#159 – Paul Made Christianity

Almost Heretical

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19d ago 1:04:27

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Bonus ep 1 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-what-is-123011688

Bonus ep 2 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-did-paul-125106095

Why does Paul’s voice dominate the New Testament? How did his letters become so central to Christian theology, and what happens when we begin to question that authority? Are all the Pauline epistles actually written by Paul? What if the Paul we know today is a constructed figure—reshaped by the church over time to fit emerging doctrines? And what about the voices that didn’t get amplified—texts like James or the Didache that present a very different version of the Jesus movement? Nate and Shel explore how canon formation, authorship debates, and theological evolution all intersect in the story of Paul, and why rethinking his role might change how we read the entire Bible. (Paul Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

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Chapters

00:00 The Battle of the Texts

04:08 Paul's Authentic Letters

07:22 The Gospels and Their Influence

12:40 The Book of Acts: A Retrospective

28:25 The Jerusalem Movement's Legacy

29:19 The Jesus Movement vs. The Christ Movement

35:11 Understanding the Oral Tradition and Textual Limitations

41:23 The Impact of the Jewish-Roman War on Early Christianity

45:36 Exploring Alternative Early Christian Texts

48:20 The Canonization Process and Its Implications

53:31 Paul's Dominance in Early Christianity

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167 episodes