St. Paul's own uniform representation of his mental condition on his way to Damascus is not th.aiof doubtful misgiving, but of conscious rectitude unrhsturbed by the least shadow of doubt that in persecuting the Christians even to death, be was doing
RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
KKSUUUKCTiO.N OF CHRIST
duty to do nmny ^h.ng" ^""if^'j; ^ „, the Jraus-sect vvaa
Na4reth'(Ac2«<'). To sau I e P0» i „at their so-called
abl»H>l>«»'y ''g'""»<' ??l-rt,.„th That in itself to the .mud of
Messiah had been l",'\f ."^""r.ed the clain, that Jesns was the
Saul, the onhodox .lew. »'\''"f ^",,„in,, Messiah was, to quot*-
Christ. The ™"«\'''° ' °^"r re .oveS from the orthwloxy o
liolstcn's own wor^s. , 5? ^"."Jj" JfjUh, durinu' the lifetnne of
Jewish belief that a »"?<=?" f "'f'"iv„i,le and eniKniati-
Je^us, was still to I1.S d.scn-les ='" "» ^^ ^ ,v.^s »'>ove all the
cal representation ■ ("P- f '■ Ei,h {iisnroved the claim of Jesus
peculiar for.n »' ">" ' ^f J.^'^he Cro'S «'as the very em 1. em
to be the .Messiah. To a Jew, uie ^_^_^ ^^^^ ^y l.od.
of Divine rejection. / Cursed, not mere v ^ ^^^ .^j„
Ms every one that hangeUi on "'J"^, i,\i„rt of Saul of Tarsus
Hence irifle^a Jj""""'' \^° ^arcd a Divine retribution on a
'^Z7^^:^S^^^'^£^:Ls....^ a sacred
lowers of Jesus spoke indeed, of a resu._,^^^,^^._^„^ , Master.butnoonehadseen in save 90111^^^^^^^ ^^^^ l_. ^^.
and to Saul's mind it was "'e uttcrmosi n j ^^^ ^^^^
Refused to believe it, The young Pharisee vu« ^^^^^^^ being at peace «.thin himselL ^et^tn 8^^ ^^^.^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^ onb fanned his anli-Christian z^ai ".o , , adherence to the forward more hercely "^an e^er in i ^^^ ^ (^,„,
traditions of his 'others >f thereby he h^ 1^.^^^^^,,^ he was the righteousness "'.'he Law. as Vvithall the intensity
' e.xceediiigly mad ana.nst them (Ao -b )• fjot con-
ot his nature he ^'^thuuseino stomp out ^^^^_^ ^^ _ persecuted tent with harrying the Chmt.ans in ^^^ ,„ which
them even un'° .''"■a-fe'e "ties. &ucn ^^ ^^^^ ^,^
he started on his way to Damascus, wn ^ y^^f occurred
secuting zeal was .brought to a halt, a ^^ j^.
S\l't'Gl™f.i'erjt;^u'L^mi7t'°^^^^^^^^
wanting in hin> ^t the time ^^^^ ^f ^^e narra-
The whole VnP'^'t o? the suddenness, unexpectedness, sur- tive in Acts f that of the ™°a="° ^'.^^tor's psychological prisingness of the change in toe p f^jij^peg
?rndition(Ac93 22'i). ^nd 'his is cor^oboratta y^ ^^ ^^^ ^^.^ in St. Paul's own 'otters. He alwajs ^^^^ „^g.
which formed the turn.ngpomt «' h-s me 'i^ „ ^^ _^^^^ ,„ ing, overwhelming experience. The very ibt^^^^^ reference to it .empbasif s this 1 wa P^^^,^ ^^^^ h.ch
\^,t.er,v) by Christ Je'™„<^Vas seized upon suddenly, taken denotes that the Persecutor was sezea p ^^^^ ^^ ,^^^g hold of by Christ and subdued a^ '^^hy m^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ upon himself in 2 Co 2" as a sudae ^^^^ suggestion
God leads in triumph about the wotq^ already to be iniphed of suddemiess and "olence we haxe seen a^ , ^^^ _^
in the term «".P"f;\„That this, ana ^^ admitted by so
the view required by St Pa'" ^, ';"|n„''in his edition of the unprejudiced a critic as «• J- Ho'tzniam^.n ^^y^.__^
Acts :■ It is at all events certam that the Apo^t ^^^j^^i^^ij of a gradual process which has drawn mm c ^^^^^ ^^^
but only of a sudden halt^hich he was comp^^^^ ^^3
?S.i'i^tn!lU"ii TOt.Totedby KnowUng. Test.nony of St. Paul, p. 189)
their preach ng of Jes^« ;^" ^^ substantiate
Oneof tlehrstiequ^r ^^^ ^^^ ^ summary o
ing of the Kesurreuuiu ^^.^jl
the principal w^essBB^ and atech'etical purposes believe for nusbionary a ^^^^^ ^, tl,at given
such a 1. t of tl^e «'"«' ^PjP,, ^^3 time went on, -oJe^^olfld -be^reciuirll than^^t^^^^^^ H- can
y-^*^ 'f tt: "o rel^o" f'rgterss and justificaLn Fn ml name^°'^Tosuch''challenging questions he rulf^^ouldhenotn.
^Pa*s,:o».-Gesc/tkA«e-sho^v.ng that the stittenn of the Death ^vas the c imax^of a i^e o^ sei^ ^^
^th:Srfrs^^H.ela^^5
S^^onr?:^^^^^?i--
U^lt^^Fdis^t^nJ^tiriLts grew ever greater, .t
.„uldbecomenecessaxyfora^c^oget^a.dpi^Ucal
purposes to put on -•_" "l ^ « ";^ „,,,, ...ea.is. preserved m the *-'"'"-' ,"'\,f ^„ur lord's life 'I'hus arose written »^^ ^^^ ^ Ceath and and ministry as ^;>\"' '; " Hn of hieh was not Kesurrection, the p. • r> '"';' , ^ expressed by historical or ^>^"^'>t^'^^^^ recorded that the word ' gospvl. ^"f „^ jj'.he Christ, the Son you n.ay believe that Jes s l''^^ \^^^ i,fe
if God ; and that bel.ewng >-" j;^^,^.^ ,,^,^ai„.
Etoiu:"rh^S.;i^«oftl.egos^
Christ, the Son of/'od- 1 ^ criticism with regard
The generally accepted results 01 recciii.^^ ^j^^^.^,^, ^
to the '•relations of the ""»P^'/ '"'''Wlecognized : (1) a coUec- follows. Two main sources arc '"^.e savings and discourses Smade at a fairly ear y date o^ he sav;^»_,., ^ j of Jesus, the chief °b)ect o "hicll wa^ ._^ ^^^ .liflerent
•to set before its readers (the "' J ^ 1,,^^!, the character Churches) some account of the ^Mi™ , ^^ ,, ,,„,
an<i mode of life expected of them as^ ,„entioned
this original docmuent is denlihea w' t^,,^^ '^^■^QuMe.
bv PapiLU* (Eus. HE »•■ •Jf ) ana Anient supplementing Q. a tLoriginalsource ; C^ja later docune ^^.l.H^^^ ^^,,^_
narrative or sket<:h °'. .^e J^ora^P j^^ our present Second practically, if not 'l"'tf- '^^"^"'fhe companion of Peter, and Gospel wr tten by John Mark, tne i- >; „ ,g reminiscences emb'^ying the »"b='tence o' tha^ apo ._^^^ of hisMaiiter'swords and works. Un= ^ ,^ ,