 |
CONGRUITIES AND INCONGRUITIES BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND THE QUR'AN |
 |
Saul (Paul), by advice of his tutor Gamaliel, set off for Damascus, in the company of his armed men, with a view to chastising the Christians. On his way, a miracle occurred: Jesus Messiah, whom Paul had never seen and who had been elevated to God's presence two years before, appeared before him and entrusted him with the task of spreading the Good News. Luke the Evangelist, his physician and friend, describes the event as follows: « And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. »(9/3-8, 15, 16, 17,18)
«This happened two or three years after the Crucifixion. (The exact date of Jesus' execution is unknown; it could have taken place in 30 or in 33. Hence Paul's conversion can be put at the earliest in 32 and at the latest in 36.) As we shall see, faith in the resurrected Christ constitutes the fundamental element of Christianity of Saint Paul. This fact is of great importance, for his Epistles constitute the earliest documents that narrate the history of the Christian community. »
(Mircea Eliade A History of Religious Ideas, Vol. 2, pp. 330-331)
The New Testament, which, including the letters of Paul, consists, according to Christian belief, of 27 books. All these have been accepted making up the 'Holy Scripture', while those that profess to be Christians have accredited Paul as having received his inspiration from Jesus Christ. « Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,»(Galatians 1/1) « 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 it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.» (Galatians 1/11-12)
Non-Christian researchers have suggested that Paul's account of his experiences might well be interpreted as the expression of a guilt complex or as the result of a sun stroke or hallucinations. The conclusion arrived at was the fact that Paul's claimed inspiration was not of divine origin. No man can, like Paul, be allowed to have the privilege of declaring himself a self-styled authority, altering or abolishing the word of God or of His Messenger, nor can he legislate.
St. PAUL AND THE NAZARENES