Back in the saddle; James, the brother of the Lord

[Joseph D. L.]

Hey everyone who didn't notice I was gone. I want to try to get back into this. I figured this would be a good start. So here it goes.

One thing I thought was conspicuous: in Galatians 1:19 Paul calls James "the brother of the Lord. "

Interpretations vary as to the meaning of this. Some interprete it as a general statement (we're all siblings of Christ), that this James is not the son of Mary; or that this line is a later interpolation. All of course are possible.

But consider this: Ahiah means the brother of the/Lord, and is another name for Pappus, the brother of Julian (Hebrew John, Shemaiah/Simon), in the Talmud.

My position for a long time has been that Paul's letters are better understood when looked at in light of the post-Kitos revolt and bar Kochba uprising. This includes the few that Paul name drops.

If Aquila, Marcion and Paul are synonymous with the same figure, it seems straight forward to guess that James is r. Akiva, who also oversaw the poor (Gal 2:10?), and infamously called Simon bar Kochba the messiah.

It's possible, at least to me, that Pappus and Julius, are r. Akiva and Simon bar Kochba respectively. For one, after escaping near death from Trajan, the brothers were exalted by the Jews. Another reason is that we don't know why exactly r. Akiva thought bar Kochba was the messiah. My theory is that, under the prestige of having been saved from death, and the two being brothers, the sought to rally the Jews into a rebellion after 128 ad when Hadrian banned circumcision and increased heavy taxation on Jews in Judea.

Now one caveat for this is that the Talmud says that the brothers were killed together (Matthew 20:20-28 seems to perfectly allude to their deaths, along with a legend around Papias teaching James and John dying together), while bar Kochba was beheaded and r. Akiva tortured to death. As of yet I haven't been able to reconcile this discrepancy. So there's that.

Another issue I take umbrage with is that John seems to have no business in Paul's letters. John in Paul always appears name dropped for no special reason. (Pillar of church, yes, but nothing else is mentioned, unlike Cephas and James). Is it perhaps that Paul saw John specifically as a threat to his own agenda in promoting Hadrian as the messiah? That I admit is a stretch, but one that would seem warranted if John is indeed bar Kochba. Some have gone so far as to argue that the Man of Lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians is none other than bar Kochba, and if so then Paul not only known of him but has a reason to revile him.

Anyway, that's all for now. We'll see if I can post more. Bye.

[MrMacSon]

... Ahiah means the brother of the/Lord, and is another name for Pappus, the brother of Julian (Hebrew John, Shemaiah/Simon), in the Talmud.

Hi. I was going to ask if you referring to a specific passage, to specific people, or just generally. But I guess you have a passage in mind, with what you say later, -

It's possible, at least to me, that Pappus and Julius, are r. Akiva and Simon bar Kochba respectively. For one, after escaping near death from Trajan, the brothers were exalted by the Jews. Another reason is that we don't know why exactly r. Akiva thought bar Kochba was the messiah. My theory is that, under the prestige of having been saved from death, and the two being brothers, the sought to rally the Jews into a rebellion after 128 ad when Hadrian banned circumcision and increased heavy taxation on Jews in Judea.

Now one caveat for this is that the Talmud says that the brothers were killed together (Matthew 20:20-28 seems to perfectly allude to their deaths, along with a legend around Papias teaching James and John dying together), while bar Kochba was beheaded and r. Akiva tortured to death. As of yet I haven't been able to reconcile this discrepancy. So there's that.

---

My position for a long time has been that Paul's letters are better understood when looked at in light of the post-Kitos revolt and bar Kochba uprising. This includes the few that Paul name drops.

Which 'few that Paul name drops'?

If Aquila, Marcion and Paul are synonymous with the same figure ...

Where do you get this idea from? (I'm not doubting the proposition, but would like to know more about it).

Is it perhaps that Paul saw John specifically as a threat to his own agenda in promoting Hadrian as the messiah?

What makes you think Paul was promoting Hadrian as the messiah?

[Joseph D. L.]

Hey MrMacSon. Been a while. I won't be able to format this properly as the device I'm on is very cumbersome.

Okay, as for specific passages: the Talmud at least once refers to Pappus and Julian as Ahiah and Shemaiah respectively. I will say that even Talmudic scholars are unsure why this is, but that the Talmud seems contradictory as to the origins of Yom Trajan. I'm just taking it for granted, admittedly.

"Which 'few that Paul name drops'?"

I know I worded that weirdly. But I think if we can identify Paul then we should be able to identify Cephas, James, John, and possibly the Twelve. So far I have Paul as Aquila/Marcion, James as r. Akiva, and John as possibly being bar Kochba. Cephas is an issue, but I have a suspect. The Twelve right now I haven't delved into yet.

"Where do you get this idea from? (I'm not doubting the proposition, but would like to know more about it)."

By comparing the three and noting the patterns. Aquila and Marcion come from the same place at roughly the same time; Aquila and Paul both have a tense course in Judaism before abandoning it; Aquila and Paul are both connected to a figure named James (Akiva is derived from Jacob, as is James), who are concerned with the poor; and Marcion is the one who allegedly published Paul's letters. (Really, he just wrote them.)

"What makes you think Paul was promoting Hadrian as the messiah?"

There's three key pieces of evidence I have for this claim:

1) Paul's theology is aligned to Hadrian's policies of the Jews: circumcision is prohibited, Torah is maligned, and a heavy tax burden (James telling Paul to remember the poor under this context makes much more sense.)

2) The Talmud records that Hadrian had set up Aquila as an overseer to the Temple's refortyfication.

3) This one is more circumstantial, but the False Prophet and Beast/Antichrist in Revelation is Aquila and Hadrian respectively, as Hadrian had first set himself up as a saviour to Jews, before (in their eyes) making war upon on them, and Aquila was an agent for Hadrian.

There's more but that should suffice for now. Talk to you later.