How did Paul know it was Jesus?

Gus Bovona

Gus Bovona

Well-known member
I'm not sure I've ever seen this issue raised here, nor anywhere else.

I read someone saying that Bart Ehrman brought up this point: how did Paul know it was Jesus that he saw on the road to Damascus? Presumably Paul had never met Jesus before his vision of Jesus. Did he just automatically believe what the vision was telling him?
 
Bob Carabbio

Bob Carabbio

Well-known member
Gus Bovona said:
I'm not sure I've ever seen this issue raised here, nor anywhere else.

I read someone saying that Bart Ehrman brought up this point: how did Paul know it was Jesus that he saw on the road to Damascus? Presumably Paul had never met Jesus before his vision of Jesus. Did he just automatically believe what the vision was telling him?
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Act 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 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.
6 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.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

Seems like, under the circumstances, one would tend to believe what was being told to him.

I'm not seeing an "Issue" here at all. Abraham didn't have any problem knowing who had told him to Leave his family and go "somewhere" did he??
 
Gus Bovona

Gus Bovona

Well-known member
Bob Carabbio said:
Act 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 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.
6 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.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

Seems like, under the circumstances, one would tend to believe what was being told to him.

I'm not seeing an "Issue" here at all. Abraham didn't have any problem knowing who had told him to Leave his family and go "somewhere" did he??
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But why believe something just because you're being told it? **Especially** in a very unique circumstance - a vision. Obviously, you can believe what you're told when the clerk tells you your order is ready because you've successfully gotten your order time after time when the clerk tells you. But a vision is such a unique circumstance, there's no background knowledge to trust.

Basically, did Paul just have to trust that the vision was telling him the truth? That means that the vision could have been lying, too.
 
Bob Carabbio

Bob Carabbio

Well-known member
Gus Bovona said:
But why believe something just because you're being told it? **Especially** in a very unique circumstance - a vision. Obviously, you can believe what you're told when the clerk tells you your order is ready because you've successfully gotten your order time after time when the clerk tells you. But a vision is such a unique circumstance, there's no background knowledge to trust.

Basically, did Paul just have to trust that the vision was telling him the truth? That means that the vision could have been lying, too.
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Per Edgar Allen Poe: “Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”​

 
stiggy wiggy

stiggy wiggy

Well-known member
Gus Bovona said:
But why believe something just because you're being told it? **Especially** in a very unique circumstance - a vision. Obviously, you can believe what you're told when the clerk tells you your order is ready because you've successfully gotten your order time after time when the clerk tells you. But a vision is such a unique circumstance, there's no background knowledge to trust.

Basically, did Paul just have to trust that the vision was telling him the truth? That means that the vision could have been lying, too.
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A Light so strong it blinded him! A force so powerful it knocked him to the ground! Should Paul have demanded the vision take a polygraph?
 
H

Howie

Well-known member
Gus Bovona said:
I'm not sure I've ever seen this issue raised here, nor anywhere else.

I read someone saying that Bart Ehrman brought up this point: how did Paul know it was Jesus that he saw on the road to Damascus? Presumably Paul had never met Jesus before his vision of Jesus. Did he just automatically believe what the vision was telling him?
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Jesus identified Himself.
 
SteveB

SteveB

Well-known member
Gus Bovona said:
I'm not sure I've ever seen this issue raised here, nor anywhere else.

I read someone saying that Bart Ehrman brought up this point: how did Paul know it was Jesus that he saw on the road to Damascus? Presumably Paul had never met Jesus before his vision of Jesus. Did he just automatically believe what the vision was telling him?
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Well, since you have made it clear that you don't believe what Paul obviously had no problem with, you should build a time machine and travel back to the time these events are purported to have occurred, and then you will have your own firsthand evidence.
 
Gus Bovona

Gus Bovona

Well-known member
SteveB said:
Well, since you have made it clear that you don't believe what Paul obviously had no problem with, you should build a time machine and travel back to the time these events are purported to have occurred, and then you will have your own firsthand evidence.
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Asking a question does not equal not believing what Paul thought. One could accept Paul's conclusion and *still* ask how did he know?
 
SteveB

SteveB

Well-known member
Gus Bovona said:
I think you're saying that Paul knew it was Jesus because his vision identified himself as Jesus. Do I have that right?
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Have you ever actually read the book of Acts?

Aside from the chapter 9 vision, there are other instances where Paul describes it in talking to his audience.
Acts 26.
Paul himself says it was Jesus.

www.blueletterbible.org

Acts 1 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Acts 1 - The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
www.blueletterbible.org www.blueletterbible.org

Here's a freely available online bible for you.
It's already parked on the first chapter of Acts, in an easily understood translation.

Ready to go.

Please...

Read it for the purpose of understanding.
Acts 9 is the original vision.
Acts 26 is his own description to a king.
 
SteveB

SteveB

Well-known member
Gus Bovona said:
Asking a question does not equal not believing what Paul thought. One could accept Paul's conclusion and *still* ask how did he know?
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No. Believing that someone is actually telling you the truth is a choice you have to decide.

The fact that Paul's life completely, radically, dramatically changed, and he went from murdering, beating, and imprisoning Jesus followers to becoming what the church has come to describe as a founding member of the Christian church, who himself endured being beaten, imprisoned, killed at least once, and came back to life, as well as numerous other miserable experiences to make sure that the gospel of Jesus made it to as many people as he could possibly reach....
I'd say that he actually met Jesus.

Read the book of Acts.

www.blueletterbible.org

Acts 1 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Acts 1 - The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
www.blueletterbible.org www.blueletterbible.org
 
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