WEBVTT 00:01.530 --> 00:04.720 Prof: All right, I ask you to come in with 00:04.723 --> 00:08.983 definite lists of where Paul was when, according to two different 00:08.981 --> 00:09.781 sources. 00:09.780 --> 00:14.550 The purpose of the lecture today is to get you to see what 00:14.548 --> 00:19.478 you may think of as a historical text as actually not a very 00:19.484 --> 00:21.914 reliable historical text. 00:21.910 --> 00:25.000 This is not to say anything about your faith; 00:25.000 --> 00:28.620 it's not to say anything about how you might use this text 00:28.620 --> 00:30.590 religiously or theologically. 00:30.590 --> 00:33.670 In other words, it is not my intention to 00:33.665 --> 00:38.355 attack the reliability of the Bible for theological reading or 00:38.356 --> 00:42.096 for faith, or your personal beliefs about 00:42.100 --> 00:43.050 the Bible. 00:43.050 --> 00:47.380 What we will do is demonstrate a difference today between 00:47.384 --> 00:51.104 reading this text theologically as scripture, 00:51.100 --> 00:54.250 and reading it as historical source, 00:54.250 --> 00:56.860 simply as a text, or a series of texts, 00:56.863 --> 00:57.623 actually. 00:57.620 --> 01:00.600 Because as you know by now the New Testament is a collection of 01:00.603 --> 01:00.993 texts. 01:00.990 --> 01:03.560 If you all you had were these documents about the first 01:03.557 --> 01:06.027 several decades at the beginning of Christianity, 01:06.030 --> 01:09.280 and as a matter of fact, all you have as documents for 01:09.280 --> 01:12.220 the first few decades of Christianity are the New 01:12.222 --> 01:13.452 Testament texts. 01:13.450 --> 01:16.150 There are documents not in the New Testament but they tend not 01:16.147 --> 01:18.137 to tell us anything we want to know about, 01:18.140 --> 01:20.050 for example, the very beginnings of 01:20.045 --> 01:21.665 Christianity as a movement. 01:21.670 --> 01:25.290 What you've got in the New Testament comprise at least for 01:25.289 --> 01:27.829 some of the earliest material we have. 01:27.830 --> 01:29.670 If you want to know about the life of Jesus, 01:29.670 --> 01:32.410 for example, the four canonical gospels with 01:32.409 --> 01:36.129 perhaps the Gospel of Thomas, which we'll be reading later, 01:36.126 --> 01:39.186 give you basically the only information about Jesus of 01:39.190 --> 01:41.330 Nazareth available to historians, 01:41.330 --> 01:42.890 the same thing for Paul. 01:42.890 --> 01:46.080 There are second century sources that talk about Paul, 01:46.080 --> 01:47.750 or that claim to be letters by Paul, 01:47.750 --> 01:50.880 but most of us scholars don't believe they have any 01:50.882 --> 01:53.302 historical, reliable information. 01:53.300 --> 01:55.490 What we've got about Paul is what you had in the New 01:55.485 --> 01:55.995 Testament. 01:56.000 --> 01:59.620 I'm going to try to get you to use two of those sources, 01:59.620 --> 02:01.770 Galatians and the Acts of Apostles, 02:01.769 --> 02:04.419 and then we're going to talk about what can we know about 02:04.423 --> 02:05.753 Paul from these two texts. 02:05.750 --> 02:13.240 Now take your lists out that you made for Acts. 02:13.240 --> 02:18.010 When is the first time we see the Apostle Paul in Acts? 02:18.009 --> 02:19.509 Chapter and verse. 02:19.508 --> 02:23.628 I'm a former fundamentalist, which means I want chapter and 02:23.627 --> 02:25.187 verse on everything. 02:25.188 --> 02:28.928 Chapter and verse, when is the first time we see 02:28.931 --> 02:29.491 Paul? 02:29.490 --> 02:31.430 Yes sir. 02:31.430 --> 02:32.300 Student: > 02:32.300 --> 02:38.080 Prof: 9:1, and where is he? 02:38.080 --> 02:40.660 Student: On the road to Damascus. 02:40.660 --> 02:41.790 Prof: On the road to Damascus. 02:41.788 --> 02:49.078 Starts off in Jerusalem--now is that actually the first time we 02:49.083 --> 02:52.733 see Paul in the book of Acts? 02:52.729 --> 02:54.319 Student: In 7:58. 02:54.318 --> 02:58.928 Prof: In 7:58, so we actually see him before 02:58.925 --> 02:59.565 then. 02:59.569 --> 03:01.879 Where is he there? 03:01.878 --> 03:06.208 Student: > 03:06.210 --> 03:10.400 Prof: That's right, he witnesses the stoning of 03:10.401 --> 03:12.121 Stephen, who, by tradition, 03:12.115 --> 03:16.155 is the first Christian martyr, the first person to die for 03:16.157 --> 03:17.847 Christianity in Acts. 03:17.849 --> 03:19.879 And he's in what city? 03:19.879 --> 03:21.389 Where is he? 03:21.389 --> 03:24.049 Come on folks, quicker, quicker. 03:24.050 --> 03:26.130 Where is he-- Student: Jerusalem. 03:26.128 --> 03:31.268 Prof: He's in Jerusalem, thank you. 03:31.270 --> 03:33.410 Now let's just read that first part there, 03:33.410 --> 03:35.850 "They dragged him out of the city," 03:35.854 --> 03:38.374 that is Stephen, "Began to stone him, 03:38.366 --> 03:41.976 the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named 03:41.980 --> 03:45.480 Saul," who the writer of Acts will later tell us is also 03:45.479 --> 03:48.509 named Paul, so Saul is-- Acts depicts Saul 03:48.508 --> 03:52.378 as his Jewish name and Paul as sort of his Greek and Roman 03:52.384 --> 03:52.934 name. 03:52.930 --> 03:55.120 "While they were stoning Stephen he prayed," 03:55.123 --> 03:56.163 and so on and so forth. 03:56.160 --> 03:58.770 Look at 8:1: And Saul approved of their 03:58.770 --> 03:59.450 killing him. 03:59.449 --> 04:02.159 That day a severe persecution began against the church in 04:02.156 --> 04:04.426 Jerusalem all except the apostles were scattered 04:04.427 --> 04:06.987 throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, 04:06.990 --> 04:09.740 devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over 04:09.735 --> 04:11.755 him, but Saul was ravaging the 04:11.763 --> 04:14.393 church by entering house after house, 04:14.389 --> 04:17.039 dragging off both men and women, he committed them to 04:17.040 --> 04:17.500 prison. 04:17.500 --> 04:22.080 So Saul, as he's known here, is fairly active in Jerusalem 04:22.076 --> 04:25.606 as a persecutor of the followers of Jesus. 04:25.610 --> 04:28.560 He causes several of them to be arrested, 04:28.560 --> 04:30.560 they know who he is, they would recognize him, 04:30.560 --> 04:34.640 he's got a reputation, so that's the first time we see 04:34.636 --> 04:35.786 Paul in 7:58. 04:35.790 --> 04:38.900 Then we--the Acts, as we'll see, 04:38.904 --> 04:44.944 does a lot of other things and then comes back to Paul now at 04:44.935 --> 04:45.735 9:1. 04:45.740 --> 04:53.730 After 9:1, when is the next time we see Paul in Acts? 04:53.730 --> 04:57.150 He's on the road to Damascus--did you all do this 04:57.154 --> 04:57.944 homework? 04:57.940 --> 04:59.890 Yes sir in the back. 04:59.889 --> 05:01.159 Student: 12:25. 05:01.160 --> 05:06.090 Prof: 12:25--where is that? 05:06.088 --> 05:15.758 Student: > 05:15.759 --> 05:18.729 Prof: Okay, Barnabas and Paul go back to 05:18.726 --> 05:19.496 Jerusalem. 05:19.500 --> 05:23.270 05:23.269 --> 05:25.069 Let's back up a bit though. 05:25.069 --> 05:27.049 I think we're missing some stuff. 05:27.050 --> 05:37.390 I want every detail of time, every detail of place--look at 05:37.391 --> 05:38.641 9:26. 05:38.639 --> 05:41.979 When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the 05:41.978 --> 05:43.828 disciples; and they were all afraid of 05:43.831 --> 05:45.851 him, for they did not believe he was a disciple. 05:45.850 --> 05:49.000 But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, 05:49.000 --> 05:51.620 and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, 05:51.620 --> 05:53.680 who had spoken to him, how in Damascus he had spoken 05:53.678 --> 05:54.888 boldly in the name of Jesus. 05:54.889 --> 05:57.649 So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, 05:57.651 --> 06:00.231 speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 06:00.230 --> 06:02.140 He spoke and argued with the Hellenists [that is, 06:02.136 --> 06:04.386 Greek speaking Jews]; but they were attempting to 06:04.391 --> 06:04.891 kill him. 06:04.889 --> 06:07.909 When the believers learned of it, they brought him down to 06:07.913 --> 06:09.933 Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 06:09.930 --> 06:13.900 Notice in Chapter 9 you've got several chronological and 06:13.903 --> 06:16.003 spatial details about Paul. 06:16.000 --> 06:18.290 That's what I wanted you to notice. 06:18.290 --> 06:20.970 Not just read it quickly, don't read this stuff like 06:20.968 --> 06:23.898 college students, read it as really critical 06:23.896 --> 06:25.706 readers, not just to get the reading 06:25.714 --> 06:26.894 done but notice the details. 06:26.889 --> 06:30.529 I'm stressing this now because over and over again in this 06:30.531 --> 06:34.621 semester we'll try to push you to read it much more carefully. 06:34.620 --> 06:37.560 Noticing details, that's the only way to practice 06:37.560 --> 06:38.540 close reading. 06:38.540 --> 06:42.900 We've got him in Jerusalem, we have him in Damascus, 06:42.899 --> 06:48.119 but before 12:25 we have lots of other material with him being 06:48.115 --> 06:49.565 in Jerusalem. 06:49.569 --> 06:54.759 Introduced to the church there--when is this 06:54.764 --> 06:56.944 chronologically? 06:56.940 --> 07:00.560 You don't have to know the year but how much time are we talking 07:00.564 --> 07:03.794 about between this Damascus period and this time Barnabas 07:03.788 --> 07:07.298 introduces him to the rest of the church and gets him accepted 07:07.298 --> 07:08.448 by the church. 07:08.449 --> 07:10.759 Yes. 07:10.759 --> 07:12.879 Student: It says in verse 23, "After some time 07:12.884 --> 07:13.584 had passed." 07:13.579 --> 07:15.479 Prof: "After some time had passed." 07:15.480 --> 07:18.690 There's one place where it says he's three days in Damascus 07:18.694 --> 07:20.944 after he sees Jesus, before he's baptized, 07:20.944 --> 07:22.984 so we have three days, then he's baptized, 07:22.983 --> 07:25.563 and then he disputes with other people in Damascus, 07:25.560 --> 07:27.460 so basically it's just after some time. 07:27.459 --> 07:30.699 It can't--we're probably not talking several years here. 07:30.699 --> 07:37.589 You get the impression when you're reading this that it may 07:37.588 --> 07:44.238 be months, it may be weeks--this is time in Jerusalem. 07:44.240 --> 07:47.540 What happens after Barnabas introduces him in Jerusalem? 07:47.540 --> 07:49.620 Look at 9:30, "When the believers 07:49.615 --> 07:52.915 learned of it they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him 07:52.923 --> 07:54.273 off to Tarsus." 07:54.269 --> 07:57.939 Again, before we get him in Jerusalem here, 07:57.944 --> 08:01.364 he's in Caesarea, which is a city on the 08:01.357 --> 08:05.467 coastline of Palestine, and he's in Tarsus. 08:05.470 --> 08:08.290 Why does he go to Tarsus do you think? 08:08.290 --> 08:11.450 That's his home, exactly. 08:11.449 --> 08:15.689 According to Acts, Paul is from Tarsus. 08:15.689 --> 08:18.819 Now when we get further I'll point out when we have 08:18.817 --> 08:22.257 information about Paul that we get from his letters, 08:22.259 --> 08:25.049 and when we have information about Paul that we only get from 08:25.045 --> 08:25.365 Acts. 08:25.370 --> 08:28.710 The question I'll ask you is, are they both reliable? 08:28.709 --> 08:30.159 Are they both equally reliable? 08:30.160 --> 08:32.880 If you have one piece of information from Paul's letters 08:32.875 --> 08:35.735 and a different kind of piece of information from Acts, 08:35.740 --> 08:37.040 is one of them more likely to be historical? 08:37.038 --> 08:38.438 Those are the kinds of questions we'll ask. 08:38.440 --> 08:38.880 Yes sir. 08:38.879 --> 08:40.059 Student: Where is Tarsus? 08:40.058 --> 08:44.968 Prof: Tarsus is in the very eastern part of what is now 08:44.974 --> 08:45.704 Turkey. 08:45.700 --> 08:50.980 It's not far from the border of eastern Turkey and western 08:50.977 --> 08:53.847 Syria, it's in modern Turkey. 08:53.850 --> 08:57.440 At the time--at that time it was in the area called Cilicia, 08:57.440 --> 08:59.900 and that'll be important because when we get to Galatians 08:59.895 --> 09:02.085 Paul talks about going to Cilicia at one point, 09:02.090 --> 09:04.760 and I'm going to say, "Why did he go to Cilicia 09:04.764 --> 09:06.134 and where is that?" 09:06.129 --> 09:08.939 And some smart person's going to say, "Well isn't Tarsus 09:08.936 --> 09:11.786 the main capital city of Cilicia in the Roman Empire?" 09:11.788 --> 09:13.548 I'll say, "That's brilliant! 09:13.548 --> 09:17.038 You made a very important connection there." 09:17.038 --> 09:22.338 Okay, so he goes to Tarsus, now you don't hear much about 09:22.341 --> 09:27.171 Paul because then you have other kinds of stuff, 09:27.168 --> 09:33.148 and then look at 11:19, "Now those who were 09:33.154 --> 09:39.774 scattered because of the persecutions that took place 09:39.774 --> 09:44.364 over Stephen," notice how-- 09:44.360 --> 09:46.460 we'll get this when we get to the Acts of the Apostles, 09:46.460 --> 09:49.150 the lecture on that, there is as bit of a jump here 09:49.154 --> 09:50.454 in the period of time. 09:50.450 --> 09:53.390 The stoning of Stephen was way back there at the end of Chapter 09:53.392 --> 09:54.222 7, beginning of Chapter 8, 09:54.216 --> 09:55.206 then you had a lot of other material, 09:55.210 --> 09:58.150 now the author is kind of taking you back to that stoning 09:58.148 --> 09:59.248 of Stephen episode. 09:59.250 --> 10:02.260 This is like one of those things that--it's a cutaway; 10:02.259 --> 10:06.319 it's a time lapse sort of in the filming here.... 10:06.320 --> 10:08.100 [they] traveled as far as Phoenicia, 10:08.096 --> 10:10.576 Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no 10:10.583 --> 10:11.603 one except Jews. 10:11.600 --> 10:14.130 But among them were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene who, 10:14.134 --> 10:16.444 on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, 10:16.440 --> 10:17.870 proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 10:17.870 --> 10:20.160 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became 10:20.162 --> 10:21.502 believers and turned to the Lord. 10:21.500 --> 10:24.620 News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, 10:24.621 --> 10:26.631 and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 10:26.629 --> 10:29.159 When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and he 10:29.163 --> 10:31.523 exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with 10:31.518 --> 10:33.638 steadfast devotion; for he was a good man full of 10:33.640 --> 10:34.760 the Holy Spirit and of faith. 10:34.759 --> 10:36.629 And a great many people were brought to the Lord. 10:36.629 --> 10:40.179 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 10:40.178 --> 10:48.378 Again, before we get this, we have Saul going to Antioch, 10:48.378 --> 10:56.868 again Barnabas being the important figure who does that. 10:56.870 --> 10:59.120 When he came he saw the grace of God, etc. 10:59.120 --> 11:02.670 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 11:02.673 --> 11:07.023 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. 11:07.019 --> 11:09.329 So it was that for an entire year they met with the church 11:09.331 --> 11:12.041 and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the 11:12.038 --> 11:14.338 disciples were first called "Christians." 11:14.340 --> 11:17.860 At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem. 11:17.860 --> 11:22.060 [So we have one year here in Antioch before the next incident 11:22.062 --> 11:24.792 happens.] One of them named Agabus stood 11:24.794 --> 11:28.864 up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe 11:28.857 --> 11:32.317 famine over all the world; this took place during the 11:32.323 --> 11:33.223 reign of Claudius. 11:33.220 --> 11:35.940 The disciples determined that according to their ability, 11:35.940 --> 11:38.710 each would send relief to the brothers living in Judea; 11:38.710 --> 11:41.810 this they did, sending it to the elders by 11:41.807 --> 11:43.317 Barnabas and Saul. 11:43.320 --> 11:52.510 So in 11:30 we have Paul going from Antioch with Barnabas to 11:52.514 --> 11:57.654 Jerusalem, taking with them funds to 11:57.647 --> 12:01.947 alleviate famine-- for famine relief in Judea, 12:01.951 --> 12:04.181 from the disciples in Antioch. 12:04.178 --> 12:11.378 When's the--now after that do we have another we see Paul? 12:11.379 --> 12:15.459 That's when you get to 12:25, "Barnabas-- 12:15.460 --> 12:18.020 after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to 12:18.022 --> 12:19.762 Jerusalem and brought with them John, 12:19.759 --> 12:21.799 whose other name was Mark." 12:21.799 --> 12:27.789 12:27.788 --> 12:31.798 Actually, I think that may need to be returned from Jerusalem; 12:31.798 --> 12:36.078 there's a manuscript debate over whether they returned to 12:36.083 --> 12:38.383 Jerusalem or from Jerusalem. 12:38.379 --> 12:40.989 In any case, they're in Jerusalem, 12:40.985 --> 12:45.795 and then 13:1 we find them back in Barnabas, Barnabas and Saul 12:45.799 --> 12:46.589 there. 12:46.590 --> 12:55.740 Chapter 13 has Barnabas and Saul in Antioch again. 12:55.740 --> 13:01.900 13:01.899 --> 13:04.639 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, 13:04.639 --> 13:06.139 the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart from me 13:06.138 --> 13:07.908 Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called 13:07.908 --> 13:08.418 them." 13:08.418 --> 13:10.968 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them 13:10.974 --> 13:11.844 and sent them off. 13:11.840 --> 13:15.000 They went by the Holy Spirit, they went to Seleucia, 13:14.998 --> 13:18.588 then we have what's called the first missionary journey. 13:18.590 --> 13:20.760 This is the first missionary journey, 13:20.759 --> 13:23.489 Barnabas and Paul, they travel through that part 13:23.485 --> 13:26.965 of central and southern Turkey that we call Asia Minor in the 13:26.966 --> 13:29.416 ancient world, called Turkey now. 13:29.419 --> 13:31.169 What happens next? 13:31.169 --> 13:36.319 After 13:1 where does Paul go? 13:36.320 --> 13:38.050 Yes sir. 13:38.048 --> 13:40.488 Student: > 13:40.490 --> 13:42.830 Prof: Okay, so they have a confrontation 13:42.828 --> 13:44.608 with a magician called Bar-Jesus. 13:44.610 --> 13:46.310 Where else? 13:46.309 --> 13:47.969 Yes. 13:47.970 --> 13:50.930 Student: Cyprus Prof: Cyprus. 13:50.928 --> 13:53.598 Student: Salamis and Paphos. 13:53.600 --> 13:55.290 Prof: Yes, Cyprus and Salamis, 13:55.291 --> 13:56.561 they're traveling around. 13:56.559 --> 13:57.739 Where else? 13:57.740 --> 13:59.560 Where do they end up? 13:59.558 --> 14:02.548 Student: > 14:02.548 --> 14:05.488 Prof: Iconium, that's another place they go 14:05.490 --> 14:05.850 too. 14:05.850 --> 14:06.950 Next? 14:06.950 --> 14:07.460 Student: Lystra. 14:07.460 --> 14:08.750 Prof: Lystra. 14:08.750 --> 14:09.620 Student: Derbe. 14:09.620 --> 14:11.210 Prof: Derbe, next? 14:11.210 --> 14:12.590 Student: Perga. 14:12.590 --> 14:13.900 Prof: Perga. 14:13.899 --> 14:15.459 Next? 14:15.460 --> 14:16.520 Student: Attalia. 14:16.519 --> 14:18.079 Prof: Attalia. 14:18.080 --> 14:20.460 Where do they end up after that first journey, 14:20.458 --> 14:21.938 at the end of the journey? 14:21.940 --> 14:22.930 Student: Antioch. 14:22.929 --> 14:29.249 Prof: Back in Antioch. 14:29.250 --> 14:34.560 We're going to just include all those places you said in the 14:34.558 --> 14:39.508 first missionary journey, and they end up in Antioch. 14:39.509 --> 14:42.909 Where is the next place they go? 14:42.909 --> 14:44.209 Student: Jerusalem. 14:44.210 --> 14:45.790 Prof: Jerusalem. 14:45.788 --> 14:48.448 What do they do this time in Jerusalem? 14:48.450 --> 14:51.070 Student: > 14:51.070 --> 14:52.460 Prof: Sorry? 14:52.460 --> 14:53.130 They have a debate. 14:53.129 --> 14:55.409 The whole--the leaders of the church get together, 14:55.408 --> 14:57.548 they debate, what's the topic of the debate? 14:57.549 --> 14:58.149 Student: Circumcision. 14:58.149 --> 15:01.379 Prof: Whether Gentiles have to be circumcised to be 15:01.380 --> 15:04.500 members of the community, and who makes the decision? 15:04.500 --> 15:04.670 Student: > 15:04.669 --> 15:06.229 Prof: Pardon? 15:06.230 --> 15:07.930 Who makes the decision? 15:07.928 --> 15:08.928 Student: > 15:08.928 --> 15:11.208 Prof: Somebody say it out loud enough. 15:11.210 --> 15:12.450 Student: > 15:12.450 --> 15:13.440 Prof: Sorry? 15:13.440 --> 15:13.950 Student: James. 15:13.950 --> 15:15.080 Prof: James. 15:15.080 --> 15:16.790 They all make the decision together. 15:16.788 --> 15:19.128 In fact, they say, "It seemed good to the 15:19.134 --> 15:20.704 Holy Spirit and to us." 15:20.700 --> 15:23.380 That's an interesting way of putting it because in the Book 15:23.375 --> 15:25.955 of Acts the Holy Spirit is actually the main actor of the 15:25.957 --> 15:26.647 whole book. 15:26.649 --> 15:29.479 The Holy Spirit does all this kind of stuff in the Book of 15:29.481 --> 15:31.371 Acts, so that's why "The Acts of 15:31.365 --> 15:33.375 the Apostles" is almost a mis-title. 15:33.379 --> 15:35.289 It should actually be called "The Acts of the Holy 15:35.287 --> 15:36.737 Spirit," much more accurately for the 15:36.735 --> 15:37.225 narrative. 15:37.230 --> 15:39.520 The Holy Spirit, with all the believers, 15:39.519 --> 15:43.019 and James, who's considered the leader of the church in 15:43.020 --> 15:45.810 Jerusalem actually announces a decision, 15:45.808 --> 15:48.458 but it's a decision they all came to by consensus. 15:48.460 --> 15:51.040 Everybody agrees that, no, Gentiles don't have to be 15:51.038 --> 15:53.008 circumcised and they make some rules. 15:53.009 --> 15:56.019 They say that they shouldn't eat meat sacrificed to idols, 15:56.019 --> 15:58.789 they shouldn't eat blood, they shouldn't commit 15:58.791 --> 16:00.961 fornication or sexual immorality, 16:00.960 --> 16:04.850 so they make some rules that they expect Gentile followers to 16:04.846 --> 16:05.426 follow. 16:05.428 --> 16:09.098 They get those rules from the Jewish tradition that these were 16:09.095 --> 16:12.215 the rules that were given to Noah after the flood. 16:12.220 --> 16:15.320 Therefore, all people in the world, because all people of 16:15.322 --> 16:18.822 course that now exist came from the people who lived through the 16:18.815 --> 16:19.365 flood. 16:19.370 --> 16:22.610 All people of the world were given these rules, 16:22.610 --> 16:25.350 even Gentiles, and so even pious Gentiles 16:25.350 --> 16:28.320 should keep these rules, although they do not have to be 16:28.316 --> 16:30.706 circumcised, so that's the way that happens. 16:30.710 --> 16:31.980 Where does Paul go after that? 16:31.980 --> 16:33.310 We're going to move quickly now. 16:33.309 --> 16:33.869 Student: Antioch. 16:33.870 --> 16:35.320 Prof: Pardon? 16:35.320 --> 16:35.590 Student: Antioch. 16:35.590 --> 16:37.510 Prof: Antioch, back to Antioch. 16:37.509 --> 16:40.649 Then he and Barnabas have a falling out--have a 16:40.654 --> 16:41.684 disagreement. 16:41.678 --> 16:44.698 What's the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas about in Acts? 16:44.700 --> 16:46.310 Student: Whether to take John Mark. 16:46.308 --> 16:48.408 Prof: Whether to take John Mark with him on them on 16:48.413 --> 16:49.413 the next journey they go. 16:49.408 --> 16:52.518 Paul wants to--Barnabas wants to take Mark, 16:52.520 --> 16:55.260 Paul doesn't, is that the way it goes? 16:55.263 --> 16:55.933 Yeah. 16:55.929 --> 16:57.449 Then they split up. 16:57.450 --> 17:00.230 It's a very amicable split in Acts, right? 17:00.230 --> 17:02.340 It's a personnel decision. 17:02.340 --> 17:04.440 They don't have any debates about doctrine. 17:04.440 --> 17:07.240 They don't have any disagreements about what the 17:07.243 --> 17:08.143 Gospel means. 17:08.140 --> 17:11.460 They don't have any disagreements about eating or 17:11.461 --> 17:12.501 circumcision. 17:12.500 --> 17:15.250 Barnabas and Saul, and Paul, split up simply over 17:15.247 --> 17:18.567 a personnel decision about whether to take John Mark on the 17:18.567 --> 17:20.167 next missionary journey. 17:20.170 --> 17:22.220 So that's--notice what we've got. 17:22.220 --> 17:28.850 How often is Paul in Jerusalem before that--before this main 17:28.851 --> 17:31.101 Jerusalem counsel? 17:31.099 --> 17:32.359 How many times? 17:32.359 --> 17:32.959 Student: Once. 17:32.960 --> 17:37.140 Prof: One, two, three, four, 17:37.136 --> 17:43.476 five--he's in Jerusalem five times before the general counsel 17:43.482 --> 17:49.302 that we sort of ended up our little narrative there. 17:49.299 --> 17:56.219 Now look at Galatians. 17:56.220 --> 17:59.070 We don't have to go all the way through Galatians, 17:59.071 --> 18:02.221 but we're going to read the part of Galatians much more 18:02.215 --> 18:03.725 carefully and closely. 18:03.730 --> 18:08.060 It's only basically the first two chapters that we need. 18:08.058 --> 18:11.228 Again, we're going to put the details up on the board, 18:11.230 --> 18:14.330 because I want you to pay much closer attention to this 18:14.333 --> 18:17.153 than apparently some of you paid anyway. 18:17.150 --> 18:23.910 18:23.910 --> 18:26.290 1:11, "I want you to know brothers," 18:26.288 --> 18:28.128 and it may say, "and sisters" 18:28.133 --> 18:30.433 in your English translation, but it doesn't in the Greek, 18:30.431 --> 18:32.931 "That the Gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human 18:32.934 --> 18:34.704 origin, for I did not receive it from a 18:34.700 --> 18:36.260 human source, nor was I taught it, 18:36.263 --> 18:38.393 but I received it through a revelation of Jesus 18:38.390 --> 18:39.130 Christ." 18:39.130 --> 18:42.470 First Paul starts out in the letter saying, 18:42.467 --> 18:46.437 "I didn't get my Gospel from any human person, 18:46.440 --> 18:49.540 I got it straight from Jesus." 18:49.538 --> 18:51.628 Now, remember, Paul didn't know Jesus during 18:51.631 --> 18:53.901 Jesus' own lifetime, so he's referring to a 18:53.897 --> 18:56.927 revelation experience that he had when he saw Jesus in some 18:56.925 --> 18:59.715 kind of visionary experience, or another place he says he was 18:59.722 --> 19:02.392 lifted up into the third heaven, so we'll talk at some point 19:02.387 --> 19:05.417 about what kind of experience was this that Paul had, 19:05.420 --> 19:07.500 but that's where he got his Gospel. 19:07.500 --> 19:10.450 You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in 19:10.448 --> 19:11.088 Judaism. 19:11.088 --> 19:14.038 I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to 19:14.040 --> 19:14.660 destroy it. 19:14.660 --> 19:17.770 I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same 19:17.769 --> 19:21.139 age, for I was more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. 19:21.140 --> 19:23.080 But when God, who had set me apart before I 19:23.076 --> 19:24.916 was born, called me through his grace, 19:24.919 --> 19:27.589 was pleased so that I might proclaim among the Gentiles, 19:27.588 --> 19:31.088 I did not confer with any human being. 19:31.088 --> 19:34.478 Now where is Paul at this point according to his own statement? 19:34.480 --> 19:38.800 19:38.799 --> 19:40.559 We don't know, right? 19:40.558 --> 19:44.418 But we know one place he's not, and where is that? 19:44.420 --> 19:45.580 Student: Jerusalem. 19:45.578 --> 19:47.218 Prof: Because then he says, 19:47.220 --> 19:50.790 "I did not, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to 19:50.794 --> 19:54.144 those who are already Apostles before me, 19:54.140 --> 19:58.140 but I went away at once into Arabia and afterwards I returned 19:58.136 --> 19:59.466 to Damascus." 19:59.470 --> 20:01.690 That's how you know where he was. 20:01.690 --> 20:05.450 "I returned to Damascus." 20:05.450 --> 20:10.100 Where is the first place we see Paul, chronologically, 20:10.096 --> 20:13.516 geographically, according to his letter, 20:13.517 --> 20:14.917 is Damascus. 20:14.920 --> 20:18.640 20:18.640 --> 20:28.440 Let's keep--then he says, "I went to Arabia." 20:28.440 --> 20:32.990 Arabia at this time refers to the part of the other side of 20:32.994 --> 20:36.794 the Jordan River from Judea, so it's what we would call 20:36.792 --> 20:39.462 modern Jordan mainly, maybe eastern Syria, 20:39.464 --> 20:43.794 western Jordan but that's what was Arabian desert that's-- 20:43.788 --> 20:46.418 so he's talking about he went away to that area that we would 20:46.416 --> 20:47.946 now call eastern Syria or Jordan. 20:47.950 --> 20:52.990 Remember Damascus is one of the large cities in Syria, 20:52.988 --> 20:55.458 so that's where he goes. 20:55.460 --> 21:01.020 "Afterwards I returned to Damascus. 21:01.019 --> 21:05.129 After three years," we get a nice little 21:05.131 --> 21:09.711 chronological note, "I did go to Jerusalem to 21:09.710 --> 21:11.860 visit Cephas." 21:11.859 --> 21:13.709 Who is Cephas? 21:13.710 --> 21:15.310 Peter, exactly. 21:15.308 --> 21:17.678 Cephas is the Aramaic word for "rock" 21:17.683 --> 21:19.923 or "stone," and Peter is the Greek 21:19.923 --> 21:22.213 word for "rock" or "stone." 21:22.210 --> 21:25.620 Again, we have two different names. 21:25.618 --> 21:30.808 He goes to Jerusalem to meet Peter, but he says, 21:30.814 --> 21:36.124 "And I stayed with him for 15 days." 21:36.118 --> 21:44.188 This first trip in Jerusalem takes 15 days. 21:44.190 --> 21:50.810 Notice what he says then, "But I did not see any 21:50.813 --> 21:57.823 other apostle except James, the Lord's brother." 21:57.818 --> 22:00.068 Student: > 22:00.068 --> 22:01.488 Prof: Is that Jesus' brother? 22:01.490 --> 22:02.690 Yes, somebody said. 22:02.690 --> 22:05.830 According to Roman Catholic tradition Jesus didn't have any 22:05.829 --> 22:07.949 brothers, but according to the New 22:07.951 --> 22:11.081 Testament he did have brothers and maybe sisters, 22:11.079 --> 22:12.809 according to some manuscripts. 22:12.808 --> 22:16.508 James is called the brother of Jesus in the Book of Acts. 22:16.509 --> 22:19.609 Don't confuse this with James, son of Zebedee who was one of 22:19.607 --> 22:22.127 the twelve apostles, that's a different James. 22:22.130 --> 22:24.220 There are several James' because it was a very common 22:24.221 --> 22:25.351 name in the ancient world. 22:25.348 --> 22:27.188 You know of course, "James" 22:27.190 --> 22:29.490 is just the Anglicization of Jacob, 22:29.490 --> 22:33.170 so it's actually Jacob in the Greek and that's the word 22:33.166 --> 22:33.646 it is. 22:33.650 --> 22:35.220 It becomes "James" in English. 22:35.220 --> 22:37.120 "James, the Lord's brother. 22:37.118 --> 22:42.838 In what I'm writing to you before God I do not lie." 22:42.838 --> 22:48.138 What--why does Paul have his panties in a wad? 22:48.140 --> 22:52.560 Confirming that he only was there fifteen days, 22:52.560 --> 22:55.830 and he only saw Peter and James. 22:55.828 --> 22:59.728 I swear it, I swear it, I swear it. 22:59.730 --> 23:06.140 "Then I went into the regions of Syria and 23:06.140 --> 23:08.370 Cilicia." 23:08.368 --> 23:11.668 Why do you think he went to Cilicia? 23:11.670 --> 23:12.840 Student: To > 23:12.838 --> 23:14.568 Prof: That's where Tarsus is. 23:14.568 --> 23:17.708 Maybe that's a clue that he actually was from Tarsus, 23:17.710 --> 23:20.450 although Paul doesn't ever tell us he's from Tarsus, 23:20.450 --> 23:23.230 so we don't know that's his hometown from him but that's 23:23.230 --> 23:24.900 what Acts says is his hometown. 23:24.900 --> 23:27.680 So maybe he went to Tarsus, we don't know. 23:27.680 --> 23:28.960 He just says he went to Syria. 23:28.960 --> 23:32.370 I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are 23:32.368 --> 23:34.058 in Christ; they only heard it said, 23:34.058 --> 23:36.228 "The one who formerly was persecuting us is now 23:36.226 --> 23:38.346 proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy. 23:38.349 --> 23:39.519 And they glorified God. 23:39.519 --> 23:43.559 "I was not known by sight,"-- 23:43.558 --> 23:45.378 they heard my reputation, they heard that I had 23:45.375 --> 23:49.015 persecuted followers of Jesus, but nobody, no follower of 23:49.017 --> 23:53.867 Jesus in Judea knew what I looked like except Peter and 23:53.871 --> 23:54.681 James. 23:54.680 --> 23:57.860 He swears it, he's very adamant. 23:57.858 --> 24:02.658 "Then after fourteen years," so we have a 24:02.657 --> 24:07.107 fourteen year period of time, "I went up again with 24:07.106 --> 24:09.656 Barnabas, taking Titus along with me; 24:09.660 --> 24:12.030 I went up in response to a revelation." 24:12.028 --> 24:14.158 Why does he say he went up in response to a revelation? 24:14.160 --> 24:17.460 Anybody have an idea? 24:17.460 --> 24:19.720 Yes, no. 24:19.720 --> 24:24.170 As we'll see throughout this letter, Paul wants to make it 24:24.165 --> 24:28.605 very clear that he is not playing second fiddle to anybody 24:28.613 --> 24:29.943 in Jerusalem. 24:29.940 --> 24:33.290 He didn't get his gospel from those disciples, 24:33.288 --> 24:35.398 he didn't get it from Peter and James, 24:35.400 --> 24:39.100 he got it straight from Jesus, he didn't check his Gospel out 24:39.096 --> 24:40.696 with them at this point. 24:40.700 --> 24:42.190 He got it from Jesus. 24:42.190 --> 24:45.760 Paul is trying to establish his independence from the church in 24:45.755 --> 24:49.145 Jerusalem and he's eventually going to try establishing that 24:49.148 --> 24:52.368 "I'm just as much an apostle as they are." 24:52.368 --> 24:54.218 "I went up in response to"--in other words he went 24:54.215 --> 24:55.245 up in response to a revelation. 24:55.250 --> 24:58.230 God appeared--God told Paul, according to him, 24:58.226 --> 25:00.206 "Go to Jerusalem." 25:00.210 --> 25:03.740 He didn't go because the Jerusalem authorities said, 25:03.740 --> 25:06.630 "We need to check you out and see if you're going to come 25:06.625 --> 25:07.615 to Jerusalem." 25:07.618 --> 25:09.788 They did--this was not a command performance he's 25:09.788 --> 25:10.328 insisting. 25:10.328 --> 25:13.838 I laid before them (though only in private meeting with the 25:13.836 --> 25:16.666 acknowledged leaders), the Gospel that I proclaim 25:16.665 --> 25:19.125 among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I 25:19.125 --> 25:21.115 was not running or had not run in vain. 25:21.118 --> 25:23.458 But even Titus, who was with me was not 25:23.461 --> 25:26.731 compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 25:26.730 --> 25:30.050 But because of false believers secretly [he calls it false 25:30.048 --> 25:32.378 brothers] secretly brought in who slipped 25:32.376 --> 25:35.866 in to spy out the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, 25:35.868 --> 25:39.098 so that they might enslave us--we did not submit to them 25:39.104 --> 25:41.524 even for a moment, so that the truth of the Gospel 25:41.523 --> 25:42.673 might always remain with you. 25:42.670 --> 25:45.530 And from those who are supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what 25:45.527 --> 25:47.657 they actually were makes no difference to me; 25:47.660 --> 25:49.100 God shows no partiality) ... 25:49.098 --> 25:52.578 Notice again Paul is really kind of anxious about not 25:52.577 --> 25:56.717 wanting to cede any authority to these Jerusalem leaders except 25:56.722 --> 25:58.932 as they are local leaders.... 25:58.930 --> 26:02.060 those leaders contributed nothing new to me. 26:02.058 --> 26:04.288 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been 26:04.286 --> 26:06.806 entrusted with the Gospel for the uncircumcised, 26:06.808 --> 26:09.138 just as Peter had been entrusted with the Gospel for 26:09.141 --> 26:11.751 the circumcised (for he worked through Peter making him an 26:11.747 --> 26:14.047 apostle to the circumcised, also worked through me and 26:14.045 --> 26:17.165 sending me to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and 26:17.167 --> 26:19.167 John, [this is James the Lord's 26:19.169 --> 26:22.199 brother, Cephas Peter, and then the disciple John] 26:22.200 --> 26:25.120 who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had 26:25.117 --> 26:27.037 been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me 26:27.037 --> 26:29.887 the right and the fellowship, agreeing that we should go to 26:29.887 --> 26:31.997 the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 26:32.000 --> 26:34.780 They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, 26:34.778 --> 26:37.128 which was actually what I was eager to do. 26:37.130 --> 26:38.930 Now there's a big question here. 26:38.930 --> 26:43.430 Is what Paul is describing here basically this Jerusalem 26:43.434 --> 26:44.504 conference? 26:44.500 --> 26:47.060 Is it his version? 26:47.058 --> 26:50.248 It's quite different the way Paul--Paul acts like it's mainly 26:50.247 --> 26:53.327 him and sort of the leaders of the Jerusalem church who get 26:53.328 --> 26:54.018 together. 26:54.019 --> 26:57.439 It's not--it wasn't brought about by some crisis. 26:57.440 --> 27:00.070 Paul went because God told him to do, so they could all just 27:00.074 --> 27:01.864 make sure that they have an agreement. 27:01.858 --> 27:03.958 They make an agreement, Gentiles don't have to 27:03.961 --> 27:06.671 circumcised, nobody pressured, except these false brothers, 27:06.671 --> 27:07.981 Titus to be circumcised. 27:07.980 --> 27:10.660 The pillars Peter, James, and John did not insist 27:10.660 --> 27:13.950 that Gentiles be circumcised, they agreed with Peter's--with 27:13.953 --> 27:14.963 Paul's gospel. 27:14.960 --> 27:19.340 The next thing that happened though--so look how--what Paul 27:19.344 --> 27:22.744 says, he starts in Damascus, he was in Arabia, 27:22.744 --> 27:24.564 and here's Damascus. 27:24.559 --> 27:27.699 Three-year period of time; he's in Jerusalem but only 27:27.700 --> 27:28.600 fifteen days. 27:28.599 --> 27:30.729 He only sees Peter and James. 27:30.730 --> 27:33.400 Then he goes back--goes to Syria and Cilicia, 27:33.400 --> 27:35.600 and then after fourteen years later-- 27:35.598 --> 27:38.568 some scholars say, well is this fourteen years 27:38.570 --> 27:40.420 including the three years? 27:40.420 --> 27:42.940 That is, is this fourteen years from his revelation or do we 27:42.938 --> 27:43.918 have seventeen years? 27:43.920 --> 27:47.130 When you try to figure out the chronology for Paul's ministry 27:47.133 --> 27:49.333 in life you have to make that decision. 27:49.328 --> 27:52.048 I think that much more likely is this fourteen years is 27:52.051 --> 27:54.831 considered to be fourteen years after these three years, 27:54.825 --> 27:56.535 so you've got seventeen years. 27:56.538 --> 28:00.638 That would put this Jerusalem meeting about seventeen years 28:00.642 --> 28:04.252 after Paul's own conversion if he was converted-- 28:04.250 --> 28:07.180 he seems to be converted very early or called to be an apostle 28:07.183 --> 28:07.813 very early. 28:07.808 --> 28:10.478 Jesus died around the year 30 perhaps. 28:10.480 --> 28:13.560 Paul--let's just say Paul got his revelation at 34, 28:13.558 --> 28:18.668 so you would be talking seventeen years after say 34 or 28:18.672 --> 28:21.022 35, is when you have this Jerusalem 28:21.019 --> 28:21.709 conference. 28:21.710 --> 28:23.970 Then you have the next thing. 28:23.970 --> 28:25.210 Now what happens next though? 28:25.210 --> 28:30.020 Now, what that basically is saying--let's just stop here and 28:30.020 --> 28:33.610 let me say, how do you make this fit this? 28:33.609 --> 28:36.469 How do you make this fit this? 28:36.470 --> 28:39.670 Over here you have Paul starting off in Jerusalem, 28:39.672 --> 28:42.092 and he's persecuting the disciples. 28:42.088 --> 28:47.058 How can he then say over here that they had never seen his 28:47.058 --> 28:47.668 face? 28:47.670 --> 28:51.320 Were all of them dead by this time? 28:51.318 --> 28:55.348 He swears they didn't know his face, which seems to me to say 28:55.349 --> 28:59.049 that Paul is claiming he wasn't in Jerusalem when he was 28:59.046 --> 29:00.856 persecuting the church. 29:00.858 --> 29:05.358 He was persecuting Christians in Syria. 29:05.358 --> 29:09.428 He was persecuting followers of Jesus in the Jewish Diaspora, 29:09.428 --> 29:10.918 not in Judea at all. 29:10.920 --> 29:12.310 That's what Paul's claiming. 29:12.308 --> 29:14.468 And then he goes to Damascus, he goes to Jerusalem for 29:14.473 --> 29:16.233 fifteen days but only sees these people, 29:16.230 --> 29:20.730 and it's seventeen years total is the first time he's seen 29:20.731 --> 29:25.551 publicly in Jerusalem by many different followers of Jesus. 29:25.548 --> 29:29.078 That just doesn't seem to fit here. 29:29.078 --> 29:31.128 Here he starts off in Jerusalem, he's in Jerusalem 29:31.130 --> 29:33.520 again, he goes to Damascus, but it seems like it's only in 29:33.516 --> 29:35.186 a matter of weeks or months perhaps. 29:35.190 --> 29:39.630 He's in Antioch for a year, he goes back to Jerusalem, 29:39.630 --> 29:41.120 then he's in Antioch for a year, he goes back to Jerusalem 29:41.119 --> 29:43.039 here, he's back to Jerusalem here, 29:43.040 --> 29:46.670 back to Jerusalem here, he's in and out of Judea and 29:46.674 --> 29:48.484 Jerusalem all the time. 29:48.480 --> 29:52.620 Which one of these is accurate? 29:52.618 --> 29:55.878 Or do you believe that--you can find really, 29:55.880 --> 29:58.650 really brilliant fundamentalists who believe that 29:58.654 --> 30:02.354 the Bible has to be historically and scientifically true in every 30:02.352 --> 30:04.592 one of its details, and you know what, 30:04.590 --> 30:07.240 they can kind of figure out how to harmonize all this, 30:07.240 --> 30:11.810 but it takes a lot of very brilliant work. 30:11.808 --> 30:16.118 It's much more likely isn't it that one of these accounts is 30:16.123 --> 30:18.393 more accurate than the other. 30:18.390 --> 30:22.380 Which one do you believe? 30:22.380 --> 30:25.840 That's a real question, which one do you believe? 30:25.839 --> 30:27.249 Somebody make me an argument. 30:27.250 --> 30:29.480 Decide. 30:29.480 --> 30:34.400 Come on break out of that undergraduate shyness and just 30:34.400 --> 30:36.100 make an argument. 30:36.099 --> 30:36.829 Yes. 30:36.828 --> 30:38.218 Student: > 30:38.220 --> 30:40.510 Prof: You believe Acts, why would you believe Acts? 30:40.509 --> 30:41.619 Say it loud. 30:41.618 --> 30:49.448 Student: > 30:49.450 --> 30:51.310 Prof: Acts sounds like a historical account, 30:51.307 --> 30:51.787 doesn't it? 30:51.788 --> 30:53.988 It doesn't seem like it has a big axe to grind. 30:53.990 --> 30:56.260 In Galatians, Paul is--obviously has an axe 30:56.263 --> 30:56.863 to grind. 30:56.858 --> 30:58.698 He's going all over himself saying, "I'm not lying, 30:58.701 --> 30:59.941 I'm not lying, I'm not lying." 30:59.940 --> 31:02.840 This fellow says, maybe Paul's protesting too 31:02.843 --> 31:06.213 much in Galatians and Acts sounds a bit more like an 31:06.208 --> 31:07.658 impartial account. 31:07.660 --> 31:09.520 Do the rest of you buy that? 31:09.519 --> 31:12.809 Everybody nods their head that sounds good to everybody? 31:12.809 --> 31:13.959 Yes sir. 31:13.960 --> 31:17.600 Student: > 31:17.598 --> 31:19.688 Prof: Galatians is a firsthand account. 31:19.690 --> 31:22.390 I mean Acts was written by someone we don't know--even know 31:22.388 --> 31:24.438 who wrote it, but it obviously wasn't written 31:24.436 --> 31:26.016 by someone who saw this stuff. 31:26.019 --> 31:29.189 He says he used other sources, so when we get to the Gospel of 31:29.194 --> 31:31.174 Luke and Acts, which were both written by the 31:31.170 --> 31:32.720 same person, we'll see that this author 31:32.720 --> 31:34.120 admits that he used other sources. 31:34.118 --> 31:37.048 He was not an eyewitness of any of this stuff, 31:37.047 --> 31:40.947 at least this stuff that he tells about here in this part. 31:40.950 --> 31:43.250 There's some debate about whether he maybe was an 31:43.247 --> 31:46.117 eyewitness for some of the travels of Paul later in Acts, 31:46.118 --> 31:48.328 but at this point he doesn't even claim to have been there. 31:48.328 --> 31:51.988 As a historian, wouldn't you take an account by 31:51.991 --> 31:54.941 an eyewitness, the person who actually 31:54.939 --> 31:59.079 experienced this, over an account written later? 31:59.078 --> 32:03.328 This gentleman over here says, no, Paul's account is better 32:03.326 --> 32:06.326 historical source because he was there. 32:06.329 --> 32:09.859 32:09.859 --> 32:13.639 Anybody else make an argument? 32:13.640 --> 32:17.260 Well what about the idea that the writer of Acts is just 32:17.262 --> 32:18.452 telling a story. 32:18.450 --> 32:23.510 Paul clearly has an axe to grind, not to make a pun. 32:23.509 --> 32:24.919 Yes. 32:24.920 --> 32:30.210 Student: The writer of Acts > 32:30.210 --> 32:31.180 Prof: That's right. 32:31.180 --> 32:33.380 The writer of Acts could be having an axe to grind, 32:33.382 --> 32:35.672 which is to make the church sound more harmonious and 32:35.672 --> 32:37.392 united, and all that sort of thing. 32:37.390 --> 32:41.540 It may also be that the writer of Acts wants to emphasize the 32:41.538 --> 32:45.438 center of Jerusalem and Judea, and the leaders there as the 32:45.440 --> 32:48.450 central authority for the early Christian movement. 32:48.450 --> 32:52.950 And so he's exaggerating Paul's presence in Jerusalem, 32:52.952 --> 32:57.882 and exaggerating the role of these leaders in Jerusalem. 32:57.880 --> 32:59.520 That's a good point. 32:59.519 --> 33:02.289 The writer of Acts, we should all know that every 33:02.289 --> 33:06.119 written account of anything, no matter how historically good 33:06.122 --> 33:08.202 it is, still has a point of view, 33:08.203 --> 33:09.463 still has an agenda. 33:09.460 --> 33:09.910 Yes. 33:09.910 --> 33:12.180 Student: Was Paul aware > 33:12.180 --> 33:15.070 Prof: No, Acts was written after the life 33:15.073 --> 33:18.643 of Paul, so Paul doesn't have access to the Book of Acts as 33:18.644 --> 33:20.064 one of his sources. 33:20.058 --> 33:23.918 Now the other question is did the writer of Acts have access 33:23.921 --> 33:25.231 to Paul's letters? 33:25.230 --> 33:29.630 We don't know. 33:29.630 --> 33:32.120 The basic--it's time for me to wrap up here, 33:32.118 --> 33:37.358 the basic question here is whether you decide to trust more 33:37.355 --> 33:42.225 Acts or Paul on this issue is a historical question. 33:42.230 --> 33:44.220 But the basic point also is to get you by a very, 33:44.220 --> 33:49.460 very close reading of this text to see that it's much a better 33:49.461 --> 33:53.761 historical practice as a historian to not text-- 33:53.759 --> 33:57.319 not take any of these texts as simple straightforward history. 33:57.318 --> 34:00.718 What I will argue, eventually, is that Paul is 34:00.724 --> 34:04.664 probably telling what is more accurately the case. 34:04.660 --> 34:07.010 Yes, he has a reason to stress it, 34:07.009 --> 34:09.779 but he says it so forcefully and he writes it in a letter, 34:09.780 --> 34:13.280 and if he had actually been in Jerusalem as much as Acts says, 34:13.280 --> 34:15.800 couldn't the people who received his letter have checked 34:15.795 --> 34:16.295 this out? 34:16.300 --> 34:17.970 Yeah. 34:17.969 --> 34:21.769 They could basically say later, no, Paul, in spite of saying 34:21.773 --> 34:24.163 that you do not lie, you're a liar. 34:24.159 --> 34:26.919 We know, we've checked it out. 34:26.920 --> 34:28.850 Paul's letter, I would say, 34:28.853 --> 34:33.093 is much more likely to contain better historical evidence, 34:33.090 --> 34:37.330 but we can argue about that until the cows come home. 34:37.329 --> 34:40.649 The main point is that you still have to sift these 34:40.646 --> 34:44.496 documents with a lot of careful sifting to get any reliable 34:44.496 --> 34:46.616 historical data out of them. 34:46.619 --> 34:48.539 For example, later when we get to Galatians 34:48.539 --> 34:51.389 for some of these things, we'll talk a bit about what 34:51.391 --> 34:54.601 really happened in Antioch that caused the split between 34:54.596 --> 34:55.816 Barnabas and Paul. 34:55.820 --> 34:59.410 In Acts it's all like, oh no they just had a personnel 34:59.411 --> 35:02.191 disagreement, but they parted perfectly in 35:02.190 --> 35:04.700 agreement about the basic gospel. 35:04.699 --> 35:08.879 According to Galatians, no, Barnabas and Paul disagreed 35:08.876 --> 35:13.516 strongly over whether Jews could continue in table fellowship 35:13.516 --> 35:17.996 with uncircumcised Gentiles, and Barnabas went along with 35:18.003 --> 35:22.223 Peter and some disciples from James in Jerusalem in saying, 35:22.219 --> 35:26.059 no, not even Jewish followers of Jesus shouldn't share meals 35:26.057 --> 35:28.007 with uncircumcised Gentiles. 35:28.010 --> 35:33.000 Paul believes that Barnabas got that wrong. 35:33.000 --> 35:36.560 So according to Paul's letters, Paul split with Barnabas on a 35:36.557 --> 35:39.757 serious disagreement over a doctrine in practice in the 35:39.760 --> 35:40.770 early church. 35:40.768 --> 35:44.908 And again, Acts kind of slides that over because Acts tries to 35:44.913 --> 35:47.973 make the church look completely harmonious. 35:47.969 --> 35:50.289 This is historical criticism. 35:50.289 --> 35:54.799 Reading these texts just like you would read any other ancient 35:54.800 --> 35:59.240 text with just the same amount of scrutiny and suspicion that 35:59.237 --> 36:00.937 you would any text. 36:00.940 --> 36:02.580 That's what we're going to do in this semester. 36:02.579 --> 36:05.109 It's different from reading the text as scripture. 36:05.110 --> 36:07.310 This is not to say that I believe reading the text as 36:07.306 --> 36:08.486 scripture is bad or wrong. 36:08.489 --> 36:10.879 I believe it's just a different way of reading. 36:10.880 --> 36:12.730 I think you can come up with good, true, 36:12.730 --> 36:16.330 Christian theological readings of the New Testament and you can 36:16.329 --> 36:19.469 come up with very decent historical readings of the New 36:19.465 --> 36:20.275 Testament. 36:20.280 --> 36:23.050 They just always won't be the same kind of reading. 36:23.050 --> 36:25.770 What this class is going to do for the most part is talk about 36:25.773 --> 36:28.223 that historical reading, and when we get to Paul, 36:28.219 --> 36:31.529 when we get to Acts we're going to pick these texts all apart, 36:31.530 --> 36:34.510 we're going to ask questions like, is any of this historical? 36:34.510 --> 36:36.690 If so what and why? 36:36.690 --> 36:40.060 So start thinking that way, and then I'll see you on 36:40.056 --> 36:40.846 Wednesday. 36:40.849 --> 36:45.999