Paul’s Persecution of the Paul’s Persecution of the WayWay

““The Way”The Way”

I. Religious Jews relieved at Jesus’ death

A. “a hanged man is accursed by God” Deuteronomy 21:23

B. This discredits Jesus

II. Church begins

A. Friends and family members see Jesus

B. NIV 1 Corinthians 15:4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,

C. Holy Spirit (pneuma) – new life, new power1. Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit

D. Large number of adherents1. sold properties and put them into a pool2. distributed to believers according to need

E. Pharisees1. not as threatening as Jesus2. some joined the disciples

F. Sadducees1. disapproved of view of resurrection

III. Christology – belief of the Messiah

A. Annointed prince – house of David

B. Humiliated and vindicated servant of the Lord

C. Promised prophet

D. “Stone the builders rejected” Psalm 118:22

E. Belief – Jesus was Lord (kuriojß)

1. “Yahweh says to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool’.” Psalm 110:1

F. Ministry of intercession

1. “who is at the right hand of God and indeed intercedes for us” Romans 8:34

2. The picture – not “one standing ever before the Father with outstretched arms,. . . pleading our cause in the presence of a reluctant God”, but that of “a throned Priest-King, asking what He will from the Father who always hears and grants His request.”

H.B. Swete, The Ascended Christ, p. 95.

G. Jesus’ parousia – second coming to consummate the kingdom

IV. Hellenists – Greek Christians

A. Like Jesus – their attitude of the law and religious tradition

B. Stephen – outstanding in theological debate

1. He drew attention – critical attitude of the Temple

2. Jesus had changed status of the Mosaic law

3. “Synagogue of the Freedmen” – debated there vigorously (attended by out-of-town Jews)

4. Was charged – blasphemy against the Temple

a. capital crime – punishment was stoning

V. Repression against the church

A. Many members – forced out of Jerusalem

B. Two results of this dispersion

1. gospel carried by Hellenists outside Palestine

2. Jerusalem church became uniformily Hebrew

C. Paul – chief persecutor

1. “I persecuted the church of God beyond all measure and tried to destroy it” Gal. 1:13

2. “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” Acts 9:1

a. Imprisoning men and women to renounce their faith

b. Zeal for law and ancestral traditions

3. Disagreed with Gamaliel about Christians

a. New order and old order incompatible

4. Paul and the Messiah

a. Status, career, and teaching of Jesus was in no way that of a Messiah

b. Crucified Messiah – contradiction in terms (a hanged man is accursed by God,

Deut. 21:23)

c. Messiah endowed with divine blessing

d. Crucified Messiah – blasphemy

e. Christians – guilty of blasphemy

5. Paul must protect the law

6. Extradition

a. High Priest could bring refugees back to Jerusalem for a trial

b. Paul obtained “letters” to bring back from Damascus men and women of The

Way