Hi
Saul of Tartus The False Apostle as Acts 1:21 States
And was his Alias that of Simon Magus
Saul was also known by his Latin epithet, Paul owing to his small stature! The Roman name Paul comes from Paulum (nominative Paulus) which literally means ‘small.’ Many Christians are led to believe that Jesus changed Saul’s name to Paul during the so-called Christophany on the road to Damascus, which in truth was an epileptic seizure, see Acts 22:17. There is no scriptural evidence, however, to support a name change form, Saul, to Paul. Acts 9:4 it is Saul, Saul! Acts 9:17 Ananias calls him Saul, not Paul. The same is said in Acts 13:2 when the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ He is called “Saul” eleven (11) more times after his so-called conversion.
We first see the name Paul mentioned in Acts 13:13, and the person that changed Saul’s name to Paul or gave Saul another name was the author of Acts 13, who is said to be Luke? But, who was this Paul? We go back four verses and find the answer in Acts 13:9 “But Saul, who was also called Paul.”
The German scholar Ferdinand Christian Baur (1792-1860) stated that there are four different “Pauls” in the New Testament, not one, and each is quite distinct from the others. With New Testament scholars today generally agreed on this point.
The four different Paul’s falling in the categories:
1) Authentic or Early Paul: 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, and Philemon (50s-60s A.D.)
2) Disputed Paul or Deutero-Pauline: 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, Colossians (80-100 A.D.)
3) Pseudo–Paul or the Pastorals: 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus (80-100 A.D.)
4) Tendentious or Legendary Paul: Acts of the Apostles (90-130 A.D.)
As you can see the above information from Acts falls in the category of Tendentious or Legendary Paul.
So, who was Paul and what did early Christians fathers and modern scholars think of Paul? Well, he was not liked, in fact, he is hated/loathed by the Jews. What we know of Paul is from Paul, he tells us his story which does not synchronize with what early Church-fathers say of him.
Paul claimed to be (a) student of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) (b) Pharisee like his father (Acts 23:6) as well (c) being from the Tribe of Benjamin who was from Tartus (Asia Minor)?
Each one of these boasts can be refuted by early Christians and Jews. However, if we are to believe Acts, then Paul is complicit to murder (Acts 7:58).
(a) We know this from Paul and only Paul. He was not the scholar he makes out to be! His authentic works were written by three or more scribes. Epiphanius who was writing on the Gospel of the Ebionites and Paul, wrote: Eusebius maintains that the Ebionites rejected the Epistles of Paul and called him a “renegade” from the Law… Amongst other books they used, Epiphanius mentions the Acts of the Apostles, Ascent of James, and the Itinerary of Peter by Clement of Rome. They also attempted to “denigrate” Paul, for example, by saying that he was a pagan, with a pagan mother and father.
I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord. Romans 16:22 NKJV. Not forgetting that Paul was a Tent-maker and suffered with his eyes amongst other things. See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! Galatians 6:11. Which biblical scholars attest are the salutation by the hand of Paul. After his amanuensis had finished the epistle. Other amanuenses that scribed for Paul are Tychicus and Onesimus. See the commentary from Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible: http://biblehub.com/commentaries/colossians/4-18.htm
(b) Paul claim of being a Pharisee like his father is debunked by church-fathers such as Eusebius of Caesarea aka Eusebius Pamphili (263-339), Epiphanius (310-403) and Jerome (347-c. 420) as well as the Jewish/Israel Chronology. Epiphanius who was writing on the Gospel of the Ebionites and Paul, wrote: Eusebius maintains that the Ebionites rejected the Epistles of Paul and called him a “renegade” from the Law… Amongst other books they used, Epiphanius mentions the Acts of the Apostles, Ascent of James, and the Itinerary of Peter by Clement of Rome. They also attempted to “denigrate” Paul, for example, by saying that he was a pagan, with a pagan mother and father. Paul by his very narrative as well as his stance on circumcision is anti-Jew!
(c) The tribe of Benjamin went extinct six centuries before Paul in 599 BCE, according to the Chronology of Israel. When both tribes, Benjamin and Judah went into Babylonian captivity. The other 10 tribes were lost in 721 BCE.
So who was Paul? Was Paul’s alias Simon Magnus?
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” -Matthew 7:15
“Simon Magus” is none other than Saul/Paul of Tarsus, whose name was replaced by someone, but whose depiction is quite clear. Clement was St. Peter’s hand-picked successor and much of the material that follows is from the Clementine Homilies and Recognitions. In the works, much is said concerning a doctrinal battle between Peter and a magician named Simon Magus.
Scholars are certain that ‘Simon’ is a pseudonym for St. Paul and that the disputes mentioned are really between Peter and Paul. In writing about this matter G. Strecker states:
“It is true that in the basic writing the statements in question are directed against Simon Magus, and in this way veiled; nevertheless the allusions to citations from the Pauline letters, above all to the discussion between Paul and Peter in Antioch (Galatians 2:11ff), the designation of the magician as a missionary to the Gentiles, and not least the scarcely disguised attitude of the Epistula Petri (the letter from Peter to James that I mentioned earlier) show that in the Kerygmata Petrou (preaching of Peter) source they are levelled against Paul.” (Apostolic Pseudepigrapha, p. 108)*
Hans-Joachim Schoeps, Professor of Religious History, in Germany, and a recognized expert on matters dealing with St. Paul concurs:
This conflict is developed to its full extreme in the presentation of the Kerygmata Petrou, which reproduces similarly the point of view of the Judaistic opponents of Paul. Their old enemy here appears under the pseudonym ‘Simon.” This “Simon who Is also Paul…” (Jewish Christianity, p. 51)
If you don’t have access to the books cited above this link below will suffice:
[http://false-apostle-paul-archive.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/simon-magus-is-none-other-than-saulpaul.html (retrieved 12/03/2014)]
*Full title of the book is: New Testament Apocrypha: Writing Related to the Apostles – Apocalypse and Related Subjects V 2: Writing Related to the Apostles – Apocalypse and Related Subjects
What do you say?
Keep safe!
Cofion
Jero Jones
Article URL : https://breakingnewsandreligion.online/discuss/