Join us as we take a revolutionary look at this rabbi, considered by many to be the true founder of Christianity. By Kai Mester

Reading time: 10 minutes

Paul had a crucial experience on his way to Damascus. There are different opinions about what it meant. Many believe that he subsequently converted to Christianity as a new religion. This is how he began his journey out of Judaism. For many, Paul is the person who shaped Gentile Christianity and distanced himself from Judaism.

However, a look at the Acts of the Apostles and his letters makes us uncertain. Perhaps Paul was much more Jewish than he thought before his death?

From the womb

»God had already chosen me in the womb and called me in his grace. When it pleased him to reveal his Son to me, so that I might make the good news of him known among the Gentile nations, I did not seek advice from men." (Galatians 1,15:16-XNUMX NIV)

When God chooses a person in the womb, He begins to prepare this tool from an early age. This preparation also included his training as a Pharisee:

Paul remained a Pharisee

“Brothers, I am a Pharisee and come from Pharisees. I stand here on trial because of my hope, because I believe that the dead will rise!” (Acts 23,6:XNUMX NIV)

Paul makes it clear here that even after his conversion, even after years of missionary trips, he still saw himself as a Pharisee. What made them different from the Sadducees was their belief in the resurrection. They also believed that God's instruction and love extended to ordinary people. He explains:

»I am a Jew, born in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia and raised here in Jerusalem. I went to school with Gamaliel. At his feet I received a thorough education in the law of our fathers. I developed great zeal to honor God, just as you all do today." (Acts 22,3:XNUMX NLT)

»Some lawyers from the Pharisee party rose up and protested violently against condemning Paul. 'We find nothing wrong with this man,' they declared. 'Who knows, maybe a spirit or an angel actually spoke to him!'" (Acts 23,9:XNUMX NIV)

Abandonment of human traditions

After his conversion, Paul remained not only a Jew, but also a Pharisee. For him, his newfound faith in Jesus as the Messiah was in no way contradictory to this. But a major change had occurred: Paul had turned away from the human statutes and traditions that had penetrated Judaism over the centuries:

»You probably remember what I was like as a devout Jew – how fanatically I persecuted the church of God. I did everything I could to destroy them. I was one of the most pious of my people and did my best to follow the traditional statutes of my fathers." (Galatians 1,13:14-XNUMX NLT)

Some Christian theologians emphasize that the Greek term ekklesia (εκκλησια/church) comes from the literal meaning "to call out." Therefore, for them the church is the group of those who have been called out of Judaism or paganism into following Christ. What is overlooked is that this term was the ordinary word for assembly, community. It was already used in the Greek Septuagint Bible translation for the community (qahal/קהל) at the foot of Sinai.

Apostle to Gentiles and Jews

After his conversion, God not only called Paul to be an apostle to the Gentiles, but also to be an apostle to the Jews. The order of these two orders in the following verse is particularly exciting.

“But the LORD said to him, Go now; for this is my chosen instrument, that he may bear my name before the Gentiles and before kings and before the people of Israel.” (Acts 9,13:XNUMX)

Paul had not separated himself from Judaism. Rather, he converted to a new current in Pharisaic Judaism that followed Jesus and waited for his return. Paul had become an Adventist Jew with imminent expectations.

Why did Saul change his name?

Why did he now call himself Paul and no longer Saul? Greek Jews often had two names, one Hebrew and one Roman, such as the young colleague of Paul and Barnabas: John Mark (Acts 12,12:XNUMX).

I am “circumcised on the eighth day, of the family of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee as to the law.” (Philippians 3,5:XNUMX SLT)

As a Benjamite, the name Sha'ul fits very well. For the first king of Israel was also a Benjamite and his name was Sha'ul. His teacher Gamaliel, a son of the famous Rabbi Hillel, was also from the tribe of Benjamin.

While Saul stood out because of his tall stature, Paul means “little one.” This may be why he preferred to be called by his second name from now on. The following verses strongly suggest this.

"For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I have persecuted the church of God." (1 Corinthians 15,9:3,8) "To me, the least of all the saints, is this "Grace has been given to proclaim to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." (Ephesians 2:12,9) "Therefore I will most gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." (XNUMX Corinthians XNUMX:XNUMX)

The center of Paul's theology: One God for all

Paul understood the Shema of Israel in a very special way. Here is the text of the Shema that Jews pray daily: “Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our Godwho is the LORD .” (Deuteronomy 5:6,4)

The understanding of this prayer, which formed the basis of Paul's theology, is evident in the following statements:

“Is God alone the God of the Jews (“our God”)? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles ("a God")? Yes, certainly, even of the Gentiles. Because it is the one God who justifies the Jews by faith and the Gentiles by faith." (Romans 9,29:30-XNUMX)

“Now as to eating meat sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no idol in the world and no god but the one. And although there are those who are called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there are many gods and many lords, yet we have only one God"The Father, from whom all things are and we to him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and we through him." (1 Corinthians 8,4:6-XNUMX)

Jews and Gentiles are equal and yet different

Paul wanted the good news to reach all nations. He believed that Jews and Greeks were equal before God:

»Here there is neither Jew nor Greek...here there is neither man nor woman; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3,28:XNUMX)

But he did not eliminate the difference between the two any more than he would have advocated gender mainstreaming. He supported Naeman's approach: "Your servant will henceforth sacrifice no more to any other god than YHWH." (2 Kings 5,18:XNUMX) Nevertheless, Naeman returned to his country and was God's witness among his own people in Aram (Syria ). Unlike Ruth, he would probably have said: Your God is my God, but my people are still my people.

Why were Gentiles exempted from laws that specifically applied to Jews?

The Judaizers in Galatia wanted all converted Gentiles to do like Ruth. So they should say: Your people are my people! But Paul wanted God's promises to be fulfilled so that God would be worshiped by all nations. That's why he objected to non-Jews being circumcised. Because of this, Paul was now attacked by some Jews.

The Apostolic Council agreed with Paul, freed the Gentiles from the expectation of having to convert to Judaism and specifically fulfill Jewish regulations from the Torah. However, he recommended that they adhere to everything in the Torah that God had ordained for the good of all people, with the reasoning:

"For from ancient times Moses has had those who preach him in every city, and is read in the synagogues every Sabbath." (Acts 15,21:XNUMX) The idol, chastity and purity laws were explicitly mentioned as such, according to which the Gentiles also shall be judged.

The Jew first

Paul gave priority to the people of Israel, similar to how he gave priority to man's responsibility over woman's responsibility:

»Distress and fear will fall on all who do not stop sinning - about the Jews first just like about all other people. But to those who do good, God will give glory, honor and peace - the Jews first, but also all other people.« (Romans 2,9:10-XNUMX NL)

This order was already proclaimed as gospel by the prophets in the Hebrew Bible:

“The LORD has comforted his people and redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD has revealed his holy arm in the sight of all nations, so that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God." (Isaiah 52,10:XNUMX)

Paul loved Torah

Paul loved Torah, God's wisdom and instruction, because it brought him to Jesus, the incarnate, living Torah:

“For through the Torah I died to the Torah, that I might live for God. I am crucified with the Jewish anointed one. Now it is no longer I who live, but the Anointed One who lives in me by His Spirit as the living Torah. And the life that I now lead in my mortal body, I live in trust in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. I will not reject this grace of God. For if we were set free from sin through the Hebrew Torah alone, then the Anointed One would have died in vain." (Galatians 2,19:20-XNUMX NIV and paraphrase)

Rabbi Paul's indomitable vision

Paul, the steadfast rabbi who walked between worlds, left a legacy of unity. Jesus had helped him to properly understand his Pharisaic roots and his Jewish identity as a springboard for God's grace to all peoples. His message: Jews and Gentiles, united in God's love. The Torah came alive in Messiah, and Paul preached it with a heart that beat for all people. May his indomitable vision of unity and peace inspire us to build bridges where there are walls and share the love of God without compromising the truth.

The order of the Bible texts and some valuable inspiration come from the book The Jewish Apostle Paul: Rethinking One of the Greatest Jews that Ever Lived by Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg.