The Encyclopedia of World Religions

336 S Paul, the apostle

an extremely observant Jew. When C HRISTIANITY first arose, he strongly opposed it. But on the way to Damascus, now in Syria, he had a VISION of J ESUS in HEAVEN . As a result, he began to advocate Christianity. His message centered on the death and RESURRECTION of Jesus. His writings say virtually nothing about what Jesus taught or did during his lifetime. Starting from Antioch on the Orontes River (far southern Turkey), Paul traveled throughout what are now Turkey and Greece, establishing Christian churches. On the basis of the book of Acts, it is traditional to say that Paul made four missionary journeys. Paul’s own letters make this itinerary seem somewhat artificial. Paul’s efforts sparked much unrest. During a visit to J ERUSALEM , he was arrested. He was transferred to Caesarea and spent two years there in prison. Then he was transferred to Rome. It is presumed that he died in Rome under Emperor Nero (ruled, 54–68 C . E .). Tradition attributes 14 books of the New Testa ment to Paul. These are letters that Paul allegedly wrote. Of these books, virtually all modern schol ars accept seven as genuinely by Paul: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Phi lemon, and 1 Thessalonians. Virtually all modern scholars reject Hebrews as by Paul; it does not in fact claim that Paul wrote it. Most modern schol ars also reject 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus as by Paul, because they address problems that did not yet exist when Paul died. Scholars have also ques tioned whether Paul wrote Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians. Paul converted primarily non-Jews to Christi anity. This sparked a major controversy, because the earliest Christians were all Jews. They observed the T ORAH as a matter of course. The question became: Do people have to observe the Torah to accept Jesus as the MESSIAH ? The APOSTLES at Jerusa lem—Jesus’ closest followers—answered yes; Paul and his associates answered no. Some went even further. They said that in the new age of Jesus, people could do whatever they wanted. In addressing this situation, Paul developed his most distinctive ideas. Among other places, he summarized these ideas when he wrote to Chris

when a young child asks, “Why is tonight differ ent from all other nights?” During the answer, the participants refer to certain foods: matzah or unleavened bread; horseradish in remembrance of the hardships endured in Egypt; a lamb bone and a roasted egg, in memory of the Passover sacrifice and the offerings once given in the Temple; a mix ture of apples, nuts, and wine known as haroseth, said to stand for the mortar that the children of Israel used as slaves in Egypt; a dish of saltwater that symbolizes the tears the slaves in Egypt shed; and some sort of green, usually parsley, to repre sent the emergence of new life in the spring. Spe cial seder plates contain depressions to hold these symbolic items. During the course of the seder the participants drink four cups of wine. They leave a cup of wine undrunk for the prophet E LIJAH in case he should return, as Jewish tradition says he will. Several features involve children. In addition to asking important questions during the recital of the hag gadah, children may be asked to find a piece of matzah that has been hidden. When they do find it, they receive a reward. During the entire Pass over period Jews eat special foods. The foods vary with how strict the Jewish family is in its prac tice. Some Jews simply eliminate leavened bread; the very strict eat only foods specially blessed for Passover. Passover is one of three PILGRIMAGE festivals in J UDAISM . Shavuot (Pentecost or Weeks) and Sukkot (Huts) are the other two. The name “pilgrimage festival” derives from ancient Israelite practice. The ancient Israelites traveled or made pilgrimage to Jerusalem in order to offer the Passover sacrifice at the Temple. Today only the S AMARITANS observe Passover with a sacrifice. They make their sacrifice on Mt. Gerizim. Paul, the apostle also called Saul; the most influential early Christian missionary. His letters make up a large part of the N EW T ESTAMENT . Paul was born in the town of Tarsus, now in southern Turkey. From his writings it is clear that he had a good education in Greek. He was also