The Religion of Paul the Apostle by John Ashton Essay Example for Free

The Religion of capital of Minnesota the Apostle by keister Ashton Es jointThis book is the moment of the authors conviction that an important way of understanding Saint capital of Minnesota has been neglected. He mentions the intellect expressed in 1888 by Hermann Gunkel, that capital of Minnesotas manners experiences are the key to understanding his instruct about the looking. On page 198 Ashton quotes Heinrich Weinel as saying - Whenever the early church speaks of spirit and animate it is ever so a matter of a perception based on frequent occurrences of real experiences.We control thereof that this book is much more an attempt to explain capital of Minnesotas experiences than yet a nonher inquiry of his theology. The blurb on the back of this unusual book says in the authors own linguistic communication -capital of Minnesota did, I think, found a religion, and this book is largely concerned with the question of how he came to do so. Besides being a poll of com parative religion it is also proffered as a function towards the history of early christianity.Some would argue with that definition it seems to remove Christ from the yield and also the fly the coop of different ev nonpareilists. capital of Minnesota has such a prominent position in the New volition not necessarily be name he was more important than other evangelists, save because, in Luke, he had such an keen biographer. A look at the Bible references in the back of the book reveals how many ms capital of Minnesotas conduct or spoken language are referenced in comparison to the relatively few references taken from the gospels and the Old Testament.The book is very concerned with definitions, in unwrapicular with the conflict between religion busheld as experience, and theology defined as the sentiment that comes as a leave behind of that experience.This is a scholarly figure out as can be seen immediately from the background of the author and the image of work s by other scholars that he has consulted .John Ashton was formerly a lecturer in New Testament Studies at Oxford University. He had previously taught at the universities of capital of the United Kingdom, St Andrews and Edinburgh. At the time of writing this book ( 2000) he was emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, also in Oxford. He is best known for writing about Johns gospel Understanding the Fourth Gospel, Approaches to the Fourth Gospel etcThe religion of Saint capital of Minnesota the Apostle was so cardinalr a series of 8 lectures which the author had been asked to give at Oxford University in 1998. These were the annual Wilde Lectures in congenital and Comparative Religion, founded under a trust deed in 1908. The nature of the lectures has changed over the long time as Ashton explains. Once upon a time they sought to distinguish the higher religions from the lower, but this second part of the description was dropped in 1969, probably in an attempt not to appear racist or ju dgmental.He uses material both from Paul himself, but also from contemporaries of his from both Jewish and Hellenistic, i.e. pagan, backgrounds. Ashton describes how from the 1880s frontwards there had been attempts to study the New Testament as objectively as one might study any other historical sources, but also goes on to say that the people were concerned were in reality theologians rather than historians and were in the main Christians. It is however a compositors case t upon which it is very difficult to stay put objective whatever ones background as believer, atheist, agnostic or member of some other religion.Ashtons main argument in this work is that Pauls personal privyal experiences, speci totallyy the events on the Damascus road recorded by Luke in Acts 9, may be of more vastness than the somewhat unsystematic theology of his letters. The book seeks to show how important aspects of Pauls brio and ministry should be seen in the crystallize of his sacred experien ce. He quotes Schweitzer who said of Pauls mysticism that it marks the terminal stage of the battle fought by the idea of resurrection to establish its place in eschatology.He examines closely what he sees as shamanist elements of Paul, both in his teaching and his letters and mentions how, from the1880s onwards there constitute been those who become sought to bear discover that Paul was prominently sourd by pagan mystery religions which abounded at the time giving as an example his theology of baptism which it could be argued was very similar to that of the re-enactions of the death and rebirth of variant gods such as Attis, a Phrygian god of vegetation and Adonis, a Greek deity.These ideas would be familiar to Paul, bought up as he was in a world where Greek influence was important, but his main influence must get down been his Jewish background, although Ashton believes that Pauls religion was rather more than a continent modification of Judaism. On page 135 Ashton des cribes baptism as practised in the churches that Paul founded as being no more than a token when compared to the rites of passage practised in other religions of the time.Some would protest with this minimalisation of what they see as an important part of Christian ritual, and in many churches it is only undertaken after a period of instruction which may be quite prolonged. Ashton says that the starting point for Pauls cerebration on the subject comes not from his knowledge of baptismal practices in Judaism, but was a result of his striking death life experience on the Damascus road and the subsequent resurrection to a new life in Damascus.In chapter 7 he explains the part that the spirit world played in old-fashioned times anything that could not be explained was deemed to be the work of spirits and gods for good or ill. Mention is make of how demons were believed to be behind and to explain all sorts of happenings that deviated from the norm such as storms, plagues, riots, u nhappy love personal business and much more. Paul does not mention demons much, though he does refer to what he sees as his one great adversary Satan. Ashton explains the role of the spirit both in Pauls life and in that of his converts.He also examines the role of Christ himself in a passage which he realises may cause offensive as it is entitled savior the Shaman. In order to mitigate any offence he states that shamanism was not the most important aspect of Jesus ministry, but says that Jesus life as a wandering healer fits in with shamanist practices even more than does the work of Paul. He claims that Jesus was not unique in this quoting several sources.There is detailed reference to the several(a) words used to describe Jesus actions in muzzling evil spirits. This, Ashton says, merely places Christ alongside other exorcists of the time. The difference was how he did it according to Mark chapter 3 v 11 and 12 where we are told that Whenever the evil spirits saw him they fell down before him and cried out You are the Son of deity.On page 69, still discussing the shamanism of Christ, Ashton reminds us that in all three synoptic gospels the two incidents of the baptism of Christ and the temptation in the wilderness are recorded in that order and he admits that for the purposes of his argument it would be better if they had been recorded in the reverse order which would have fitted in better with the usual shamanistic experience of struggle followed by call or empowerment but a t to the lowest degree the two are associated.Although in chapter 2, entitled Paul the Enigma the question is asked Was Paul a shaman? the answer is quickly given Not really. A shaman is a member of a tribal society who acts as a medium between the natural world and the spiritual one. A shaman is limited in his influence and also his periods of spirit filled ecstasy are limited and transitory. He uses magic to control events in the natural world, whether for good as in healing , or for shitty as in curses. Paul did use his powers to control nature as when on the isle of Malta ( Acts 27) to bring around many people, but it was available widely and not used in a negative way. heretofore the author insists that some of Pauls practices were shamanistic in nature and quotes the example of a picture of Paul struck blind from Trs wealthiness Heures du Duc de Berry. Under the picture are the words The elysian priest or shaman is usually called to his vocation by a traumatic experience. Ashton sees the role of the shaman in two parts the shamans personal experience and his ability to persuade other people of his exceptional gifts. This latter aspect is described as the social aspect. Ashton quotes at length from a Japanese work on the subject which states that a shaman is one who receives a gift from the spirit world.Usually this is from one spirit who becomes a companion or guide and after receiving the gift the shaman may experience a period of hysteria aft erwards which results in illness. The process involves a over(p) change of character, peradventure like that described at the time of Pauls meeting with the travel Christ. Whatever happened to Paul he himself saw it as a vision and a call see Galatians 1. On page 243 Ashton mentions the finding of the documents now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. oneness of these Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice was finally published only in 1985. He states that as early as 1971 John Bowker had put forward the proposition that Pauls vision took place while he was sedulous in a period of merkabah mysticism as mentioned in the scroll. He therefore mentions the doctoral thesis published in 1980 by Seyoon Kim The Origins of Pauls Gospel which seems able to prove a link between Ezekiel 1, a key passage in the study of such mystic practises, and the verse in the Second letter to the Corinthians ( 4 v 6) where it says For God who said Let light shine out of darkness made his light shine in our hearts.Ashton further argues that Pauls ability to discuss spiritual matters is important in understanding the continuing popularity of his writings.The aim is to define Paul a convert, a prophet, a mystic, an apostle, a charismatic, a shaman. Whichever definition one likes Ashton argues that Paul acted as he did because of the set of circumstances in which he found himself. In chapter 4, entitled Paul the abstruse Ashton is concerned with Pauls mystical experiences, especially the rapture which he described in 2 Corinthian 12 as being carried up to the third heaven. The trances in which visions like these occur were considerably known in Judaism, but as Ashton points out, are a feature of shamanistic activities throughout the world. disdain this Ashton admits on his final page that any observable resemblances between Pauls life and features of shamanism are coincidence only.Another aspect of the book is the examination of why, according to Ashton, Paul generally seemed to pref er to speak to Gentile audiences rather than the Jews of whom he was one, and, alongside this, there is an examination of Pauls position to traditional Judaism, which it is possible he never officially renounced. See 2nd Corinthians 11 v 22Are they Hebrew? So am I Ashton seems fascinated with the idea of the symbiosis of Judaism and its younger young Christianity as when Paul spent three weeks at Thessalonica explaining how Jesus had to die and rise again, use the Jewish scriptures to do so.( Acts 17 v 1-4).Christians today read Pauls words after 2000 old age of the church developing his ideas into what we call Christian theology, something that was not in place before Paul says Ashton, but he pays little attention to the theology of Christ found in the gospels. Ashton believed that Paul was a religious thinker in the sense that his thoughts were reflection upon his experiences rather than a pure theologian.In his introduction Ashton discusses various previous ways of looking a t Paul and his influence i.e. a studies of his conversion and subsequent work in founding and building Christian communities those who aim to present a systematic account of his thinking Pauls psychology and finally those who seek to put his work in a historical or/and sociological perspective. He concludes that none of these approaches quite fits his purpose, without stating precisely what his purpose is at this point.Chapter 2 describes Paul as an enigma a puzzle. He questions how much shamanistic practices, already present in Judaism back until the time of the Judges, affected Paul. Ashton quotes passages from I Samuel describing prophets and seers, a translation which Ashton believes to be wrong. and quotes much later passages, in Isaiah and Jeremiah where the practices of mediums and so on were condemned e.g. Isaiah 8 v 19. Like many others of Christs followers Paul was an exorcist and a prophet. On page 36 Ashton concludes that there is no evidence that Paul picked up shamani stic practices from another shaman, unless, as some such as Andrew Wilson believe, he did meet Christ in life and copied his practices.Among the many works quoted is Karl Barths commentary on Romans in which Ashton says that Barth deplores any attempt to describe Paul as a religious figure. Also mentioned is J. Louis Martyn who aims in his commentary to dispel the idea that Paul was in any way anti-Jewish. Barth in particular splits religion absolutely from theology, but although it is possible to study the subject in a totally objective way, just as one might study chemistry, I do not feel that this is true of Paul. His theology sprang very definitely from his personal experience of the rescuer and the consecrated Spirit working within him.Ashton also tries to explain the huge success of Pauls message in bringing about change in the lives of both individuals and communities. On page 234, in a chapter entitled Paul the Possessed Ashton quotes Pauls words in his letter to the Galat ian church , Galatians 4 v14, where he describes how, despite his physical difficulties, he was welcomed as if I were an angel of God i.e. as a messenger directly from God. George Bertram is quoted as saying that this passage is the key to Pauls own understanding of his role. He is entitled to speak in this way says Bertram , because Christ is manifested in him, in his body, in his missionary work. On page 236 Evans-Pritchards statement about how, when a man is seized by a spirit, the event may be a temporary one, is quoted. Evans-Pritchard went on to say that if it is a everlasting possession, the person becomes a prophet capable of healing, of exorcism and having foresight into events.The presence of the Holy Spirit was the ruling factor in Pauls life. Consider for instance his words in Romans 8 v 14 -16-Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God and the Spirit itself testifies with our spirit that we are Gods children. Yet this is the same Paul who described him self in 1st Timothy as the worst of sinners. (I Tim. 1 v 16). How great the change must have been.If we take Lukes word in Acts 28 where he describes how Paul, right up until what may have been the end of his life, continued to teach and preach and quoted Isaiah who spoke about how the Holy Spirit spoke the truth, then in Pauls case the change that occurred on the Damascus road was very permanent and influenced all that he both did and said. Professor Ashton claims on page 162, in a chapter concerned with the apostleship of Paul, that Luke, as biographer, has no bear on in the question that intrigues him.The story Luke is telling is that of how Christ, rejected by the Jews, was proclaimed to the Gentiles. Luke was aegir to show how Paul used scripture to make his point. Ashton describes Paul, on page 162, as the chief witness and as such he was not reluctant to use spiritual power to do so.( I Corinthians 2 v 5) Just as Luke uses the phrase in the power of the spirit to describe h ow Jesus returned to Galilee, Paul uses the same phrase to describe his own activity. Luke also tells us that Christ gave the apostles power and how Paul manifested similar power.Ashton mentions the passage in 2nd Corinthians 12 v 12 that he feels is the key to Pauls ability to gain a hearing and also to convince The things that mark an apostle signs, wonders and miracles were done among you with great perseverance. The people were convinced because his words had authority behind them an authority he claimed came from the Messiah himself. Ashton mentions the work of Ramsey MacMullen in describing how religious fairs would convince people to join pagan religions. Their senses would be assaulted by all kinds of wonders. Ashton claims that Pauls career begun in a similar way as a wonder worker and, although Luke tells us that Paul preached the word it seems likely that it was his spiritual acts that were the first attraction and only later did promises of salvation and lenience tak e root.Ashton concludes his unusual book by saying that he is a historian, and having looked at Paul using history and comparative anthropology as an alternative to the work of theologians, he hopes that if the book is noticed at all it will show that the way of the theologian is not the only way to come to an understanding of Paul the Apostle.This is not an easy book to either read or review. Not because it is difficult to follow the arguments, whether or not one agrees with them, but because it is so easy to get sidetracked along paths that one has not perhaps explored before such as the influence of Jewish mysticism on the early church or what other commentators say about a passage such as that in Ezekiel chapter 1. Bu t if it rouses interest in this subject it has done its job even if the author is rather divident to whether or not or not he has proved his point.Bibliography and Works CitedAshton, John, Approaches to the Fourth Gospel ( Oxford University Press, Oxford 1994)Ashto n, John, The Religion of Paul the Apostle ( Yale University Press, New harbor and London, 2000)Ashton, John, Understanding the Fourth Gospel (Clarendon Paperbacks, Oxford, 1994)Bertram,G. ,Paulus ChristophoysEin anthropologisches Problem des Neuen Testaments in Stromata Festgabe des akademischen Verreins zu Giessen im Schmalkaldener Kartell anllich seines 50. Stiftungstages ( Leipzig 1930)Bible, New International variate ( Hodder and Stoughton, London 1998)Bowker,J. Merkabah Visions and Visions of Paul, ( JSS 16 1971)Evans-Pritchard, E.E. Nuer Religion,( Oxford 1956).Gunkel, H. Die Wirkungen des heiligen Geistes nach der populren Anschuung der apostolischen Zeit und der Lehre des apostels Paulus ( Gttingen 1888)Kim,S., The Origin of Pauls Gospel, ( Berlin 1984).Ramsey,W.M., The comportment of Recent discoveries on the Trustworthiness of the NewTestament,( London 1915)Schweitzer,A. Geschichte der paulinnischen Forschung von der Reformation bis auf die Gergenwart.( Tbingen 191)Trs Riches Heures du Duc de Berry http//www.ibiblio.org/wm/rh/1.html ( accessed 12th January 2008).Weinel,H., Die Wirkungen des Geistes und der Geister im nachapostolischen Zeitaler bis zum Irenus ( Friburg i.B/Liepzig/Tbingen 1899)Wilson,A.N. Paulthe Mind of the Apostle, ( London 1997).