Question:

Have you read questioningpaul.com ?  Hab 2 is quite the prophecy about the coming of Shwaul as the”plague of death” and the one who “gathers all the Gentiles unto himself”, etc.  Paul never quotes the Torah correctly.

Response:

I spent some time looking at the document you suggested and found this to be a travesty of illogic and very bad scholarship.   In my opinion, to be honest, I believe you should be a bit more skeptical of what you read.    Let me give you just a few reasons I reach this conclusion.

First of all, in the very first paragraph the author makes a couple of very big blunders.   He says that Paul is “the writer of half the New Testament.”   He follows up this statement by saying that “this fact is irrefutable.”   The fact is that Paul wrote 26% of the New Testament.   In a translation chosen at random (a 1984 NIV) the New Testament covers 277 pages and the words of Paul cover 72 pages, which is 26%.   This author is vastly overestimating the importance of Paul to Christian belief.   Obviously, Paul’s writings are crucial to Christian belief, but surely the gospels are the heart of the New Testament as virtually any Christian or even non-Christian scholar will agree to.

Second, this writer says (again, in the very first paragraph) that Paul “admitted to being demon-possessed and insane.”   Again, he claims that “these facts are irrefutable.”    This is an out and out lie, never mind the claim that it is an irrefutable fact.   This statement alone should be sufficient for any reasonable person to reject everything that this irresponsible man says.   Paul never said that he was demon-possessed or even anything which approaches this.   Perhaps the author is using 2 Corinthians, where Paul ironically calls himself a “fool”.  Anyone honest person who reads this letter will conclude that Paul is speaking ironically.  This is a rather blatant attempt to take his words out of context.  It would be like my saying “I must be crazy to do such and such” and then having someone claim that I just admitted to being crazy.

But let me continue….  In the second paragraph, this person says that “The Qur’an is among the worst books ever written.”   This is an irresponsible and over-the-top statement.   I reject the theology, the teaching and the tone of the Qur’an.   I have read this book and would say that it is repetitive and even boring at times.   Having said this, the Qur’an is one of the greatest books written.  Its poetry is wonderfully beautiful.   Although I reject the religion, to state that this is one of the worst books ever written is irresponsible, untrue and disqualifies the speaker from deserving serious attention.   I am tempted to wonder if he has even read the entire book he characterizes so inaccurately.

Next, in paragraph five, this author says that “Paul, not Jesus, created Christianity.” and “Support for the world’s most powerful faith is found only in the letters attributed to Paul.”   Again, both statements are patently and obviously false.    This is not a matter of opinion or a debatable point of good scholarship.   These statements are simply not true.   It ignores the contribution of the apostle John, who wrote the Gospel of John, Revelation and the three letters of John.    Is this author prepared to claim that Paul wrote these books?   Is this author prepared to claim that Paul told John what to write or that John’s writings are irrelevant to Christianity?    Which book does the person first introduced to Christianity generally read?   Galatians?   I don’t think so.   The first introduction of most people to Christianity is not one of the letters of Paul, although we respect Paul’s writings greatly.   History and everything we know about Christianity tells us that Peter and John were at least as influential in the foundation and dissemination of Christianity.  Paul was not even converted until about ten years after the church was begun.   Peter was the leading figure in the church for many years before Paul even came on the scene.  Yet, Peter calls Paul’s writings scripture in 2 Peter 3:14-16.   Is this author prepared to defend the claim that the only support of Christianity is found in the letters of Paul?  So, what is the gospel of Matthew?   Is there no support for Christianity in this amazing book?   What about Hebrews or Mark or James?

My suggestion to you is that you spend your time reading more responsible material that this pseudo-scholarly junk writing.

Oh yes, I need to address the claim that Habakkuk 2 is a prophecy of the life of Paul.   I assume that the reference is to Habakkuk 2:5, where a man/people are described as “puffed up” (v.4), drunk (v. 5), greedy (v. 5) and one who gathers the nations to himself, taking captive all the people.     There is no evidence whatsoever that Paul was a drunkard or greedy or one who held personal power to himself.    Any attempt to hold Habakkuk 2:5 to be a prophecy of Paul is clearly completely irresponsible.

I am sorry to use such strong words, but when I read the material written by this person, I felt strongly that such junk literature should be exposed for what it is, and I am sorry that you were influenced by this person.

John Oakes