an end of theism …

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I came across this video series yesterday and I found it such a fair and honest treatment of the subject it deals with that I thought I would share it here.

It's quite brilliant.

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Doherty ponders the paucity of biographical data in the Pauline epistles …

The following is an appendix found (pp.662–664) in Earl Doherty's impressive monograph — Jesus: Neither God Nor Man, which nicely highlights one of the problems with the Pauline corpus regarding the historicity of Jesus in a humorous way. 

Appendix 2

A Conversation between Paul and some New Converts

Scholarship has long suggested that Paul's silence on all things to do with Jesus' human life and career results from his "lack of interest" in the man, and his view that such things are "irrelevant" to his theology about Jesus. If we were to assume a steadfast refusal by Paul to gather or preach information on any aspect of Jesus' earthly life and teachings, we could envision something like the following scene. The setting is some rich Greek's house in one of the provinces, with a mix of converts and interested friends and bystanders gathered about Paul on a warm summer evening. Their conversation might go something like this:

DEMETRIOS (the host and owner of the house): So, Paul, tell us more about

Jesus the Savior. I have heard that he taught the people with great authority

about the coming kingdom of God, and how we should all love one another.

PAUL: Yes, I have heard rumors to that effect, but I consider such things to be

unimportant, and as it happens I am not familiar with any of his teachings.

DEMETRIOS: I see. But your mission is to gentiles like ourselves, is it not?

Surely Jesus himself included gentiles in his own ministry and directed his

apostles to go out and preach to them? I would certainly like to think that he did.

PAUL: I suppose that's possible. I don't have any first-hand information.

HERMES: You have performed signs and wonders for us, Paul. I understand

Jesus himself performed great feats over nature and once fed thousands with a

few loaves of bread. My friend Ampliatus heard about it when he was in the east.

PAUL (clearing his throat): Oh, I don't concern myself with such things, and

you shouldn't either. They're quite insignificant, and you don't need to know

about them to believe in the risen Son of God.

JUNIAS: When I heard you would be here, Paul, I told my sick mother that

perhaps you would come around to see her and expel the demon that is making

her ill. I, too, have heard from a relative in Galilee that Jesus expelled demons

and healed many people—

HERODIAN (interrupting in some agitation): Yes, the demons have been

especially active in my own household. My brother has contracted a fever, and

just last week the roof of my workshop collapsed for no reason—

PAUL (with a placating gesture): There is no doubt that evil spirits beset us on

all sides, my friends, and we must have faith that God will deliver us from them.

As to reports of healings by Jesus, perhaps he did, but then, every wonderworker

in the country makes such claims, so perhaps we should not place too

much importance on such things.

OLYMPAS: You have told us about the coming End, Paul, and I look forward

to our promised deliverance from this sorry world, but I am greatly frighted by

what may happen. Did Jesus reveal anything to his disciples about what things

would be like when he comes back from heaven?

PAUL (somewhat miffed): Who knows? Anyway, one can't rely on what those

so-called 'men of repute' in Jerusalem are spreading around. After all, they're

only fishermen. Besides, I have word on that directly from Christ himself—

AGRIPPA (a Jew): Some of my Jewish friends have heard of your preaching,

Paul, but when I invited them to join us at table, they said they could not break

their purity regulations and eat with gentiles. Did Jesus follow such strict rules

and refuse to eat with the unclean?

PAUL (exasperated): I have no idea.

CRISPUS (looking a little pained): I have a Jewish friend, too, who is a follower

of Christ. But he says that even the gentile has to be circumcised—(pained

expressions all around)—and follow every aspect of the Jewish Law if he wishes

to become a member of your faith in Christ. Is that so? Did Jesus teach that all

those Jewish practices must be followed by us gentiles?

PAUL: My friends, my friends, why all these foolish questions? What Jesus may

have said or done in the course of his life is completely immaterial. I have

information on those things directly from heaven. And I have already informed

you of the only thing that really matters, Christ's own suffering and death, and

his rising from the dead. It is these that have brought us salvation!

DEMETRIOS (hastily, sensing some perplexity and unease among his guests):

Yes, my friends, the Lord's passion is surely what we should be focusing on, and

what he went through in his terrible ordeal. Tell us about that, Paul. Was he

tortured and scourged before they crucified him?

PAUL (shrugging): I assume so. The Romans do that to everyone they crucify.

GAIUS (spitting in disgust): Yes, and they break the condemned man's legs to

make him die more quickly and painfully. I suppose they did that to Jesus?

PAUL: I don't know. I wasn't there.

ARCHIPPUS: Tell us what he said, Paul, when they put him up on the cross.

Even now the authorities are persecuting new believers in Christ and I wonder if

we'll suffer their hatred, too, just as Christ did. Did he speak? Did he stand fast?

Did he condemn them for what they did?

PAUL (curtly): I didn't ask. But let me tell you about what the Lord revealed to

me personally—

JULIA: Oh, how I envy you, Paul! You who have been to Jerusalem and could

stand on the very spot where Jesus was crucified. That would give me the

shivers. You must have felt his presence. Is that when he spoke to you?

PAUL: My dear lady, I've never been to Calvary. I couldn't find the time when I

went to see James and Peter. It's only a little hill, after all.

PERSIS: But the tomb, Paul. Did you not see that? Are there still signs of the

Lord's resurrection? Do Jesus' followers pray there every Easter?

PAUL (throwing up his hands): As to that, I couldn't say. But one tomb is much

like another, don't you think? Why fill your heads with such paltry details? We

should better focus on the eternal significance of these events—

DEMETRIOS (noting nervously that a couple of his guests had quietly slipped

away): Well, I am sure we all agree that Paul has been very enlightening on the

subject of Christ Jesus. Perhaps we should retire to the atrium for aperitifs and he

can tell us more....

Ó

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