Paul, a Diaspora Jew, and practicing Pharisee who was “blameless” (Philippians 3:6) and “advanced in Judaism” (Galatians 1: 13-14), spent most of his early life studying “at the feet of Gamaliel” (Acts 22:3). Moreover, Paul, formerly Saul, was feared because of his infamous actions against self-identified Christ followers, such as the stoning of Steven (Acts 9:56-60). Relentlessly, he worked towards destroying the early Christian church movement (Powell, 2009, p. 236). When Paul was on his way to Damascus, likely looking to expand his ruthless persecution against Christians (Powell, 2009, p. 238) and had his dramatic encounter with Jesus Christ, it seemingly changed the trajectory of his life. The question briefly discussed in class and
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Tokarek LaFosse, personal communication, February 4, 2016). Rather, he accepted a “calling” (Powell, 2009, 237). Being a modern day identifier to the Christian faith, built upon the fundamentally theological foundation of a conversion experience, for which Paul is readily used as an example, this potentially presents as an unnerving question.
Straightforwardly, Powell writes, “Paul did not quit one religion to join another (as the word conversion might imply)” (Powell, 2009, p. 237). Likewise, Powell writes that Christians “traditionally refer to this episode in Paul’s life as his ‘conversion’ but Paul himself seems to have regarded it more as the reception of a prophetic call or simply as a moment of enlightenment: God corrected his misguided zeal” (Powell, 2009, 237). Furthermore, in his essay “The New Perspective on Paul”, Powell (2009) highlights a long accepted, and unchallenged “traditional interpretation” (Powell, 2009, para. 6) of Paul’s conversion. This being that Paul converted from legalistic Pharisaism, focusing on ritualistic actions earning favor with God, to a faith built on God’s grace, available to all (Powell, 2009, para. 2). A theologically supportive summary of this thinking is that Paul converted from …show more content…
Author Richard V. Peace writes, conversion, or “epistorphe” (Peace, 2004, p. 8) means, “turning around or reversing direction and going the opposite way” (Peace, 2004, p. 8). Moreover, “metonia” (Peace, 2004, p. 8), or repentance “conveys an internal “turning” or an intentional choice to break from the past” (Peace, 2004, p. 8). Paul did turn from his ways, changing his life mission. He went from “persecuting the early church out of hatred and their failure to subject the new converts to circumcision and Torah” (Freedman, 1992, p. 193), to “having a recognition and confession of Jesus Christ as “lord”, and “son of God” (gal 1:16, 1 Cor 9:1, Phil 3:8) (Freedman, 1992, p. 194). There is room for arguing that Paul had an intentional confessional moment in his life leading to a “turning around” (Peace, 2004, p. 8) in how he taught the message of his God, while holding true to his Jewish identity. Revealed to Paul was the accessibility to his God, no longer definitively dependent on obeying the laws of the Torah. That is Christianity to many. Paul’s acceptance of the revelation was his
Tokarek LaFosse, personal communication, February 4, 2016). Rather, he accepted a “calling” (Powell, 2009, 237). Being a modern day identifier to the Christian faith, built upon the fundamentally theological foundation of a conversion experience, for which Paul is readily used as an example, this potentially presents as an unnerving question.
Straightforwardly, Powell writes, “Paul did not quit one religion to join another (as the word conversion might imply)” (Powell, 2009, p. 237). Likewise, Powell writes that Christians “traditionally refer to this episode in Paul’s life as his ‘conversion’ but Paul himself seems to have regarded it more as the reception of a prophetic call or simply as a moment of enlightenment: God corrected his misguided zeal” (Powell, 2009, 237). Furthermore, in his essay “The New Perspective on Paul”, Powell (2009) highlights a long accepted, and unchallenged “traditional interpretation” (Powell, 2009, para. 6) of Paul’s conversion. This being that Paul converted from legalistic Pharisaism, focusing on ritualistic actions earning favor with God, to a faith built on God’s grace, available to all (Powell, 2009, para. 2). A theologically supportive summary of this thinking is that Paul converted from …show more content…
Author Richard V. Peace writes, conversion, or “epistorphe” (Peace, 2004, p. 8) means, “turning around or reversing direction and going the opposite way” (Peace, 2004, p. 8). Moreover, “metonia” (Peace, 2004, p. 8), or repentance “conveys an internal “turning” or an intentional choice to break from the past” (Peace, 2004, p. 8). Paul did turn from his ways, changing his life mission. He went from “persecuting the early church out of hatred and their failure to subject the new converts to circumcision and Torah” (Freedman, 1992, p. 193), to “having a recognition and confession of Jesus Christ as “lord”, and “son of God” (gal 1:16, 1 Cor 9:1, Phil 3:8) (Freedman, 1992, p. 194). There is room for arguing that Paul had an intentional confessional moment in his life leading to a “turning around” (Peace, 2004, p. 8) in how he taught the message of his God, while holding true to his Jewish identity. Revealed to Paul was the accessibility to his God, no longer definitively dependent on obeying the laws of the Torah. That is Christianity to many. Paul’s acceptance of the revelation was his