This is the seventh session's Power Point slide show from the 'Using Pauline Studies for Evangelism' course taught at the Light Project, Chester.

1. Paul and Jesus: How much did
Paul know about the historical
Jesus?
The Light Project
Session 7
Clint Heacock

3. “Since the beginning of the critical era,
the titans of biblical scholarship have
declared that Paul struck off in his own
idiosyncratic direction, ignorant or
disobedient to the intentions of Jesus,
the one he claimed to serve.”
Barrett, Paul: Missionary of Jesus, 11.

4. “One of the most remarkable features of Paul’s
teaching is that very rarely, if at all, in his
extensive letters, does he ever seem to
allude specifically to any of the sayings that
we associate with Jesus through the gospels
or even in any of the gnostic or non-
canonical sources.
It is as if Paul never read any of it or if he had,
was not interested. But unless the gospel
teachings never actually originated with
Jesus, they must have been extant at that
time and the absence from his letters of
almost anything that can be attributed to
Jesus can only be accounted for either by
his lack of knowledge of it or his lack of
interest.”
Davidson, The Gospel of Jesus, 145-6.

5. “In general these noted scholars as well
as lesser-known Continental scholars
had warm feelings about the historical
Jesus (as they saw him) while
regarding Paul as a misguided zealot
who sent Christianity off in a direction
that was far from the mind of its true
founder.”
Barrett, Paul: Missionary of Jesus, 12

6. • Do you believe this statement is a true
reflection of Paul, his gospel (allegedly
by revelation) and his use (or non-use)
of Jesus’ teachings?
• What if it were true?
• What sorts of implications might that
have for our understanding of Paul and
of the gospel message as set forth in
his epistles?

7. The ‘historical Jesus’
• Toward the end of the 19th century many
Continental scholars emphasized Paul’s
isolation from Jesus.
• The teachings of the ‘historical Jesus’ (not
necessarily the one portrayed in the
Gospels) were claimed to be:
– Simple
– Attainable
– Ethical

8. The ‘Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’ emphasized the ‘real’ and
everyday aspects of the historical Jesus.
John Everett Millais, Christ in the House of His Parents, 1850.

9. Historical-Critical Methods
The Bible written by The ‘historical Jesus’
those who portrayed reconstructed from
the ‘Christ of faith’ and evidence to give a
not necessarily the composite picture of the
true Jesus of history ‘real Jesus’

10. Impact of NT Scholar W Wrede (1907)
• No element of continuity existed
between Jesus and Paul
• The similarities between Jesus and
Paul were superficial
• The distinctions between Paul’s
religion and his theology were false
• Paul’s substitution of a ‘religion of
redemption’ for the simple ethical and
eschatological teachings of Jesus was
a novel and dramatic departure
• Paul = ‘the second founder of
Christianity’ who had a stronger (but
not necessarily better) impact upon
Christianity than Jesus
S.G. Wilson, “From Jesus to Paul,” 4.

11. Impact of NT Scholar Bultmann
(1929)
• Paul’s teachings show neither an
interest in, nor were influenced by, the
teachings of Jesus
• There are similarities between the two
(law, human sinfulness, etc) but these
are merely verbal
• Jesus waited for the kingdom while
Paul proclaimed that it had arrived
• Paul showed no interest in the how or
what of Jesus’ life but rather in the that
of it (theological rather than
historical).

12. Pauline Epistles
Gospels
(Exalted Christ)
(The Historical Jesus)
‘Christ Jesus’
F.F. Bruce’s conception of the different
emphases between the Gospels and the
Pauline Epistles

13. Points to Ponder
1. Few scholars address the chronological
closeness between Jesus and Paul
2. When Jesus came to Jerusalem, Paul had
already been living and studying there for
at least 10 years
3. Paul’s ‘Damascus event’ must have
occurred not long after the crucifixion and
resurrection of Jesus (34 AD)
4. There is little evidence to suggest Paul was
unduly evidenced by a ‘Hellenistic religious
context’

14. What exactly did Paul know about the
historical details of Jesus’ life?

15. 1. Paul lived in Jerusalem during the span of
Jesus’ ministry.
2. His participation in the trial and stoning of
Stephen, combined with his persecution of
‘Hebrew’ and ‘Hellenist’ Jews in Jerusalem
must have contributed to his understanding of
Christ.
3. After his Damascus Road experience, his
association with Ananias and other believers in
Damascus would have contributed to his
knowledge of Jesus.
4. Within two years of the Damascus event he
spent 2 weeks in Jerusalem with Peter, and
met James the brother of Jesus (Gal. 1.18-20).
5. Paul also had a lengthy association with
Barnabas, an early disciple in Jerusalem.

16. How much of Jesus’ actual teachings did Paul
know?
• At times he will directly quote the sayings
of Jesus (1 Cor. 11. 23-25).
• At times he will allude to the sayings of
Jesus (1 Thess. 4.15; 1 Cor. 7. 9-11; 9.14)
• At times he will adapt Jesus’ teachings (1
Thess. 4.1-4)
• Moreover, Paul is clearly familiar with the
major details of Jesus’ Davidic lineage, life,
teachings, crucifixion and resurrection

17. Conclusions
• Recall that when Paul wrote his letters, neither Acts
nor the Gospels were written yet!
• Realistically, how much written material was
actually available to Paul beyond that of oral and
eyewitness testimonies?
• Paul’s letters do reflect an extensive global and
sequential knowledge of Jesus’ life.
• To a significant extent his letters quote, adapt and
echo the words of Jesus.
• Conclusion: From the evidence, there is no
discernible ideological or theological ‘wall of
separation’ between Paul and Jesus, but rather
more of a ‘level ground’ between the two.