Bible. New Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Christianity -- Origin; Paul, the Apostle, Saint
To see this--if he can endure the sight--will not cost the reader much
trouble, Table II. _Paul disbelieved Table_, lies before him. Under the
head of _Independence declared_, in Paul's Epistle to his Galatians,
chapter 1, verses 11, 12, he will find these words. "But I certify you,
brethren, that the Gospel which was _preached of me is not after man_:
for _I neither received it of man_, neither was _I taught, but by the
revelation of Jesus Christ_." Thus far Paul. If then it was not received
by him by the revelation of Jesus Christ--this Gospel of his; nor yet,
as he assures us, "_of man_,"--the consequence is a necessary one--it
was made by him, out of his own head.
SECTION 2.
OF CONFORMITY, USE MADE OF THE NAME OF JESUS NO PROOF.
Of the name of Jesus, whatever use he may have made--made (as it was
seen) without authority--can any use, made in contradiction to this his
own confession, afford any the slightest ground for regarding _his_
Gospel, whatever it be,--his Gospel, or any part of it,--as belonging to
the religion of Jesus? If so, then are all impostors the persons they
falsely pretend to be--all counterfeit productions of any kind, genuine
ones.
While preaching to Gentiles at a distance from Jerusalem, from any use
he could have the assurance to make of so revered a name, it is almost
superfluous to observe, how much he had to gain, and how little to lose.
In a case of this sort, how much soever there may be that is offensive
in the demeanour of the pretended agent eulogizing, no part of it is
ascribed to the pretended principal eulogized: and, in such his eulogy,
the pretended agent is not hampered by any of those considerations, by
which he would stand precluded from all prospect of advantage, had he
the effrontery to lay it in equally strong colours on himself. Thus, in
the case of Paul, from putting in the foreground where he did, the name
of Jesus, there was this great advantage to gain: and, the pretended
principal being never present to disavow him, the consequence was--that,
so long as no accredited and credited agents, of that same principal,
were at hand to contradict his pretensions,--the mere name of this
principal would be no obstacle, to the preaching of doctrines, ever so
decidedly at variance with his.
If, on the other hand,--in a company, in which he was preaching
doctrines of his own, which were not Jesus's,--men should happen to be
present, to whom, by reason of their personal acquaintance with Jesus,
or with any immediate disciples of Jesus, these same doctrines of Paul's
should be perceived and declared not to be Jesus's, here would be an
inconvenience: and, on this account,--wherever, without using the name
of Jesus, or any other name than his own, he could be sufficiently
assured, of obtaining a degree of confidence sufficient for his
purpose,--this course, supposing it successful, would, on several
accounts, be more advantageous.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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