•Paul (formerly Saul) was a Jewish Roman citizen who was one of the greatest enemies of Jesus.
•Although Paul left Tarsus, a city in Cilicia (in present day Turkey) for Jerusalem during the time of Jesus, Paul never met Jesus or any of his closest apostles.
•Paul was responsible for the persecution of Nazarenes (early Christians). Paul even killed some Nazarenes.
•It is reported that before his “vision” Paul desired to marry a women called Popea, who was the beautiful and ambitious daughter of the high priest of the Jews. She rejected Paul’s offer for marriage and went to Rome to pursue a career as an actress. She rose in ranks until she slept with Nero and ultimately married him. Due to this, Paul had good reason to resent both Jews and Romans.
•On a journey to Damascus, Paul claimed to have met Jesus in a vision and became a follower as a result.
•Paul began preaching the so-called ‘teachings of Christ’.
•Paul claimed that Jesus was the ‘son of God’.
•The Jews considered this blasphemy and began to persecute him.
•In preaching to non-Jews Paul was highly successful, he became known as the “Apostle to the Gentiles” and the greatest propagator of Christianity.
Paul’s corruption of Christianity
•The longer Paul preached the further he drifted away from the teachings of Jesus.
•Paul’s teaching were greatly influenced
by many forms of Paganism: Greek, Roman, Persian, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, etc.
•Paul taught the concept of Jesus as "The Word", who was the ‘Son of God’.
•Although, he did not teach the divinity of Jesus nor the doctrine of the Trinity.
•Paul taught concepts such as Jesus dying for our sins and that his suffering redeems his followers.
•Paul also helped shift the image of Jesus as a man to the new image of Christ who was no longer a Prophet of God but was a separate yet indivisible part of God.
•He taught that man can only achieve salvation and forgiveness by accepting Christ.
•This concept allowed followers to disregard Jewish Law such as circumcision.
•Paul believed that these additions were necessary if his version of Christianity was to succeed in the Roman Empire that was home to many pagan and mysterious
religions.
•Many of these pagan convert brought with them their pagan ideas and rituals.
•This new image of ‘Christ’ allowed the intellectuals in Greece and Rome to assimilate their own philosophy of what Paul and his followers were preaching.
•Paul believed that he needed to introduce Christ this way in order to get the Roman’s to accept the teachings.
•In the Bible Paul is found to have said, “But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?”
•The Roman view of God/ existence was a tripartite one.
•As mentioned in a previous lesson Rome had three forms of government.
•Rome also had the concept of Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto being the three major interconnected Gods.
•This tripartite (consisting of three parts) view was not unique to Rome, in the Indian religion there is the trinitarian group of Brahma, Vishna, and Shiva. In
Ancient Egyptian religion there is the group of gods called Osiris, Isis and Horus. In Greece they were Zeus, Poseidon, and Aidoneus. In Babylonia and Assyria they were Anos, lllinos, and Aos.
•There where many other civilizations that had this tripartite view of God including but not limited to the Persians, the Phoenicians, the Celtic nations, the Germanic nations, Siberia, Japan, Scandinavia and Mexico.
•Later, they included the ‘Holy Ghost’ into Paul’s concept of Jesus being the son of the father and the ‘Trinity’ was born.
•The Greek language was not vast nor supple enough to carry the entire meaning of what Jesus taught.
•The teachings were re-worded and changes were made.
•When the Hebrew Gospels were translated into Greek these changes were made permanent and all previous Gospels in Hebrew were destroyed or suppressed by
the church.
•Among the destroyed texts were the teachings of Barnabas, who was a close disciples of Jesus and propagated the original teachings of Jesus.
•The Gospel of Barnabas opposes the divinity of Jesus, it emphasizes that Jesus did not die on the cross, it condemns Paul and rejects his evangelism and it
explicitly prophesizes the coming of Muhammad by name.
•Paul was able to spread his teachings further than Barnabas because Paul was a Roman citizen who also spoke Greek; he was able to carefully maneuver in the
land
Paul’s influence on Christianity (continued ) ..... look for part one above, pls
•Posthumously, Barnabas’s teachings (Unitarian Christianity) spread to the east and to the south, eventually reaching across North Africa.
•Paul’s teachings spread up northwards up through Greece, Italy and then Europe.
•In 366 CE an order was issued by Pope Damasis that the Gospel of Barnabas should no longer be read.
•Similar decrees were issued in 382, 465 and 492.
•After that it disappeared from the pages of history until the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced in In February 2012, claim that a biblical
manuscript was deposited in the Ethnography Museum of Ankara.
•Many believe that it is the Gospel of Barnabas.
•Paul went on numerous missionary journeys throughout the Roman Empire. He started churches, then wrote letters back to them to offer counsel and
encouragement.
•Many of these letters would become part of the Christian scriptures, the "New Testament.“
•14 of the 27 books of the New Testament are attributed to Paul.
Paul's influence is so great on Early Christianity, that many scholars have attributed the founding of "Christianity" as we know it today to Paul, not Jesus.
format_quote Originally Posted by Khalid Saifullah
Paul’s influence on Christianity (continued ) ..... look for part one above, pls
•Posthumously, Barnabas’s teachings (Unitarian Christianity) spread to the east and to the south, eventually reaching across North Africa.
•Paul’s teachings spread up northwards up through Greece, Italy and then Europe.
•In 366 CE an order was issued by Pope Damasis that the Gospel of Barnabas should no longer be read.
•Similar decrees were issued in 382, 465 and 492.
•After that it disappeared from the pages of history until the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced in In February 2012, claim that a biblical
manuscript was deposited in the Ethnography Museum of Ankara.
•Many believe that it is the Gospel of Barnabas.
•Paul went on numerous missionary journeys throughout the Roman Empire. He started churches, then wrote letters back to them to offer counsel and
encouragement.
•Many of these letters would become part of the Christian scriptures, the "New Testament.“
•14 of the 27 books of the New Testament are attributed to Paul.
Paul's influence is so great on Early Christianity, that many scholars have attributed the founding of "Christianity" as we know it today to Paul, not Jesus.
if you can give me proof regarding your points brother, I'd appreciate it
Greetings and peace be with you Khalid Saifullah; thanks for sharing,
When I read scriptures from other faiths, I try and search for the good things that inspire me. When I read quotes from the Quran posted on this forum, I try and learn, it helps me find a greater understanding of my own Christian faith.
In the spirit of searching for a greatest meaning of 'One God'
format_quote Originally Posted by Khalid Saifullah
•Among the destroyed texts were the teachings of Barnabas, who was a close disciples of Jesus and propagated the original teachings of Jesus.
•The Gospel of Barnabas opposes the divinity of Jesus, it emphasizes that Jesus did not die on the cross, it condemns Paul and rejects his evangelism and it
explicitly prophesizes the coming of Muhammad by name.
•Paul was able to spread his teachings further than Barnabas because Paul was a Roman citizen who also spoke Greek; he was able to carefully maneuver in the
land
End
The so-called Gospel of Barnabas was a late forgery that contradicts both Christianity and Islam.
format_quote Originally Posted by Khalid Saifullah
14 of the 27 books of the New Testament are attributed to Paul.
Christians say there were a whole lot of books, many of which repeated themselves. The best were brought together in a library. Hence Bible is the greek word for library.
Muslims say "No, there was only one book, it was revealed to Christ and then corrupted.
So, how could a Muslim possibly claim there are 27 books in the New Testament?
Even we athiests know there were lots of books written by different authors and brought together to create the bible.
The gospels of Mathew, Mark Luke and John are like 4 witnesses to a football match - and they wrote about it many years later. No matter the details they all agree on the result.
.
Khalid bro, Paul didn't just kill some Nazarenes - he was anchored mercenary paid to kill the nazarenes
the guy is as dodgy as sin
even the Jews as well as the companions of Jesus loathes Paul because he preached a completely different doctrine to what the Old Testament did - and Jesus pbuh observed the Torah laws while Paul did away with them.
this angered the children of Israel so much that the followers of Jesus and the children of Israel both attempted to stone Paul to death but the "Romans" protected him and told him "go preach to the Gentiles" instead coz they knew no better lol
the irony is - Jesus pbuh said "I have only come for the lost sheep of Israel" - not no Gentiles lol
Khalid bro, Paul didn't just kill some Nazarenes - he was anchored mercenary paid to kill the nazarenes
the guy is as dodgy as sin
even the Jews as well as the companions of Jesus loathes Paul because he preached a completely different doctrine to what the Old Testament did - and Jesus pbuh observed the Torah laws while Paul did away with them.
this angered the children of Israel so much that the followers of Jesus and the children of Israel both attempted to stone Paul to death but the "Romans" protected him and told him "go preach to the Gentiles" instead coz they knew no better lol
the irony is - Jesus pbuh said "I have only come for the lost sheep of Israel" - not no Gentiles lol
Paul - one dajjal among many
Scimi
What are the historical sources for your claims that Jesus’s companions loathed Paul and that Jesus’s followers attempted to stone Paul?
Also, do you know the context of when the Lord Jesus said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”? It was just before He helped a Gentile woman and her daughter.
What are the historical sources for your claims that Jesus’s companions loathed Paul and that Jesus’s followers attempted to stone Paul?
Jewish Encyclopedia website has the dirt, if you wanna dig
format_quote Originally Posted by goodwill
Also, do you know the context of when the Lord Jesus said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”? It was just before He helped a Gentile woman and her daughter.
I'm not sure you understand your own words here goodwill, Jesus helping a gentile woman and preaching torah to the children of Israel are two very different things.
The so-called Gospel of Barnabas was a late forgery that contradicts both Christianity and Islam.
Good point. Lots of Muslims use the Gospel of Barnabas (there are actually two which can become confusing, the other being the Epistle of Barnabus) as some sort of proof, whilst not realising that other parts of the very same text directly contradict the teachings of Quran.
I find it odd that Muslims would use such a book as proof against Christianity when it also contradicts a lot of Christian teachings and thus - rejected from the canon.
Not to mention, the Canon wasn't exactly "clean cut" if you know what I mean.
Either way, it just makes the use of such a work (Gospel of Barnabas), unworkable.
Jewish Encyclopedia website has the dirt, if you wanna dig
I'm not sure you understand your own words here goodwill, Jesus helping a gentile woman and preaching torah to the children of Israel are two very different things.
Scimi
Do you view the Jewish Encyclopedia as an unbiased source of information about the apostle Paul? Do you also consider the Jewish Encyclopedia to be reliable in what it says about Jesus and Muhammad? Or, like the Gospel of Barnabas, does the Jewish Encyclopedia contradict both Christianity and Islam? If you like Jewish sources, I know of a collection of mostly Jewish sources that is more reliable
The Lord Jesus not only helped the Gentiles, but He also commended the greatness of their faith in Him. The Hebrew prophets had indicated long before that the Messiah’s mission would extend also to the Gentiles, our Lord’s “other sheep.” Even the Quran calls the Torah and Gospel “a guidance for mankind” rather than a guidance for the Jews alone (3:3,4).
I find it odd that Muslims would use such a book as proof against Christianity.
Scimi
I do not find it odd. Surah 7:157 claims that Muhammad is mentioned in the Bible. But since Muhammad is not mentioned in the Bible, it is understandable that some would look to the Gospel of Barnabas for that reference.
The truth is: Jesus was a *jew* preaching *judaism* to other jews.
We also know that Jesus claimed to be the messaih who would bring back the kingdom of God to this world.
And simply that is why the romans attempted to crucify him.
Fast forward.
The Roman Emporer (sorry forgot his name) converted to christianity and decided that there was too much contorversy regarding the consensus on the divinity of Christ. He summoned all the Christian clergy for the Council of Nicea. And there you have it Roman Catholicism was born. They approved of the divinity of Christ and the trinity.
Honestly I think if Jesus came back to this world he will destruct the greedy banks, abolish the vatican, and spend the rest of his life in Africa or Asia helping people who live in povert.
That said. I love Jesus Christ. I think he is one of the most extraordinary men that lived on earth. I try my best to follow his amazing teachings. However, no matter which way I look at it I just can't bring myself to worship a man. I have serious issues with men. But that is not entirely why I rejecr the notion that Christ is Lord. There maybe historical evidence he was crucified as mentioned in Zealot(didn't read the whole book just excerpts) or it was Judas the traitor who God Almighty made to look like him. I just think that worshipping people is not the right way to the Divine.
That said. I love Jesus Christ. I think he is one of the most extraordinary men that lived on earth. I try my best to follow his amazing teachings. However, no matter which way I look at it I just can't bring myself to worship a man. I have serious issues with men. But that is not entirely why I rejecr the notion that Christ is Lord. There maybe historical evidence he was crucified as mentioned in Zealot(didn't read the whole book just excerpts) or it was Judas the traitor who God Almighty made to look like him. I just think that worshipping people is not the right way to the Divine.
Another two cents.
Dear NG, I sympathize with your opposition to worshipping a mere mortal. Do you believe that prayer is part of worship? Muslims address both Allah and Muhammad in daily prayer, but isn’t that shirk? As you may know, the oft-repeated phrase, "As-salamu alaika ay-yuhan nabiy-yu,” means, "Peace be upon you, O Prophet." But can Muhammad hear himself being addressed? Anyway, if you love Jesus Christ, know that He loves you too. He demonstrated the highest form of love, self-sacrifice, so that all of us, Jew and Gentile, might know the love of God toward us. If Jesus was not God in the flesh, then the fulness of God’s love has not been revealed to the world, and a mere man has demonstrated a higher form of love than God Himself is capable of demonstrating.
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