Saint Saul: A Skeleton Key to the Historical Jesus
The gospels, scholars agree, were written after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. This catastrophic event, argues Donald Akenson, forever altered the outlook—and the agenda—of the Christian and Jewish faiths. Of all the New Testament writings, only Paul's letters were composed before 70 CE. Thus, Akenson says, they are the only direct evidence we have that is untainted by this profound and lasting shift in perspective. And yet this most important source on the life of Jesus is...
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In Saint Saul, Donald Harman Akenson offers a lively and provocative account of what we can learn about Jesus by reading the letters of Paul. As the only direct evidence of Jesus we have that were composed before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE forever altered the outlook of the Christian and Jewish faiths, Akenson claims that these letters are the most reliable source of information. He dismisses the traditional method of searching for facts about Jesus by looking for parallels among the four gospels because they were handed down to us as a unit by a later generation. Akenson painstakingly recreates the world of Christ, a time rich with ideas, prophets, factions, priests, savants, and god-drunk fanatics. He insistently stresses throughout the Jewishness of Jesus, referring to Jesus and Paul as Yeshua and Saul, as they were then known. As an eminent historian, Akenson approaches his subject with a fresh eye and a scholarly rigor that is all too rare in this hotly disputed field.
AcknowledgmentsPrologue3The World of Saul of Tarsus and Yeshua of Nazareth51The Wounded Magus72Exciting Times: The Religious World of Saul of Tarsus and Yeshua153Avoiding Words That Make Us Lie55The Front-Edge Quest694The Search for a Distant Dominion715Minting New Gospels95A Skeleton Key to the Yeshua-Faith1176Saul's Life and Letters1197Missionary in a Swirling Universe1468Saul and Four Basic "Facts" about the Historical Yeshua1719Melding Saul and the Gospels: a Beginning18410Words from the Master's Table21211Saul and the Imitation of Christ225Epilogue257Notes259App. AWinnie-the-Pooh and the Jesus Seminar313App. BHubris and Plasticity in the "Q"-Industry321General Index329Textual Index341
