First they say “love thy neighbor as thyself”; then they say “save yourself, now, before it’s too late (to Hell with everyone else.)” Which is it? Or are they the same?
It may be analogous to what they say in the airplane safety message: Take care of your own oxygen before helping someone else. Or it could just be the case that some people are more equal than others.
Yes it's so striking that Paul had never met Jesus, and that he seems so unconcerned with Jesus the man and with his life. It's all about the salvation for him--Jesus is just an object to invest with his belief.
Wow, lots to think about. Thanks, Skipper. I've read all the letters of Paul fairly recently. One of the things that prompted me was my brother's comment about his misogyny. I remembered a passage or two from Paul that could be misogynistic but I set out to read all the letters with the hope I could defend him against such a charge. But nope, the misogyny is definitely there, pretty strongly in several places.
But I think you're a bit too quick to paint Paul as a salvation by faith alone kinda guy. It's more complex than that. More later.
Yes, his letters are just that, letters. They are not some sort of literary affectation he adopts in lieu of a speech. And I'm sure we would edit our emails to friends more carefully if we knew they would be the foundation for a world religion that lasted thousands of years.
Just a layman's guess: Paul's personal traits must have played a role, but I believe it was more because Paul always had a very specific audience in mind when writing. Hey Corinthians, I heard some of you are adulterers, so let's talk about it kind of approach.
First they say “love thy neighbor as thyself”; then they say “save yourself, now, before it’s too late (to Hell with everyone else.)” Which is it? Or are they the same?
It may be analogous to what they say in the airplane safety message: Take care of your own oxygen before helping someone else. Or it could just be the case that some people are more equal than others.
Yes it's so striking that Paul had never met Jesus, and that he seems so unconcerned with Jesus the man and with his life. It's all about the salvation for him--Jesus is just an object to invest with his belief.
Your observation about beliefs/behavior correlating with which texts you prioritize is useful.
Wow, lots to think about. Thanks, Skipper. I've read all the letters of Paul fairly recently. One of the things that prompted me was my brother's comment about his misogyny. I remembered a passage or two from Paul that could be misogynistic but I set out to read all the letters with the hope I could defend him against such a charge. But nope, the misogyny is definitely there, pretty strongly in several places.
But I think you're a bit too quick to paint Paul as a salvation by faith alone kinda guy. It's more complex than that. More later.
Yes, his letters are just that, letters. They are not some sort of literary affectation he adopts in lieu of a speech. And I'm sure we would edit our emails to friends more carefully if we knew they would be the foundation for a world religion that lasted thousands of years.
Just a layman's guess: Paul's personal traits must have played a role, but I believe it was more because Paul always had a very specific audience in mind when writing. Hey Corinthians, I heard some of you are adulterers, so let's talk about it kind of approach.