Adult Education: Fall 2009

A Funny Thing Happened on the Road to Damascus

The most dramatic event in Paul’s The most dramatic event in Paul’s dramatic was his encounter with the dramatic was his encounter with the risen Christ, on the road to Damascus. risen Christ, on the road to Damascus. This event sheds light on almost This event sheds light on almost everything else we see or read about in everything else we see or read about in Paul’s life.Paul’s life.

Three known historical events help to supply dates for events in Paul’s career

The Nabataean King Aretas died between AD 38 and 40, and Nabataean control of Damascus is unlikely before AD 37, when Caligula acceded to the throne in Rome (2 Cor. 11.32-33)

In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas set a guard on the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands. –2 Cor. 11.32-33

Nabataean TempleNabataean Temple

The expulsion of the Jews from Rome under Caligula occurred in AD 49 (Suetonius, Claud. 25.4) which is treated as recent in Acts 18.2 when Paul encounters Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth.

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them. --Acts 18.1-2

Caligula

The proconsulship of Gallio in Achaia can be dated to AD 51-52 due to inscriptional evidence that sets Paul’s ministry in Corinth within that period (Acts 18.11-13).

He stayed there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. 13They said, ‘This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law.’—Acts 18.11-13

Understanding Paul’s reasons for moving from being a persecutor to becoming a proclaimer:

Paul was a pious Jew—a Pharisee—who had worked his way into a “blameless” state.

Three factors contributed to Paul’s militancy in persecuting Christians:

1.Belief in a crucified Messiah was scandalous. The cross was offensive to Jews because a crucified messiah implied a crucified Israel. The whole Jewish idea of kingship, God’s favor, and destiny of Israel didn’t fit with crucifixion.

2.Early Christians had begun to ascribe to Jesus worship normally reserved for God alone. The invocation of Jesus at baptisms is one example. Jews felt it was blasphemous to devote to Jesus what they believed belonged exclusively to God.

3. Paul (Saul) was zealous for the Torah. This meant more than enthusiasm. It meant a willingness to use violence against other Jews who threatened the sanctity of Israel’s separation from Gentiles. Paul’s zeal was aimed against Christians who, in his mind, threatened the integrity of the boundaries that separated Jews from Gentiles and endangered the holiness of the Jewish people.

Probably what got Paul active in persecuting was the willingness of Christians to admit Gentiles or “sinners” could stand before God on the same footing as Jews but without actually becoming Jews. This seemed to devalue the currency of Israel’s election.

Paul’s theology rests on the radical Paul’s theology rests on the radical reversal of former values which came reversal of former values which came about through the encounter with the about through the encounter with the crucified and risen Jesus. Paul’s zeal for crucified and risen Jesus. Paul’s zeal for the law is replaced by the proclamation of the law is replaced by the proclamation of the gospel without law; justification of the the gospel without law; justification of the righteous on the basis of ‘works of the righteous on the basis of ‘works of the law’ is replaced by justification of the law’ is replaced by justification of the ‘godless’ through faith alone; free will is ‘godless’ through faith alone; free will is replaced by the faith which is given by replaced by the faith which is given by grace alone; hatred of the crucified is grace alone; hatred of the crucified is replaced by the cross which locates replaced by the cross which locates salvation of all people in the salvation of all people in the representative accursed death of the representative accursed death of the messiah on the crossmessiah on the cross.—.—Martin HengelMartin Hengel

Paul’s Conversion•Paul doesn’t give us the volume of information that Luke does. Rather Paul shares a few snippets of his experience through his letters.•Paul describes himself as being one “untimely born,” which likens his conversion to an emergency caesarian delivery.•Recent discussion raises the question whether it is more proper to call Paul’s Damascus Road experience a conversion or a calling (as in the calling of an OT prophet.)•Sociologists might call Paul’s turn to Christ a ‘deviant’ or defector’ in the eyes of his Pharisaic contemporaries.

Effects of Paul’s Conversion

Paul came to grips with the fact that Jesus was not a false prophet, but was the Son of God.

Paul’s beliefs about salvation changed in the sense that he came to see the source of salvation exclusively in Jesus Christ. Paul came to see that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

Paul came to see that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

Paul’s beliefs about the end times changed. Before Paul saw the end as a time when everyone is resurrected and judged. With Jesus’ resurrection, Paul saw the resurrection as under way in the present with the Holy Spirit as a definitive mark of the end time era being underway.

Before Paul saw Torah observance as the key marker of God’s people. This is replaced by faith in the messiah. Faith alone determines membership in the people of God.

Paul’s beliefs about the church changed. By persecuting Christians, Paul was really persecuting Christ. Later Paul came to the understanding that the Church was indeed the Body of Christ.

This encounter with the risen Jesus had an enormous impact on Paul’s continuing religious experience of God, on his missionary drive and upon his theological reflection about God, Israel, Torah and salvation. That grace-event killed Saul the Pharisee and birthed Paul the apostle.