How can we trust St Paul?

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natrix

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Or maybe another way of asking it is why do St Paul’s writings carry so much weight?

Where should Paul be placed in terms of authority?

It seems that Paul’s teachings are treated just as important by the church as the teachings of Jesus.

If Paul’s teachings don’t contradict those of Jesus, as some argue, they certainly seem to add to them and/or give an interpretion of what should be emphasised.

This authority that is given to a man who never met the earthly Jesus and in whom we need to take a “leap of faith” to believe his conversion story.

I am far from an expert on the subject, but there seems to be a long line of critics, Christian and non-Christian, many of them great thinkers, who take issue with Paul (there is a list online, but as a new user I can’t post the link - google: criticisms of paul).

I ask these questions not to debate, but to seek clarification.

Peace be with you.
 
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I read somewhere that one of the fundamental differences between Catholics and Protestants is that Catholics interpret St. Paul through the lens of Jesus, while Protestants interpret Jesus through the lens of St. Paul.
 
He was an apostle, so has very high status as a great saint, apostle, and Holy writer.

It is important to read him in context of Christ and the early Church, and not just take what he says at face value. Pope St Peter himself said that Paul is difficult to understand. He often spoke deep truths, things that take time to ponder upon.
 
Here is a list that was posted on CL ReFo, quite a few
are really weak & easy to refute

Paul’s Contradictions of Jesus < > 2017-10-20 19:12
Here is a list of the major contradictions by Paul of things Jesus taught.

List of 25 Contradictions Expounded Below
• Jesus Says Not To Eat Meat Sacrificed to Idols, But Paul Says It Is Ok
• Jesus Says The Law Continues, But Paul Says No
• Paul Says The Pharisees Followed The Law Rigorously, But Jesus Says They Were Lax About The Law
• Jesus Says Salvation Initiates And Continues By Repentance From Sin and Obedience Besides Faith; Paul Says This is Heresy
• Jesus Tells Apostles To Teach His Commands Given Prior to His Ascension While In The Flesh, But Paul Says Not To Do So
• Paul Says Elders Are Entitled To Pay for ‘Preaching & Teaching,’ But Jesus Says No
• Jesus Teaches There Are Only 12 Apostles Into Eternity, But Paul Adds Himself To The List As a Thirteenth
• Paul Exhorts Celibacy, But Jesus Clearly Says It is A Choice Not Within Everyone’s Power
• Jesus Says There Is One Pastor and Teacher (Himself), But Paul Says There Are Many Pastors and Teachers
• Paul Says God Is The God of the Dead, But Jesus Says God Is Not The God of the Dead
• Paul Says God Does Not Live in Temples Made of Human Hands, But Jesus Says He Does
• Jesus says Nations Of The World Are Under Satan, But Paul Says Their Rulers Are Agents of God
• Jesus Teaches Rapture is Of Evil Ones First, But Paul Teaches The Opposite
• Jesus Says A Call Is Revocable, But Paul Says It Is Irrevocable
• Jesus Says Some Are Righteous, But Paul Says It Is Impossible
• Paul Excludes Eating With Sinners But Christ’s Example We Are To Follow, and the Lost Sheep Parable, Is Contrary
• Paul Teaches We Are Eternally Secure, But Jesus Teaches Insecurity to a Sinning Believer
• Paul Teaches In Original Sin But Jesus Contradicts
• Jesus’ Command About Calling Anyone Fool Is Violated by Paul
• Paul Denies Obedience Grants Any Righteousness Unto Life, But Jesus Says It Does
• Jesus Sends The Apostles to Baptize, But Paul Says Jesus Did Not Send Him to Baptize
• Jesus Says the Merciful Receive Mercy, But Paul Says Only Those God Chooses Arbitrarily Will Receive Mercy
• Paul Says Salvation Does Not Depend Upon Exertion, But Jesus Says It Does
• Paul Says He Could Be Justified of The Sin that Never Could be Justified under the Law given Moses (Blasphemy), but Jesus says to the contrary that it is The Unpardonable Sin.
• Paul Says Flesh will not inherit the Kingdom of God, but Jesus in Flesh ascended to heaven, and promises to resurrect our bodies to heaven / New Jerusalem, giving us the same physical resurrection that Jesus had.
 
All we know is that Jesus chose Paul for a reason. Paul had a personal encounter with Jesus and later met with and was taught by some of the apostles. He’s not just some random guy who started writing armchair theology for fun. I think we can trust him.
 
Being an “apostle” and promoter of someone is no evidence of trustworthiness. History is replete with examples.
 
Why do we venerate Augustine and Aquinas for their teachings? Or Teresa of Avila for her spiritual experiences? The Church recognizes that part of her job is to continue even now to better understand and clarify the teachings of Christ.
 
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natrix said:
Or maybe another way of asking it is why do St Paul’s writings carry so much weight?
Where should Paul be placed in terms of authority?
It seems that Paul’s teachings are treated just as important by the church as the teachings of Jesus.
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Interesting post. I’ve been thinking about posting on this exact subject for some time, but you put forth all the same questions I have regarding Paul.

When I was a child in Church and Paul’s readings would come up I always wondered “who is this person and why does he sound like he knows more than Jesus?” Paul’s letters always had so many “I’s” in them. He would constantly talk about himself and what he thought Jesus would want. A little strange, especially since none of the other apostles seemed to be so self-centered and yet revered so much by the Church.

Maybe it’s because he preached to the Gentiles that made the Roman Church so fond of him. Or that he was a Roman himself.
 
The Church made those decisions early on regarding early authors, circulating the writings valued as inspired while rejecting others, eventually canonizing the accepted ones to form the New Testament. But even then all Scripture must be read in light of the historical context, the Spirit who inspired it, and the continous teachings and understanding of the Church. Otherwise we’re sort of shooting in the dark, using “best-guess” exegesis.

As far as later writers go, the Church continues to make similar decisions, deeming that some concepts from a particular writer are valid and profitable, while others may not be.
 
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Most important to remember about Paul is that he is an apostle and therefore has the same status as other apostles. He met Jesus on the way to Damascus, blinded, and given back his sight after he met Ananias in a temple.

An apostle’s teaching is considered authoritative. In fact Christianity is a religion of apostolic witnesses as Jesus did not write any book. Jesus’ teachings were reported, taught and practiced by the apostles.

When news of Christian converts in Antioch reached the apostles in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to investigate. He was glad to see them and he seek Paul out from Tarsus, so that they could teach them. Their teachings therefore were endorsed by the apostles in Jerusalem. The followers in Antioch were the first to be called Christians.

God bless.
 
deMontfort said:
I read somewhere that one of the fundamental differences between Catholics and Protestants is that Catholics interpret St. Paul through the lens of Jesus, while Protestants interpret Jesus through the lens of St. Paul.
Click to expand...
Wow! That is right, I never thought of it that way.
 
Hi!

Did you know that that’s one of the many Mysteries held in Scriptures?

I wish I were able to present a mathematical formula that would allow everyone to understand God’s Revelation.

1 + 1 + 1 = 1

How?

There is but One Living God.

The Father is God (1) + the Son is God (1) + the Holy Spirit is God (1) = One!

If we are to be persuaded that St. Paul’s retelling of his encounter with Jesus is false, then isn’t all of the Bible false?

Which would bring us to those pesky “experts” and “scholars.”

What do they have to sell, books and a thirst for fortune and fame or the Truth about God?

Let’s take the Holy Spirit, do they believe that He is God?

An Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient God?

Do they believe that the Holy Spirit is the means by Whom God Communicates with man?

This is what Sacred Scriptures Reveal: the Holy Spirit is God; He is the means by Whom man is Given to Know (Revelation) what God wants him to Know.

When John the Baptist was about six months old, in his mom’s womb, the Virgin, after Conceiving Jesus in her womb, visited Elizabeth. Baby John leaped with joy in his mom’s womb at the sound of the Virgin’s voice (it was the first time after Elizabeth’s conception that the Virgin visited, so how did John know how was there and, as experts and scholars hold not to be human life, how did he recognize a baby in the Virgin’s womb) and Elizabeth, caught up in the Holy Spirit, pronounced amazement at the visit of her Lord’s mother.

Baby Jesus, barely a few days old was pronounced Lord by the Holy Spirit through baby John and his mom!

Talk about Power of the Holy Spirit!

Is Jesus, the Second Person of God, less Powerful than the Third Person?

Our leap of Faith does not come from our need to believe St. Paul; it comes from our need to turn to God:
6 But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him. (Hebrews 11)
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Now, here’s how St. Paul describes himself:
8 And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians 15)
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Have many scholars, experts, and politicians gained notoriety and wealth by denouncing themselves as less then the rest?

Maran atha!

Angel
 
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This is one of those situations when you must simply take the teaching authority of the Church on faith. The other apostles and disciples of Jesus knew Paul well and accepted his teaching after his conversion. He was held in high esteem early on, and the early church fathers accepted his teachings when they finalized the canon of Scripture. It takes faith to believe that Jesus would protect the Church, His Bride, and prevent her from spreading error by canonizing the wrong books. Do you trust that the Church had her God-given authority to interpret and canonize Scripture? Jesus is ultimately in charge and we can trust that He wouldn’t come to Earth and then let the Church all go to pot after He ascended into Heaven.

And with proper study and interpretation of Paul’s writings through the Catholic lens, you can learn that he is not contradicting Jesus in any way…he is expanding on His teachings. Jesus promised that His Spirit would guide us into all truth…St. Paul was one of the instruments that the Spirit used.

And studying Scripture is really fun! Even more fun now that I can rest in the authority of the Church and not be blown about by varying Protestant doctrines. So if something Paul said bothers you, don’t be afraid to dive in and search for what the Church teaches about it. I love that studying the Bible with a Catholic mindset is so intellectually honest and freeing.
 
Everything Saint Paul did, Paul did for Christ, for the deep love of Christ. Six Popes, have honored this Saint by taking his name. [not including JPI and JPII] Paul is credited with laying much of the foundation of Christ’s church, and knowingly went to death as Martyr. We owe a great debt to Saint Paul.
 
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