Paul's Third Heaven

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robert j
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Paul's Third Heaven

Post by robert j »

Why do so many believe that Paul was lying about his story of the third heaven? The default position seems to be that Paul was being coy, and really writing about his own experience in the third heaven. I agree that Paul's was not being honest in this passage, but I disagree with most about the nature of his fib.
"I know a man in Christ 14 years ago having been caught up into the third heaven, whether in the body I know not or out of the body I know not, God knows … he was caught up into paradise and heard unutterable words it is not permitted to man to speak." (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).
Beyond Paul’s story and stories of legendary Old Testament figures like Enoch and Isaiah, round-trip journeys into the heavens by living humans are nearly non-existent in second temple Judaism and early Christianity.

The author of the NT Apocalypse of John could be on the sparse list (Revelations chapter 4). Many might reasonably see his bizarre hallucinations as merely literary constructs, as allegories.

A review of the Jewish tradition of mystical journeys into the heavens is revealing. As far as I am aware, outside of Paul's tale, the only mention of such journeys by men from the first-century CE is found in a rare look into first-century esoteric Jewish mysticism in Yohanan ben Zakkai tradition as reported by later rabbinic sources. (Jerusalem Talmud, Hagigah 2:1).

The heavenly journey was symbolized by Ezekiel's heavenly chariot (Merkavah tradition). Yohanan is credited as saying to a student,
"Have I not taught you thus, nor may the work of the chariot be taught in the presence of one, unless he is a sage and understands of [by] his own knowledge?"
And Yohanan is said to have reported these words from a dream,
"You and your disciples, and your disciples' disciples, are designated for the third layer (of heaven)."
Neither Yohanan nor his associates are described as having reached the third heaven --- the only claim made is that certain advanced sages were "designated" for such an attempt, or designated for such after death.

The next surviving Jewish tradition of heavenly journeys comes from rabbinic sources from around the third-century CE and later. Four learned rabbis, supposedly active around the early-mid-second century CE, are said to have entered into the "garden" --- accepted by many scholars as meaning paradise, the heavens. However, some scholars see the story as only a parable, and not meant to portray actual heavenly experiences. Perhaps it was a cautionary tale to tamp down excessive mysticism, practices beyond organizational norms and control. In the story, only one of the four returned from the experience with his life, his sanity, or his faith intact.

Paul never claimed to be an advanced Jewish sage, rather his claims were quite modest. Virtually any well-educated young Jew would have been advanced in Jewish thought compared to most other Jews of his own age. (Galatians 1:14).

I don't believe Paul was desperate enough to risk claiming a heavenly journey for himself. Perhaps some in his Greek congregation may have accepted the idea, but Corinth was a large and cosmopolitan city. Paul would have known that at least some in his sophisticated congregation would have well-educated Jewish friends, neighbors or business associates. If any of his congregation had told a Jewish acquaintance of such an experience by Paul, it most likely would have been met with ridicule and extreme skepticism.

So instead, Paul only claimed that he knew a man who made a journey to the third heaven. I think Paul's dishonesty was his claim that he even knew such a man --- I don't believe he did.

Regardless, Paul's claim ---- even claiming to know such a man --- underscores his desperation and the threat to his authority from the competing Jewish evangelists at Corinth --- the so-called “super apostles”. The story allowed Paul to imply that he might have been told the heavenly secrets gained by such a journey, without the need for him to further reveal such knowledge "which it is not permitted to a man to speak."

Sure, the crafty Paul followed his passage on the third heaven with some weasel-words --- allowing that some in the congregation might assume Paul was really the one who had taken the journey. (2 Cor. 12:5-10). He certainly managed to fool many a reader over a couple millennia.

I believe Paul's story of the third heaven is best seen as a literary creation by Paul to boost his spiritual authority in competition with the "super apostles" --- a literary effort to maintain his authority with the congregation at Corinth.

Professor James Tabor, who wrote his PhD thesis on "Paul's Ascent to Paradise", provides in his "TaborBlog" an interesting review on the motif of heavenly journeys in antiquity.

http://jamestabor.com/2013/01/02/if-i-a ... -paradise/

On heavenly ascents for the purpose of receiving revelation, Tabor writes,
"The fair number of Jewish (and Jewish-Christian) texts which make use of ascent to heaven as a means of legitimating rival claims of revelation and authority is likely due to the polemics and party politics that characterized the Second Temple period. It became a characteristic way, in the Hellenistic period, of claiming “archaic” authority of the highest order, equal to a Enoch or Moses, for ones vision of things."
And Tabor concludes his essay with this,
"It is noteworthy that Paul's testimony in 2 Cor 12:2-4 remains our only firsthand autobiographical account of such an experience from the Second Temple period."
robert J.
Last edited by robert j on Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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GakuseiDon
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Re: Paul's Third Heaven

Post by GakuseiDon »

robert j wrote:So instead, Paul only claimed that he knew a man who made a journey to the third heaven. I think Paul's dishonesty was his claim that he even knew such a man --- I don't believe he did...

On heavenly ascents for the purpose of receiving revelation, Tabor writes,
"The fair number of Jewish (and Jewish-Christian) texts which make use of ascent to heaven as a means of legitimating rival claims of revelation and authority is likely due to the polemics and party politics that characterized the Second Temple period. It became a characteristic way, in the Hellenistic period, of claiming “archaic” authority of the highest order, equal to a Enoch or Moses, for ones vision of things."
I sometimes wonder if Paul was being sarcastic about the claims of one of the other apostles. That is, that that apostle was glorifying himself by claiming ascent to heaven; thus the "God knows" rejoinder to the claim. Earlier Paul writes how false apostles transform themselves into "ministers of righteousness":

2 Cor 11

[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
[4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
[5] For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.
...
[12] But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
[13] For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
[14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
[15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
[16] ...

So those false apostles desire occasions to "glory" themselves. Then Paul writes that, "of such an one will I glory", he won't glory himself:

2 Cor 12

[2] I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
[3] And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
[4] How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
[5] Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
[6] For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
[7] And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

I wonder if the passage works as sarcasm towards apostles who claim direct revelation, but only to earn praise for themselves. Whereas Paul is claiming that he "walks the walk" by suffering for his beliefs.
It is really important, in life, to concentrate our minds on our enthusiasms, not on our dislikes. -- Roger Pearse
andrewcriddle
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Re: Paul's Third Heaven

Post by andrewcriddle »

There is a serious problem with using much later rabbinic texts as evidence of spiritual and religious experience during the 1st century CE.

Scholars increasingly doubt whether Jewish Merkavah mysticism (ascent into the heavenly palaces) really goes back to the period before 200 CE.

Andrew Criddle
robert j
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Re: Paul's Third Heaven

Post by robert j »


Andrew Criddle wrote,
There is a serious problem with using much later rabbinic texts as evidence of spiritual and religious experience during the 1st century CE.

Scholars increasingly doubt whether Jewish Merkavah mysticism (ascent into the heavenly palaces) really goes back to the period before 200 CE.

I wouldn't take issue with that. I wasn't intending to defend the veracity of those reports --- but rather to briefly characterize the reports and to point out the rarity of the reports for the early period from later rabbinic sources.

robert j.
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MrMacSon
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Re: Paul's Third Heaven

Post by MrMacSon »

GakuseiDon wrote:I sometimes wonder if Paul was being sarcastic about the claims of one of the other apostles. That is, that that apostle was glorifying himself by claiming ascent to heaven; thus the "God knows" rejoinder to the claim. Earlier Paul writes how false apostles transform themselves into "ministers of righteousness":
I have seen someone say something similar - that a lot was parody or sarcasm. I'll try and find it.
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