Bible. New Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Christianity -- Origin; Paul, the Apostle, Saint
[17] Paul, says--2nd Cor. 11:6--"For though I be rude in speech yet am I
not in knowledge nay, in everything we have made it manifest among all
men to you-ward, or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might
be exalted, because I preached to you the Gospel of God for naught? I
robbed other Churches, taking wages of them that I might minister unto
you; and when I was present with you I was in want, I was not a burden
on any man; for the brethren, when they came from Macedonia supplied the
measure of my want, and in everything I kept myself from being
burdensome unto you and so I will keep myself. As the truth of Christ is
in me no man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions of Achaia,
&c."
When ever we get a Temperamental and psychological view of Paul, we see
verified the deductions of the author of this treatise, that he was a
transparent imposter. An unscrupulous adventurer. With talent well
adapted to dogmatically command the attention of the ignorant and
especially those of organized hereditary idolatry, the extreme vanity,
the vain glorious pretensions of this new priest was well adapted to
obtain obsequious complacence from such people. He always presents
himself in a controversial spirit of self-exaltation.
His egotistic diction could hardly be made more manifest than in the
terms above quoted, to wit:--"I robbed other Churches taking wages of
them that I might minister unto you, &c." It presents a striking
contrast to the benevolent and fraternal spirit of Christ and his
disciples.
[18] N.B. The editor at this place inserts pages of discussion--which
the author exhibited by way of an appendix. At the expense of a little
redundancy and incongruity the editor inserts it in this place.--Ed.
[19] According to the Acts' account, this same stoning, if it was the
same, was much in the style of that same resurrection of Eutychus, which
we have seen in Chapter xiii. §. 10. As to Paul, when this martyrdom had
been suffered by him,--"some" says Acts xiv. 19, were "supposing he had
been dead:" and on that supposition, "drew him out of the city." Paul,
on the other hand, thought otherwise: he supposed himself alive, and, on
that supposition, he walked off, as if nothing had been the matter with
him. "Certain Jews ... say verses 19 and 20, having stoned Paul, drew
him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the
disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and
the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe."
CHAPTER III.
_Paul disbelieved.--Neither his divine Commission nor his inward
Conversion ever credited by the Apostles or their Jerusalem
Disciples.--Source of Proof stated._
SECTION 1.
TO PAUL'S CONVERSION VISION, SOLE ORIGINAL WITNESS HIMSELF.
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