Paul. Paul is insignificant.
I will be however giving some excerpts from the research article of Mr. A. Victor Garaffa, so that those who have interest in Paul could read the research article themselves and form their own opinion.
“The vision that Paul speaks of, and certainly narrated to Luke, has four different versions. No witnesses are named, but far more important, it had no consistent witnesses. They hear the voice but do not see the light; they see the light but do not hear the voice, in the third they see and hear nothing, and in the fourth, there is no one else save Paul.” By A. Victor Garaffa
Which narration is correct in your honest opinion?
Thanks
All four. We’ll go over them point by point in just a second. But first an anecdote. As for myself, I have frequently recounted my conversion from atheist to Catholic. I have noted that many times my recounting is different, yet it is always truth.
Sometimes I recount that my conversion began with the birth of my first daughter. Other times I recount that I began to realize the existence of God when I met my wife.Other times I begin when I first learned that our first child, our daughter mentioned above was conceived. There are many variations and many ways that I’ve recounted my own conversion, yet they are all true.
Now lets go over St. Paul’s conversion, point by point, in light of Garafa’s statement:
- No witnesses are named,
Answer: The witness was the powerful conversion and grace which flowed though Paul whose life was witnessed and recounted by St. Luke and whose miracles were witnessed by the entire Church.
- But far more important, it had no consistent witnesses.
Answer: The witnesses are quite consistent.
2a.They hear the voice but do not see the light;
Acts 9:
- 7And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
**This verse does not meniton a light at all. I mentions that they saw no man. Whether they saw a light or not is not divulged until the next recounting of this account.
Note also that they heard “a” voice. This doesn’t say whose voice. It might have been angels talking to these men.
**
*2b. they see the light but do not hear the voice,
*Acts 22
** 9And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
**Now we know that these men did indeed see a light but saw no man. Nor did they hear “the voice of him that spake to me.” From the previous recounting we know that they indeed heard a voice, but from this recounting we know that they did not hear Jesus’ voice.
***2c. in the third they see and hear nothing,
***Read the account in Acts 26 for yourself. In this account Paul never mentions anything except what he felt, saw and heard. ***
2d. and in the fourth, there is no one else save Paul.” .
***Again, read the account for yourself. Paul only briefly mentions his conversion experience as the time when God pleased to reveal to him His Son. The rest of that account is about what he did after his conversion.
Perhaps Muslims will one day learn that God is in the details.
Sincerely,
De Maria