Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

That's the stupidest argument yet. "Do we know that he wasn't in charge of Damascus?" There is no evidence to support that. Only a religious zealot asks history to disprove the Bible.

It is curious that Josephus introduces this whole narrative about Aretas around this very time, bringing forward many 'gospel-like' themes like John the Baptist raising a fuss about Herod's wife. Immediately after Pilate is allegedly sent packing (c. 36 CE) Antiquities has: ABOUT this time Aretas (t...

FWIW Tertullian De Fuga is the first reference to Acts 9:25 Nay, Paul too, who had submitted to deliverance from persecution by being let down from the wall, as to do so was at this time a matter of command, refused in like manner now at the close of his ministry, and after the injunction had come t...

But how does one reconcile the fictitious basket reference in Acts 9 escaping the Jews and this fictitious reference escaping King Aretas in the same city? Acts 9 23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they ...

I am actually more intrigued by how the lie was created than whether or not it was untrue. As I said ANY historical/personal allusion in the apostolikon is suspect because of what Tertullian tells us about the Marcionite recension (i.e. the apostle is left shrouded in mystery without personal inform...

FWIW the earliest reference to 2 Corinthians 11:32 is Peter I of Alexandria (c. 300 - 311 CE) Epistula canonica (1) Date: ca.300 - ca.311 Genre: - Theme: Christian life Clavis: 1639 Biblio: ROUTH M.J., Reliquiae sacrae, 4, 2e éd., Oxonii 1846, 23-45. 9 (p.35, l.1 - >) BP2 Then Eusebius (c. 320 CE?):...

Bernard Why would Paul have come down in a basket if - as you suggest - the soldiers surrounded the city rather than were within the walls? Surely the point of coming down in a basket was to escape the soldiers already in the city rather than run headlong into a blockade. If the soldiers were merely...

Paul (not the Romans) persecuted the church of God

So it is said. But people in relationship often accuse their partners of 'persecuting' and 'victimizing.' It's all rather open ended once you ignore Acts.

It should be remembered that in Clement's Hypotyposeis the Church Father says that Paul also preached to the Jews wanting to imitate Jesus. Any evidence from Acts should be mistrusted. Scholars can't do that because it would leave them with no history to study! But we can do that because we are hone...

Any self-reference to the apostle's historical identity (i.e. places, names, events) should be viewed as suspicious owing to Tertullian's statement at the beginning of Book 5 that the Marcionite version of the apostolikon left the identity of the apostle shrouded in mystery. The Catholic editors of ...