Paul Is Often Considered Second Essay

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exterior actions would have a profound effect on Christianity's worldview, which stressed outward asceticism and interior humbleness and spiritual cultivation. In Protestantism, the division between the exterior and interior self would also create a divide between the secular and sacred world. In the secular world a human being could engage in a mundane life, provided he or she still attended to the spiritual world of the church and Jesus. Thus, the commonly expressed cliche that it is 'inside that is what is important, not what is outside' could be said to have its roots in Pauline philosophy.

Jesus' expressed relationship with Judaism is far more ambiguous than Paul's. In fact, he praises Mosaic Law at times, particularly the commandments: "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19). However, he also expressed skepticism of the value of the dietary laws of kashrut, a core principle of Leviticus: "For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.' (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods 'clean.')" (Mark 7:19). Jesus was highly critical of the most legalistic, rule-bound elements of the Jewish community of his day, the Pharisees: "Jesus replied, 'And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them'" (Luke 11:146).

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But although Jesus had a clear interpretation of Judaism that differed from those of the authorities, that does not mean he was not Jewish. In fact, the actions of the Bible demonstrate that Jesus was entirely embedded in the Jewish culture of his day: "Jesus presented continuously as going into the synagogue on the Sabbath. He is presented as going up to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage holidays, specifically in John, for any number of pilgrimage holidays, and in the synoptic gospels, most importantly, for Passover" (Fredriksen 1998). The ritual Mass that Christians celebrate today as a communal, symbolic meal of Christ's sacrifice came later -- Jesus himself celebrated the traditional Passover Seder.

Jesus arguing with other Jews who represent other philosophical strains of though "simply signifies that he's a Jew" and a member of the community (Fredriksen 1998). His criticisms are the criticisms of an active participant in the faith community, not an outsider. Paul never denied the Jewish nature of Jesus' ministry. The fact that Paul said Jesus came to fulfill Mosaic Law and calls pagans slaves indicates his Jewish worldview and his belief that the Jewish narrative of Abraham is the most fundamental and significant religious narrative offered to humans to make sense of their lives on earth. The great significance Paul gave in his preaching to the most critical recorded words of Jesus on the subject of the Law, however, exacerbated the split between practicing Jews and Jewish and gentile followers of Jesus and eventually laid the foundations for a new and separate religion.

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