This is an archival recording of a live online discussion held on Monday, January 22, 2024.
Presenters: Dr. B. Brandon Scontt and host Dr. Shirley Paulson
What difference does it make whether Paul converted to Christianity or remained a Jew? How do we know whether he converted or not? What is the evidence? People who know anything about Paul from the Bible generally know the story of Paul's conversion. He was struck off his horse, blinded by a light, and heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" But in recent years many have questioned this popular account. In precisely what way did Paul convert? How does he describe this experience in his own letters? These questions lead us to larger questions, such as whether Paul’s experience was more about a revelation or a prophetic calling. Was he an apostle or not? We wonder how Paul learned what he learned, whether from God or from what others said. We also wonder if his experience changed his belief in God. Did he believe in a new God? The same God? The right God? If he did convert, what exactly did he convert to?
And by the way, in the story you'll read in the Acts of the Apostles there is no horse, even though you'll see a horse in all the artistic depictions of this event.
Texts Used in the Discussion:
Philippians 3:2-7
Galatians 1:11-20
Acts 9:1-19; 22:1-21; 26:9-23
18 сен 2024
