Did Paul Accept the Teachings of Jesus?

Episode Outline:
0:00 Did Paul accept the teachings of Jesus?
0:48 Bart and Megan catch up on the Galápagos and family travel plans
2:39 Why Paul’s knowledge of Jesus’ teachings matters
3:59 What scholars mean by “the teachings of Jesus”
5:42 How Paul could have learned about Jesus without the Gospels
8:35 Why Paul says so little about Jesus’ life and teachings
10:59 The few times Paul directly quotes Jesus
13:18 Where Paul and Jesus seem to overlap thematically
16:58 Did Jesus care about Gentile mission the way Paul did?
19:32 Jesus, Paul, and the major disagreement over salvation
25:27 The rich man, eternal life, and why Jesus and Paul are not saying the same thing
28:03 Are Paul and Jesus in continuity, or teaching different religions?
34:05 Why Paul’s and Jesus’ apocalyptic views are similar, but not identical
38:24 Promo: Bart’s Paul and Jesus course
40:48 Bart’s Weekly Update: England, ethics, and his next book
42:19 Listener Q&A: resurrection, Mary Magdalene, miracles, Matthew vs. Paul, and how Christianity spread
53:56 Final summary: Paul, Jesus, and the question of continuity

Episode Description

Many people do not realize just how infrequently Paul mentions the sayings of Jesus himself. And scholars can't agree why he doesn't quote Jesus more. Did Paul not know what Jesus taught? How could he not know? Did he think it wasn't important? Wasn't relevant? Was ... misleading? Moreover, if we compare what Jesus taught with what Paul taught -- are we even dealing with the same religion? These are some of most important issues confronting a historical understanding of the New Testament and early Christianity.

Also watch these episodes:
Is Paul the Founder of Christianity?
Is Paul the Founder of Christianity?

Sin, Death, and Salvation: Paul's Mysterious View
Sin, Death, and Salvation: Paul’s Mysterious View

The Coming Apocalypse! Jewish and Christian Views of the End of the World
The Coming Apocalypse! Jewish and Christian Views of the End of the World

In this episode, Megan asks Bart:

--Do we know where Paul would have got information about Jesus from?

-In any of the writings we have, does Paul refer to specific teachings, or talk about what Jesus said in any detail?

-When we manage to line up, thematically, what Jesus and Paul say, how far do they agree, and how often are there divergences of opinion?

-Did Jesus and Paul share a similar mission to the gentiles?

-There's a difference in gentiles converting

-Rather than viewing Paul as breaking with Jesus’ teachings, would it be more realistic to understand his thought as a logical continuation? Jesus anticipated the end of the world and tried to prepare people for it. Paul carried on this mission, preparing the Gentiles for the kingdom of God, and identifying Jesus as the first of many bodily resurrections.

-Is it fair to say that they’re teaching the same basic story, but their characters have some variation?

-Is it that Paul isn’t a direct continuation of Jesus, they’re both just teaching within the same religious worldview?