PAUL ~ FALSE APOSTLE & FIRST 'CHRISTIAN' (#1 of 8)

The following (from my book) demonstrates the errors and possible mental illness of Paul, whose theology is the very basis of what we now call 'Christianity'.
The passages in ‘blue’, contained in ***[…]*** were originally footnotes.

Saul (later known as St. Paul) was born c. AD.3 to Jewish parents in Tarsus, a Roman provincial city in modern day Turkey, and apparently acquired the status of a Roman citizen at birth (Acts 22:27-28). Roman citizenship was a highly prized privilege conferred only on those of high social or governmental standing, those who had done some exceptional service for Rome, or those able to bribe some imperial or provincial administrator to have their names included on a list of constituents. We must assume that Saul’s family had somehow acquired this auspicious status, thus passing to him special privileges and protection under Roman law – almost equivalent to today’s ‘diplomatic immunity.’ Although he was born and grew up among Gentiles, and was thoroughly conversant with their culture, religions, and the Greek language (i.e. a Hellenistic Jew), he was brought up as a devout Pharisee (Acts 23:6 & 26:4-5), and eventually trained for the orthodox Jewish Priesthood under a prominent Sanhedrin member, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Thus, he was highly educated and fully conversant with the Hebrew Scriptures and traditions (Gal 1:14).

He first comes into view after the death of Jesus, as an energetic and zealous Pharisee, with a violent hatred of the followers of Jesus (initially called followers of “the Way,” “Nazarenes” / ”Nazarites” / “Ebionites”). ***[See Acts 9:2 & 24:5]*** Saul was personally involved in the execution of Stephen, the first Christian Martyr (Acts 7:58 & 22:20). After this the Sanhedrin instituted an all-out persecution of the Jerusalem church. One of the key characters in this persecution was Saul. He spearheaded the hunt for Christians throughout Judea, and spared no effort to seek out any believers, arrest them, imprison them, and put them to death (Acts 8:3; 22:4; 26:9-11; Gal 1:13-14; 1Tim 1:13). Apparently he had completed his mission in Judea, so he requested and received authorization from the high priest to carry out his “murderous threats” in other cities (Acts 9:1-2; 26:10-11). He may have pursued this policy purely to gain the notice, respect, and admiration of the Sanhedrin, as he was training for their ranks and hoped to be accepted as a member (Gal 1:14). Saul always seems to have been very ambitious for power, respect, recognition, and admiration – after all, he was a zealous Pharisee.***[See the whole of Matt 23, where Jesus gives His impressions of the Pharisees in general. Although it may be claimed that Saul changed when he became a Christian, we will observe that his personality changed little, if at all! In fact, many years after his conversion to Christianity, at the conclusion of three missionary journeys to the Gentile world, he still insisted that he was "a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6)]***

It was on his way to Damascus to carry out his threats, that Saul apparently received a ‘vision’ from God. Whether this is true, and whether it was from God, is a matter of speculation. All we can do is look carefully at the evidence that has survived, and come to a logical conclusion. The first passage which describes this experience reads: “As he (Saul) neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the voice, but they saw nothing. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” Acts 9:3-9. If we compare this passage with two later accounts in ACTS, we find some significant differences. In Acts 22:9 it states that those who were with Saul at the time saw the heavenly light, but they did not hear the voice which spoke to him. This is exactly the opposite of the previous report which says they saw nothing, but they did hear the voice! ***[Actually, any revelation or vision from God is a very personal, inner, Spiritual experience, which only the receiver will be aware of. Those travelling with Saul would not have seen or heard anything of Saul’s supposed experience – only, perhaps, the outward effect on him.]*** If we now look at the third account of this same incident (Acts 26:14-18) we first notice that now everyone falls to the ground – not only Saul! However the first account explicitly states that the men traveling with Saul stood there speechless, while the second account is silent on this matter. Also, in the third account, we are told that the heavenly voice spoke in Aramaic, and the dialogue has now become somewhat extended from the previous accounts. Here the voice adds: “I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:16-18). Indeed, it is quite normal for a Spiritual revelation from God to become more detailed or ‘enhanced’ over time, but there is one extremely important point to understand here. Such an ‘enhancement,’ or full realization of a revelation may take some time simply because genuine Spiritual revelations are not made through words of any human language – not in Aramaic or any other!***[In Scriptural passages which describe a genuine revelation from God (the ‘Father’ or ‘Spirit of God,’ i.e. Elohim), of course the receiver of the revelation has had to convey it (e.g. write it down) in some human language, thus it may seem that God has spoken using human words. The actual wording is, in fact, the receivers own best interpretation of the message in his (the receiver’s) own language. However, when God’s Messenger (i.e. the living Master, man-god, Yahweh = the Lord) speaks, he is actually living on Earth, and obviously speaks in a human tongue.]*** Being unrestricted by the division of languages, revelation transcends human communication without the use of speech or words.***[“It is not in speech or language that the {Heavenly} Voice is heard! This Voice vibrates throughout all the Earth, and the Word reaches to the ends of the world. These are set within the Tabernacle of the {Heavenly} Sun.” Psalm 19:3-4. “I (Ezekiel) heard the Sound… like the sound of rushing water, or the Voice of the Almighty.” Ezek 1:24. “The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the Voice of God Almighty when He speaks.” Ezek 10:5]*** To those who are blessed to be granted, revelation comes with no regard for linguistic or geographical barriers. Thus, the full realization of such an experience requires time and contemplation to be fully understood. Genuine Spiritual revelations always come through the Divine Unspeakable Word of God – the ‘Small, Hushed Sound’.***[or the “still, small Voice.” See e.g. KJV of 1Kings 19:12. The Hebrew word translated here as “voice” (qol) has the primary meaning: “SOUND” or “RESONANCE.” Note that sometimes the Divine Sound is described as being quiet, and sometimes as a loud roar. This is because, although it may seem loud to the receiver (it is heard within), it is inaudible to others.]*** Anyone who believes that the Spirit of God (or Jesus) is speaking to them in any ‘human’ language is sadly in error – such experiences come from within one’s own mind.***[“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD’.” Jer 23:16]*** Indeed, such phenomena are not uncommon today both inside and outside our psychiatric hospitals. Thus, if it was true that Saul heard this voice speaking in Aramaic, he must certainly have been suffering from what is now called schizophrenia.***[If one is shocked by such a suggestion, then perhaps the following statistic might be useful. An estimated 1% (one percent) of the general population suffers from schizophrenia – yes, one in every one hundred people! Today, many people with serious mental problems are cared for in institutions, but in Biblical times these people wandered about the streets, many claiming to have received messages or visions from God.]***

A variety of symptoms characterize schizophrenia. The most prominent include symptoms of psychosis – such as delusions and hallucinations – as well as disorganized thinking and speech. Delusions are false beliefs, e.g. a person may believe that he is the emperor of Rome, a Messiah, or an ‘apostle’ of Jesus, etc. People with schizophrenia may have delusions that others, such as police or opponents are plotting against them or spying on them. They may also experience hallucinations in which they see or hear things that are not there. Auditory hallucinations, such as hearing voices, are especially common in schizophrenia. These hallucinations may include voices that comment on the person’s life, or voices that command the person to do something. People with schizophrenia sometimes talk in rather incoherent ways, which suggests confused or disorganized thinking. In conversation or writing they may jump from topic to topic or string together loosely associated phrases. Another common characteristic is social withdrawal. In addition, such people commonly have problems with anxiety and depression. Saul (or Paul), as we will later observe, clearly shows from his writings that he possesses most, if not all, of the above symptoms. In addition to these, he also shows strong symptoms of paranoia. Paranoia is a type of psychosis in which a person suffers from delusions (fixed, false beliefs) of persecution and/or grandeur. Paranoia is an intellectual disorder in which the primary symptom is extreme distrust of others; the paranoid person may believe that people are out to kill him or her. In addition, in paranoid schizophrenia, the patient may have hallucinations in which famous persons from history or mythology appear and communicate messages; this manifestation is related to the patient's delusion of grandeur.

It is clear from the New Testament that Saul had a very violent, intolerant, impulsive, domineering, and zealous temperament. ***[We will observe, as we continue our study, that Paul clearly exhibits most of the above symptoms.]*** He had been hunting down and violently persecuting the disciples of Jesus – which seemed to give him much satisfaction. His attitude was rather like that of a modern day religious terrorist, who believes he kills enemies of God with Divine approval!

Now, on his way to Damascus, Paul seems to have experienced a vision (or hallucination) of his ‘arch-enemy’ Jesus talking to him. Saul, it seems, was immediately converted to Christianity. His subsequent career of preaching his newly found faith clearly shows, as we will see, yet another psychological trait – that of a narcissistic personality disorder. People suffering from this disorder have a grandiose sense of self-importance. They seek excessive admiration from others, and fantasize about unlimited success or power. They believe they are special, unique, or superior to others. However, they often have very fragile self-esteem.

We will now look at a few of the episodes, incidents, and reported words, teachings, and beliefs of Saul (Paul) contained in the New Testament, which show various inconsistencies, errors, and symptoms of serious mental illness. Unfortunately the only reports we have are from Saul himself (in his various letters), and the author of ACTS (who was a devoted supporter and disciple of Saul – probably Luke);***[Luke was a Gentile physician living in Troas, a city on the coast of the Aegean Sea, where, perhaps, Saul first met him and converted him to Christianity. Luke accompanied Saul for a short time on Saul’s second missionary journey (from Luke’s home in Troas to Philippi, and later back to Troas). Most of what he wrote in ACTS is obviously from what Saul had reported to him. Luke clearly has a theological agenda in his book. For one thing, he wants to stress the legitimacy of the apostleship of Saul. He is also very selective in what incidents he chooses to write about. We must therefore understand that the story given is very biased towards Saul.]*** thus it is a very one-sided account. This needs to be clearly understood and remembered as we read on.

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Shortly after his conversion, Saul spent approximately three years in the northern Arabian desert near Damascus (GAL 1:17). This period is unusual because we are told absolutely nothing about why he was there or what he was doing.***[This is Saul’s first period of what might be considered “social withdrawal” (a common symptom of schizophrenia).]*** He then returned to Damascus. There, we are told, Saul “grew more and more powerful” (ACTS 9:22). Saul angered the Jews in Damascus so much that they conspired to kill him (ACTS 9:23). They kept watch day and night at the city gates for Saul’s entrance into or exit from the city. Apparently there was also an official warrant for his arrest from the governor of the city (2COR 11:32).***[If there was really a warrant for Paul’s arrest issued by the governor of Damascus, it is hardly likely that any Jews there would have intervened and broken the law by murdering him, and thus risking their own lives – we must not forget that Paul was a Roman citizen and protected by Roman law. That he believed the Jews were conspiring to kill him might just be one of his many symptoms of Paranoia.]*** Eventually, however, he escapes. This account is just the first of many similar incidents in which Saul angers people, and then believes that they are planning to kill him. This belief occurs so often, as we will see, that it certainly seems to exhibit strong symptoms of paranoia. We must not forget that Saul’s extensive journeys were always through Roman provinces, and, as he was a Roman citizen, he was always protected by law. Anyone threatening or attacking him would be harshly dealt with by the Roman authorities. Yet, again and again, throughout his travels, we are told of (his beliefs in) murderous schemes plotted against him, and his having to flee from town to town.

From Damascus he returned to Jerusalem, approximately three years after he had previously left with the intention of destroying all Christians. Part of Saul’s goal of traveling to Jerusalem at this time was to meet with the original Apostles and discuss his theology with them – not to get their approval, but simply to share what he had been doing and thinking (see e.g. GAL 1:14-20; cf.2:2-6). His general attitude here clearly exhibits narcissistic tendencies – note how he states: “God, who set me (Saul) apart from birth… was pleased to reveal his Son in me.” (GAL.1:15-16); and “For this is what the Lord has commanded: ‘I have made you (Saul) a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” (ACTS 13:47), i.e. placing himself above the original Apostles, and equating himself to Jesus and/or the Prophets Isaiah (cf. ISAIAH 49:6) and Jeremiah (cf. JER 1:5)!

We are told that Saul remained in Jerusalem for only fifteen days (GAL 1:18 ). While he was there he apparently moved freely about, preaching “boldly in the name of the Lord” (ACTS 9:28 ). But once again we are told that the Jews there wanted to ‘kill’ him. It is reported by the author of ACTS that when the Christian brothers in Jerusalem learned about the plot against Saul’s life, they quickly took him to Caesarea, put him on a ship, and dispatched him to Tarsus in Cilicia, his birthplace (ACTS 9:30). It seems that the Jerusalem church wanted to get rid of this troublemaker as soon as possible. We must ask why they chose to send him to his home town of Tarsus (600 km across the sea), or was this Saul’s choice? They could have sent him to Antioch, where there was a Christian community and where he would have been safe; but they may have wanted to eliminate his involvement with any Christian churches. However, Saul later claimed that his fleeing Jerusalem was by ‘divine command’, for in his defense he speaks of having received a vision in the Jerusalem Temple that warned him to flee Jerusalem (ACTS 22:17-21). Claiming divine guidance (i.e. ‘revelations’ and/or ‘visions’ of Jesus) as the reason for (often embarrassing, strange, or contentious) actions and decisions becomes a habit with Saul, as we shall later observe. This episode illustrates strong tinges of ‘hallucination’ (delusionary visions or, perhaps, plain lies?) and ‘fantasies of unlimited success’ (“moving freely about and preaching boldly in the name of the Lord”) – for Saul could not admit either that he had been forced to run away, or had been dismissed by the mother church! The next several years are known as Saul’s “silent years,” since Luke does not talk about them, and nor does Saul in his letters. Perhaps he needed time to reconsider his position and/or lick his wounded pride/ego, or perhaps this was simply another sign of his psychosis – his second long period of social withdrawal!

The next time we hear of Saul is when Barnabas requested him to come and help out in Antioch. After a few years in this city, we are told that Barnabas and Saul were officially commissioned as missionaries by the Antioch church (c. AD 47) to go to other parts of the Roman world with the gospel (ACTS 13:1-3). They were thus sent off accompanied by a cousin of Barnabas named John Mark (ACTS 13:5; cf. COL 4:10).

THE FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY – c. A.D. 47-48
Their first destination was Cyprus. The Roman proconsul of Cyprus was Sergius Paulus. Perhaps the preaching of Saul and Barnabas had created a commotion among the Jews of Cyprus, as it had already done in Damascus and Jerusalem (cf. ACTS 9:22-23, 28-29), and Sergius needed to hear for himself what was going on. So he summoned the missionaries into his presence. We are told, somewhat surprisingly, that Saul and Barnabas received a sympathetic hearing from the Roman official. But then a Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus tried to persuade the proconsul that their preaching was false. So Saul (now called Paul) looked Bar-Jesus straight in the eye and, in an obvious fit of anger, said: “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” We are then told that Paul’s curse immediately came true, and that Sergius Paulus was so impressed that he became a believer! (ACTS 13:8-11). It states in the Bible that Jesus, himself, often faced similar opposition, and used many harsh words against His opponents, but He never stooped so low as to physically harm or disable anyone – even for a short time! A true man of God will always use the power of Love and reason to overcome opponents! But here Paul claims that it is by the hand of God that he is pronouncing a curse of blindness on this sorcerer. If this episode is true, then it is Paul who is the evil sorcerer. If it is not true, then he is either a liar, or again showing symptoms of his psychosis i.e. fantasies about having unlimited success and power. It might be asked what kind of believer did the proconsul become – who admired such shows of sorcery? Paul, it seems, wanted so much to be admired, that his claims are often very excessive and/or delusionary.

It seems that Paul was never one to stay very long in the same place, so after a whirlwind trip through Cyprus, he, Barnabas, and Mark boarded a ship and headed for the coast of Asia Minor, landing at the port city of Perga.***[It seems that Paul valued quantity over quality as far as his achievements were concerned. He wanted to outdo all other missionaries in numbers of converts and regions evangelised – no matter what the consequences. This may be due to his intense desire to be perceived as the greatest apostle – a desire perhaps driven by his narcissistic personality.]***
For some reason that the author of ACTS (presumably Luke) does not disclose, Mark left the others there and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13).***[This decision by Mark is very significant, as will be seen later, i.e. at the planning stage of the second missionary journey.]***

After that, Paul and Barnabas headed inland and arrived at Antioch in the province of Pisidia. The Jews here soon grew angry with Paul and Barnabas and put pressure on the city magistrates to do something about these troublemakers. The outcome was that Paul and Barnabas were thrown out of the city and moved on to other parts of Galatia (ACTS 13:50-51). Why John Mark deserted Paul we do not know for sure. However, we do know that Paul never wanted to travel with him again (ACTS 15:36-40). Perhaps some sort of personality clash? Perhaps Mark did not show Paul the kind of reverence, subservience, admiration or respect that he craved? Or maybe he had come to understand too well the truth about Paul?***[This is the same Mark who is presumed to have written the Gospel of that name. His Gospel is generally accepted as being the earliest (written c. AD 65-70), and therefore, perhaps, the most authoritative. It is important to note that the original ending of his Gospel is missing. Could the reason be that he actually wrote something derogatory about Paul, e.g. included a warning against false apostles like Paul who were forming their own churches, and teaching a different gospel to that of Jesus? This would obviously be expunged from Mark’s Gospel by the later Roman (Paulist / orthodox) church.]***

The next city they visited was Iconium. As usual, Paul and Barnabas headed for the Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath and were invited to speak. Their message was so effective that a large number of Jews and Gentiles believed. They spent a considerable amount of time in this city, preaching and performing miraculous signs and wonders (ACTS 14:1-3). But, once again, some of the Jews and Gentiles there became angry with what Paul and Barnabas were doing. Together they formed a plot “to mistreat and stone them” (ACTS 14:5). The two missionaries, we are told, found out about what was being planned, so they immediately fled to Lystra (ACTS 14:6). In this tale we are first told of Paul’s great success in this city, but then the success somehow turns to anger, and then the routine (imaginary?) plotting to harm him, and finally the escape. Do we have in this episode a combination of (i) fantasies about having unlimited success and power, (ii) delusions of both persecution and grandeur, and (iii) a belief that people are out to kill him??? These are classic symptoms of psychosis, and recur over and over throughout Paul’s life!

After arriving in Lystra we are told that Paul preached in the marketplace. There he saw a crippled man and, by the power of Jesus, apparently healed him.***[If this story is true, then it seems that Paul was merely using occult powers to win disciples (cf ACTS 8:9-11). We must understand that these stories were either written by Paul himself, or related by him to his faithful disciple Luke (the author of ACTS) who was not a witness to many of the reported incidents. In this particular case only Barnabas was with Paul, and by the time of this writing (c. AD 64, almost twenty years later) he had long since quarreled and separated from Paul, and may well have by then died of old age. Thus, after such a time period, there were few who could refute Paul’s many claims.]*** When the residents of Lystra saw this, they excitedly felt that the gods had come down to visit them in human form. Thus, the population decided, the only proper response was to offer sacrifices to them. When Paul realized what was happening, he shouted for the Lystrans to stop. Only with difficulty were they able to persuade the people to stop their sacrificing. Then some Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived in Lystra and managed to convince the crowd that Paul and Barnabas were ‘dangerous’ men. Thus, they stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. He recovered, however, and the very next day left for Derbe (ACTS 14:8-20). Well, this is a truly amazing story! One minute the Gentile population are worshiping Paul as a god because he had performed a miracle, the next minute they are listening to mere hearsay from some visiting Jews telling them that Paul and Barnabas were ‘dangerous’ men. Even more amazing is the outcome – without any proof, they actually stone Paul to death (as they thought).***[It is highly unlikely that the residents could have stoned anyone without the authorities knowing. Moreover, Paul, a Roman citizen, would only have had to appeal to the governor for justice!]*** But most amazing of all is the speed in which he recovers from near death, so that he was able to travel on the very next day! Once more we have to decide if this story is genuine, plain lies, or just another symptom of Paul’s mental illness.***[In a letter later written to the Galatians Paul states: “Let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” (GAL.6:17). It seems here as if Paul is trying to equate some wounds he has received with those of Jesus – a very strange and narcissistic thing to do – also his demand that no one cause him trouble!]***

After visiting a few more cities they eventually returned to the church that had sent them out, the church in Antioch. When they arrived there, they reported all the things that God had done through them in Cyprus and Galatia. For the next year or so, they remained in Antioch and ministered to the church in that city (ACTS 14:27-28 ).

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THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL – c. A.D. 49
It is clear that, in general, Jews were unhappy when a rabbi (as Paul was) was willing to accept fully, as God’s people, those who did not follow God’s Law. The anger over this issue had became so intense at times that he and Barnabas had to flee for their lives on several occasions already (ACTS 13:42-51; 14:1-7, 19). In response to the Jews' “abuse and blasphemy”, Paul and Barnabas began to assert their new policy – “To the Jews first, but also to the Gentiles" – a policy that had begun with the conversion of Sergius Paulus. This policy of preaching first to Jews and then to Gentiles shows another error in Paul’s reasoning – to be advocating favouritism, Jews before Gentiles – not, in truth, a policy which could have come from God (who surely views all humans as equals – His children)! After Paul’s first missionary journey, a new facet emerged, which was also linked with the issue over following God’s Law. There were many Jewish- Christians who, likewise, did not support what was going on in the churches Paul had organized. A fierce argument over this issue first surfaced in the church of Antioch in Syria. Some there supported Paul, especially after they heard what had been accomplished (according to Paul’s, perhaps exaggerated, stories) on his first missionary journey. But some men came from Judea to Antioch and insisted that Paul had it all wrong! This was a very serious threat to the church for it now faced the possibility that its unity might rupture and that two churches might develop – a Jewish-Christian church and a Gentile-Christian church. ***[This did, in fact, eventually happen, but the Jewish-Christian Church was eventually discarded, overrun, and declared heretical by the fast growing ‘Paulist’ Gentile Churches (later to be controlled by Rome) – whose theology eventually became regarded as orthodox!]*** Apparently the debate with the Judean visitors to the church in Antioch could not be resolved. Neither Paul nor the Judeans would give in to the thinking of the other side (ACTS 15:2; GAL 2:5). Therefore the church leaders in Antioch felt that they needed the input of the original Apostles in Jerusalem to resolve this issue. After all, these Apostles had been personally chosen as leaders by Jesus during His life on Earth! So Paul and Barnabas were sent to meet with them in Jerusalem. Immediately after they arrived in Jerusalem, they sought a “private meeting” with the leaders – the Apostles Peter, John (son of Zebedee), and James (the Lord’s brother and head of the church) (GAL.2:2, 8 & 9; cf. ACTS 15:4). From this private meeting we hear only Paul’s version of the outcome***[It may be a little cynical to think that perhaps Paul had a motive in requesting a private meeting – to enable him to later report only his version of the outcome! In fact, Paul’s version is all we have!]*** i.e. in ACTS (written by Paul’s disciple – Luke) and in Paul’s own letters. Paul’s letter to the Galatians states: “I (Paul) went (to Jerusalem) in response to a revelation and set before them (the original Apostles) the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who ‘seemed’ to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. ***[Indeed, if this was Paul’s reason for meeting with the Apostles – for fear that he was acting (teaching) in vain – then what must be said for his supposed revelations from God? This clearly reveals that Paul was not altogether satisfied with the soundness of his teaching, and thus needed to consult with the true Apostles. So much, then, for his claims of direct revelation from God!]*** Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy ***[People with schizophrenia often have delusions that others are plotting against them or ‘spying’ on them.]*** on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.(?) As for those who ‘seemed to be important’ – whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance – those men added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles (?), just as Peter had been to the Jews (?). For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me (?). They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the (Paul’s) gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” (GAL 2:1-14). Firstly, it is reported in ACTS that Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem as the result of a decision by the leaders in Antioch (ACTS 15:2); yet here Paul says it was "in response to a revelation." Undoubtedly, he claims that it was by ‘revelation’ because, due to his grandiose sense of self-importance, he wished to assert that at no time was he under the authority of anyone else! The term "false brothers" (used here and in 2COR 11:26) clearly defines anyone who does not agree with Paul’s theology; and the reference to them “spying” on him demonstrates a symptom of his paranoia! Note also Paul’s opinion (and attitude) that any advantages which the original apostles might have had from knowing the incarnate Jesus was of no importance to him, and could add nothing to his message! Three times in this chapter (GAL.2:2, 6, & 9) Paul refers to the three major figures at Jerusalem in a very unusual way. The persons in question are the Apostles James, Peter, and John, described as "those who seemed to be leaders," "those who seemed to be important," and "those reputed to be pillars." Why this deferential way of referring to them? This display of disparagement demonstrates that Paul is very unhappy and angry with these three Apostles. The very repetition of the phrase seems ominous. Furthermore, each occurrence of the phrase seems to grow stronger with each repetition. The story of Peter's conduct at Antioch (GAL.2:11-14) lends credence to the feeling that Paul is disappointed and angry with the outcome of the meeting with the leaders of the Jerusalem church. In other words, the delicate situation lying behind these verses explains the movement of Paul's thought. Paul cannot reconcile, on the one hand, his desire for excessive admiration from others, his grandiose sense of self-importance, his belief that he is superior to others, his fragile self-esteem, and his belief (in his hallucinations) that Jesus communicates messages to him, with, on the other hand, the building opposition to him and his theology from so many (all?) members of the Jerusalem church (especially the genuine Apostles appointed by Jesus) – everyone seems to be turning against him! It may be seen from this passage that Paul has admitted the position and authority of the Jerusalem Apostles without diminishing his own authority in the slightest. Eventually, Paul will even declare in his letter to the Galatians that the outcome between himself and the Apostles was cordial (GAL.2:9), "James, Peter and John… gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship"! The letter from the leaders in Jerusalem, summarizing the official conclusions of this meeting with Paul, which is reproduced in ACTS 15:23-29, is quite frankly spurious***[Here is Paul’s version of the letter, according to the author of ACTS: “We (the Jerusalem Apostles) have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul – men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.” If this letter was genuine, then why did Paul show such contempt, and indeed, such obvious scorn for the Leaders in Jerusalem (GAL 2:1-14)? Was it jealousy, or something more? There is nothing in this letter to indicate that they disagreed with Paul’s theology – yet they obviously did disagree, as we will later see. Also, if the requirements contained in this letter were all that the Holy Spirit and the Apostles considered necessary, why did the dispute continue?]*** – probably an invention of Paul’s, who reported it to Luke, who was his disciple, and the presumed author of ACTS. The whole episode smells of lies and deception on Paul’s part. No genuine teachers of Truth would segregate the evangelizing of Gentiles and Jews. Although we do not know the precise details, there are many traditions of the various Apostles traveling far and wide, to all nations e.g. Thomas is said to have gone as far as India, etc. It is also reported in the gospels that: “Jesus said to them (the Apostles), ‘Go into the entire world and preach the good news to all creation’.” (MARK 16:15). “Go and make disciples of all nations” (MATT.28:19), and “… to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (LUKE 24:47). Is it likely then, nay, even possible that Paul’s account of the outcome of this meeting is true – that the leaders in Jerusalem saw that Paul (rather than they) had been entrusted by God with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles? One final remark in concluding this episode is on Paul’s criticism of Peter. He accuses Peter of being a hypocrite for behaving differently in the presence of Jewish delegates sent by James (e.g. in observing the Jewish dietary laws) to the way he normally behaved in the presence of the Gentile believers in Antioch. However Paul himself admits to doing the very same thing – “To the Jews I (Paul) became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law, so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law (i.e. Gentiles) I became like one not having the law, so as to win those not having the law.” (1COR 9:20-21). Is Paul so conceited that he cannot even recognize his own hypocrisy? Or perhaps it is his psychosis that blinds him.

After the Jerusalem meeting Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, and continued their evangelizing work. No one knows for sure all the details, but it was during this time that another confrontation took place, this time between Paul and Barnabas. When Paul proposed leaving Antioch and visiting the churches formed on their previous missionary trip, Barnabas wanted to take Mark along once more. However Paul, we are told, felt this would be a hindrance to him, for Mark had been a “quitter” (ACTS 15:36-39; cf. ACTS 13:13). “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.” (ACTS 15:39-40). We do not truly know why Paul refused to take Mark. It could not have been solely for the reason given, i.e. that Mark had merely abandoned them on the previous mission – this would surely not be cause enough for Paul to refuse a second chance, especially if such a refusal would destroy his long-standing relationship with Barnabas!. There was something much more important and profound! Could it be that Mark saw through Paul – to his true nature? Or perhaps Mark simply did not respect or esteem him enough to elate his grandiose sense of self-importance, or one of the many other cravings of his mental condition? Another possibility is that Mark would be considered a threat to Paul’s work, as he might ‘spy’ and report undesirable facts to the Jerusalem Apostles about his teachings (see above). There is also a very strange note concerning Mark in Paul’s letter to the Colossians which states: “You have received instructions about him (Mark); if he comes to you, welcome him.” (COL.4:10). What were these instructions about Mark? Were they a warning from Paul to beware of him as a spy, but to humour him with an outward show of kindness and respect? We can only speculate about such things, but when we add all the circumstantial evidence together a very strong case emerges for Paul’s psychosis.

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THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY – c. AD. 49-51
The first thing Paul and Silas (his new companion) did as they began their journey was to visit other Christian communities in Syria and Cilicia. Then they travelled to Derbe and then Lystra (ACTS 16:1; cf. 14:8-20). “He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.” (ACTS 16:1-3). Why, after the heated argument in Jerusalem, would Paul circumcise Timothy? Some commentators even question whether Paul actually did this. Others say he rejected any imposition of circumcision and the Jewish law only upon Gentile converts (e.g., Titus; see Gal 2:1-5), and urged all converts to express and practice their Christian faith through the cultural traditions they had inherited (cf. 1COR 7:17-24). As Timothy was a Jew in the eyes of the Jewish world, Paul apparently considered it both proper and expedient to circumcise him. If this is true then it not only shows Paul to be a false teacher, but also contradicts his other statements that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile (ROM 10:12) and If a man was uncircumcised when he was called, he should not be
circumcised. (1COR 7:18 ). There is no definitive answer to why Paul changes his mind and attitude so often over various teachings. However, it is very clear that his claim, that he received his message and instructions through Divine revelation from God, is false – for if that were the case, there would be no ambiguity or any changes in his teaching.

Paul, Silas, and Timothy eventually reached Antioch of Pisidia. They decided to continue traveling east, heading toward Ephesus. But for some unknown reason, the ‘Holy Spirit’ told them not to preach the Word of God in that area! (ACTS 16:6). Thus they headed north, thinking that perhaps they might preach the good news in Mysia and Bithynia. But again the ‘Spirit of Jesus’ would not allow them to do that! (ACTS 16:7). It is possible that Paul’s companions wished to go to these areas, but Paul did not. Perhaps he again believed that people were out to kill him! So, in order to get his own way without argument, he may simply have claimed to have had a divine vision. Alternatively, Paul may actually have experienced another hallucination in which he believed that Jesus had communicated with him. Anyway, whatever the truth of the matter, they kept heading north until they arrived in Troas, a city on the coast of the Aegean Sea, near the Dardanelles.

One night Paul again received a vision in which he saw a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (ACTS 16:9). Once again, is Paul hallucinating, or perhaps lying about having visions in order to get his own way and fulfill his own desires? Apparently Paul, Silas, and Timothy discussed the vision and they all agreed that it had come from the Lord (how could they know?) and that the Lord (or Paul?) wanted them to go farther west. So they sailed to Neapolis. Paul then decided (no claim of a vision this time?) to head for Philippi, the major city in that area. Another person accompanied them on their journey – Luke, a doctor (cf. COL.4:14) who had a practice in Troas (the apparent author of LUKE and ACTS). After experiencing more problems in Philippi, they headed to Thessalonica. Paul probably stayed in Thessalonica for several months, most likely using the house of a believer named Jason as the meeting place (ACTS 17:7). During his stay, Paul received monetary gifts (“again and again”) from the church he had established in Philippi (PHIL.4:15-18 ). But, once again, trouble eventually brewed and Paul was kicked out of town. So Paul and Silas left Thessalonica and went to Berea. The Jews here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. They were willing to listen to Paul as he preached and willing to examine the Scriptures to see if what he was preaching was really true (ACTS 17:10-11). As a result, many Jews and many Gentiles became believers. Somehow word arrived back in Thessalonica that Paul and his company were preaching and gaining converts in Berea. The Jews of Thessalonica, therefore, sent a delegation to Berea to stir up trouble. Rather than wait until things got out of hand again, Paul left Berea immediately. But he departed alone, leaving Silas and Timothy behind; they were to join him in Achaia as soon as possible. Once again we are told an exaggerated story of how well things are going in Berea – many Jews and many Gentile believers – only to be turned around by a few troublemakers from another town!? Here, though, Paul does not even wait to be thrown out of town – he runs before any trouble starts! This is not simply a cowardly ending, it does not make sense. Was it extreme paranoia which caused him to run? Why didn’t he, as a Roman citizen, appealed to the authorities for protection; and how was it that Silas and Timothy could remain there without a problem? Once again there are many unanswered and strange ambiguities in the reported story – not something that God would be happy to call truth.

Paul then went to Athens and stayed for some time, but after fruitless attempts at teaching there he decided to leave and move on to Corinth. When Paul left Athens, he was alone and discouraged. In Corinth, the capital of Achaia, he arrived “in weakness and fear, and much trembling” (1COR 2:3). He decided that in this city his message would be nothing more than “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1COR 2:2). Paul linked up in Corinth with a Jewish couple, Aquila and Priscilla and stayed at their house (ACTS 18:1-3). Things were going well in Corinth, but in the back of Paul’s mind was always the possibility of persecution, and he was mentally preparing himself to have to leave. But one night the Lord spoke to him in a dream and assured him that his experiences in Macedonia were not going to be repeated in Achaia. God had many people in that city whom Paul was to reach. Paul’s total stay in Corinth was a year and a half – the longest he had been in one city up to that time (ACTS 18:9-11).

While Paul was in Corinth, both Timothy and Silas returned from their visits to Philippi and Thessalonica. They brought with them more money collected from the church in Philippi (cf. PHIL 4:16-17) – enough so that Paul was able to devote all his time to preaching and evangelism (ACTS 18:5). Timothy reported how well the church in Thessalonica was doing (1THESS 3:6-10). But there were also problems in Thessalonica. Some of his opponents were trying to discredit Paul, charging him with preaching for profit***[Such accusations against Paul were not uncommon: “This is my (Paul’s) defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we (Paul and his companions) have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas (Peter)? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” (1COR 9:3-14).]*** and running away at the slightest hint of trouble. Paul reminded the Thessalonians how he had worked for his living expenses and how intensely he cared about them (1THESS 2): “You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you (Paul must have been accused of these things!). We speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed (another accusation?) – God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else (another accusation?). As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. ***[No sign of any humility here – only a belief that he is, perhaps, equal to Jesus. Paul clearly believed that he was ‘special, unique, and superior to others’!]*** For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children (such a patronizing attitude!), encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God (?), which is at work in you who believe.”

The Thessalonians had theological questions as well. Some of them had died, and they wondered if these Christians had therefore lost their chance of going to be with Jesus when he returned to Earth. Paul answered these questions by teaching his doctrine of the resurrection (1THESS 4:13-5:10): “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

This belief that the experience of Heaven is a future event that will be experienced by all the faithful, whether physically dead or alive, at one and the same time, is totally wrong. Paul states that his teaching is according to the Lord’s own word. However there is no record of Jesus or any other prophet teaching this anywhere. Similarities between 1THESS 4:15-17 and the gospel accounts include a “trumpet” (MATT 24:31), a “resurrection” (JOHN 11:25-26), and a “gathering of the elect” (MATT 21:31). Yet dissimilarities between it and the canonical sayings of Jesus far outweigh the resemblances. For example, (i) in Matthew the Son of Man is coming on the clouds, in 1stThessalonians ascending believers are in them; (ii) in the former the angels gather, in the latter the Son does so personally; (iii) in the former nothing is said about resurrection, while in the latter this is the main theme; (iv) the former records nothing about the order of ascent, which is the principal lesson here in 1stThessalonians. Distinctions between this and the Johannine passages are just as pronounced. The best solution is to see "the Lord's own word" as a direct revelation to Paul himself, i.e. another hallucination! If it were not an hallucination, how could it differ from the accounts given in the other gospels – unless the other gospel writers were hallucinating, or just reporting untrue stories?

The letter was brought to Thessalonica, perhaps by Timothy. He reported back to Paul that new problems had developed. Eschatological fervor for the return of Jesus was reaching an all-time high, and some people had even quit work to wait for the event (2THESS 3:6-12). Moreover, some were claiming that the Day of the Lord had already come (2THESS 2:1-2). The apostle addressed both these issues in his second letter to that church. Also while Paul was in Corinth, someone brought him word that many in the churches of Galatia were being influenced by the Judeans, becoming convinced that true Christians had to obey the full Law of Moses (or God?) (GAL 1:6-7; 3:1-5). Paul therefore wrote to them a very impassioned letter (the letter to Galatians), in which he emphasized his doctrine that salvation is by grace alone through faith and that believers have freedom from the Law in Christ.

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In the spring of A.D. 51, Paul decided to leave Corinth and return to his home church, Antioch. ACTS 18:22 reads: “When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.” This “going up” and “going down” almost certainly refers to a quick visit Paul made to the church in Jerusalem. Undoubtedly, as he had done after his first missionary journey, he reported on the success of his recent trip. Although Luke does not talk about this in ACTS, it is obvious that Paul knew that the issue over the relationship of Christians to the (Jewish) Law had not been resolved through the previous Council in Jerusalem. In fact, a “backlash” was occurring, as Paul had already discovered through the reports he heard about the churches in Galatia. Paul wanted to do something to convince the believers in Judea that the Gentile believers were sincere, and which would also make the Gentiles feel they were one with the Jewish-Christians. He remembered that some years earlier, the gift from Antioch to Jerusalem during the time of famine had been much appreciated (ACTS 11:27-30). It was, therefore, probably during this time that Paul decided to take a collection among his Gentile churches and to bring it to Jerusalem for the benefit of the poor among the saints there. In that way he hoped to foster a greater spirit of unity – or, one might say, use money to gain their respect and acceptance (cf. ROM 15:25-27). With this in mind, Paul left Jerusalem for the three-hundred-mile trip to Antioch (ACTS 18:22). Money and gifts, however, are not the solution to any Spiritual problem – and the true nature of this problem was definitely Spiritual, although this was not understood by Paul (as evidenced in his letters) or his disciple, Luke (the author of ACTS). This was not, in reality, about mundane laws or religious traditions (e.g. circumcision, etc.) but the Eternal Spiritual LAW of God. As this True Eternal Law has already been explained thoroughly in the preceding chapters of this study, it is not necessary to repeat here. It is enough to comprehend that Paul’s understanding of Truth is sadly lacking – thinking he can purchase respect and acceptance, or “unity” with mere worldly gifts. It is clear from this demonstration of Spiritual ignorance that Paul’s various visions and revelations could not have been from God, but rather from his own sick mind.

THE THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY – c. AD 52-57
After spending some time in Antioch, Paul decided to return to Asia and Europe. In the major cities through which he traveled were churches he had started. One wonders, of course, what sort of reception he received in the Galatian churches, seeing that he had written his stinging letter to them only a year and a half earlier (even calling them “you foolish Galatians,” GAL 3:1). Paul’s mental illness was the cause of so much controversy, and he refused to listen to reason when his opinions, his teaching, and his churches were at stake. “Even if… an angel from Heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we (i.e. Paul) preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (GAL 1:6-9). Regardless of his reception, he had one main purpose on his mind, and that was doing what he believed would diminish the rift that existed between him and the mother church in Jerusalem, i.e. lavishing money on them! He therefore ‘ordered’ the Christians in Galatia to take up weekly offerings for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem (1COR 16:1-2). This was his general message: “Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” (i.e. the money would be ready and waiting). What happened to the money they collected in Galatia, and when and how (or even if) it was ever brought to Jerusalem, we are never told. Paul then continued west to Ephesus.

During Paul’s absence from the region, trouble began to develop in Corinth. After Paul and his company left, other teachers settled there who disagreed with the teaching Paul had been giving. Perhaps they were representatives of the genuine Apostles in Jerusalem, seeing that a certain segment of the church in Corinth eventually aligned themselves with what they considered to be the teachings of Peter (1COR 1:12). Word must have come to Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus about this development in Corinth, so they encouraged Apollos to go there and see what he could do to help bring the faith of the Corinthians back in line with Paul’s teaching.

Paul taught in Ephesus for more than two years (ACTS 19:8, 10). His ministry was more than just preaching, however, he is said to have also performed many miracles and exorcisms. In some cases, people even used handkerchiefs and aprons which had been in contact with Paul, in order to cure illnesses! (ACTS 19:12). As is apparent from examples such as Bar-Jesus in Cyprus, and Simon the sorcerer in Samaria (ACTS 8:9), many were known throughout the ancient world for their occult powers, and here we see that Paul was also practicing similar magic or sorcery. There is also the story of Sceva, who was practicing similar feats of sorcery as Paul. When he saw Paul using the name “Jesus” to cast out demons, he decided to add this “magic name” (Jesus) to his list of spells. However, when he tried to use it to cast out an evil spirit from a man (ACTS 19:13), the evil spirit replied, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” We are then told that the demon-possessed man single-handedly overpowered the seven sons of Sceva, and “they ran out of the house, naked and bleeding” (ACTS 19:15-16). Such stories were popular among uneducated people in ancient times. Whatever one wishes to believe about this incident, it is plain that there were many similar accounts reported outside of Christianity i.e. pagan religions were doing precisely the same things.

While Paul was in Ephesus, he heard a report from Corinth about a problem they were having with maintaining appropriate Christian standards of sexual morality. Paul, therefore, felt it necessary to write a letter to the Christians in Corinth (a letter we no longer have), in which he warned them “not to associate with sexually immoral people” (1COR 5:9). Many in the church reacted negatively to this letter: “How can we do business in this city,” they apparently asked, “if we have to avoid all contact with people whose morals standards are not what Paul thinks they should be?” (cf. 1COR 5:10). When Paul heard this, he corrected himself in his second letter to the Corinthians (our 1stCorinthians), in which he clarified himself: They were not to associate with any ‘fellow believer’ who was living a sexually immoral life, see 1COR 5:11). Well, this is indeed a strange teaching – Christians were allowed to associate with non-believers who behaved immorally, but they were not allowed to associate with fellow believers who acted in the same way? Sometime later Paul received a letter from the believers in Corinth, in which the leaders asked his advice on several issues. In his reply he also instructed the Corinthians to participate in the collection he was taking for the saints in Jerusalem (1COR 16:1-4).

Soon, however, the situation in Corinth took a dramatic turn for the worse. Some new people arrived in the city who were even stronger in their opposition to Paul than were the “parties” that precipitated his extended discussion of the divisions in 1stCorinthians 1-4. These people must have claimed apostolic authority, since Paul calls them “super-apostles,” and, because they did not agree with his theology, “false apostles.” (2COR 11:5, 13). They did not merely attack Paul’s ideas; they attacked Paul himself: “His (Paul’s) letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” (2COR 10:10). Paul, therefore, changed his travel plans. Instead of going to Macedonia (cf. 1COR 16:5-6), he made a hasty trip directly across the Aegean Sea to Corinth, fully determined to bring the situation under control. But he failed, for he calls that visit to the Corinthian church a “painful visit” (2COR 2:1; cf. 12:14; 13:1). So Paul quickly returned to Ephesus, a disappointed and angry man. In response, he fired off to them a letter that he “wrote ... out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears” (2COR 2:4), and which “hurt” them (2COR 7:8; cf. v 12). It seems likely that much, if not all, of this letter has been preserved as 2Corinthians 10:1-13:10. In this letter Paul strongly asserted his authority as an apostle (even calling himself a “fool” for writing as he did; cf. 2COR 11:16-19), and he openly expressed his fury at being challenged. He pulled out all the stops against his opponents, comparing them to Satan, who “masquerades as an angel of light” (2COR 11:14). But not even a letter was enough. Paul also needed a personal representative to contend for his case in Corinth. Timothy did not seem to have had much success on his earlier mission; perhaps he was too timid (cf. 1TIM 4:12; 2TIM 1:7). Thus, Paul chose Titus, who seems to have been much more diplomatic in dealing with conflict. Titus probably took along the “severe letter” as he left Ephesus for Corinth. He was also given instructions to do what he could to keep his collection for the saints in Jerusalem moving (cf. 2COR 8:6). Paul’s desire to gain respect from the mother Church in Jerusalem by means of gifts of money was always a top priority for him, even when so many more important problems were looming in the communities he had started! This is clearly another manifestation of his desire for excessive admiration from others – especially from the original Apostles in Jerusalem.

Paul continued to minister in Ephesus as Titus left for Corinth. Although Luke does not talk about it in ACTS, strong opposition developed against Paul in that city – more likely from the civil authorities than from the Jews. We know from ACTS 19:23-41 that the lucrative religious shrine business was suffering in Ephesus because of the spread of Christianity. Demetrius and his silversmith guild therefore started a riot, perhaps even intending to lynch Paul. That may be why the Asiarchs (the Roman officials in charge of Ephesus) suggested to Paul not to go into the amphitheater, where a mass of devotees to Artemis were shouting for two hours straight, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians” (ACTS 19:28-34). Sometime later, however, hardships became so severe for Paul again that he “despaired even of life”; he “felt the sentence of death” (2COR 1:8-9). It may be that Paul was imprisoned for some time in Ephesus, during which time he suffered much (2COR 1:4-7).

There seems to have been one bright spot during this time, however. Paul received a visit from Epaphroditus, a representative of the church in Philippi (PHIL 2:25-30). This man brought money from the Philippian church for Paul (PHIL 4:10-18 ). Perhaps the letter of Philippians gives us further insight concerning Paul and his opponents in Corinth. Paul says that they preached Christ “out of envy and rivalry,” thinking they could make things even more difficult for the imprisoned Paul (PHIL 1:15-17). Someone who suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder will imagine anyone who shows opposition to their beliefs or actions does so “out of envy and rivalry.” This period was a very unhappy time in the life of Paul. After the riot in Ephesus and after his release from prison there, Paul decided that it was once again time for him to leave.

Paul then decided to go to Troas. The previous time Paul was there, he had received the vision of the man from Macedonia, begging him to come over and help them. Thus, he did not preach in Troas. Now he was in Troas again, but Paul was under such stress regarding the situation in Corinth that he found it impossible to concentrate on any mission work. Before he could resume his preaching, he felt he had to have word back from Titus concerning the Corinthians (2COR 2:12-13). Thus, once again, Paul left Troas and headed for Macedonia. But things did not go well there either: “This body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn – conflicts on the outside, fears within” (2COR 7:5). Finally, however, Titus arrived in Macedonia, where he brought word that he had been able to stabilize the situation in Corinth. The Christians there were now longing for Paul and were deeply sorry for what had transpired between them (2COR 7:6-7). Paul was elated! As a result, he wrote his fourth letter to the Corinthian church (2COR 1-8 [or 9]), in which he thanked God for what had transpired and for gifts God had given him to minister the new covenant to them (2COR 2:14-6:2). At the same time, Paul knew that the money collection had probably been put on hold during the time of tension between him and the Corinthians. Therefore he appended 2Corinthians 8-9 to his letter, in which he sought to motivate both the Corinthians and the Achaians generally to continue gathering money for the saints in Jerusalem.

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Now Paul was once again able to preach the gospel. After completing a whirlwind evangelism tour he made a final trip through Macedonia to pick up the money which had been collected for the Christians in Judea, and he was thrilled at the results. Even though many of the Macedonians were poor, the Christians in that area had been extremely generous in their giving and felt sorry only that they were unable to give more (2COR 8:1-5).

Perhaps because of the impending weather, Paul decided to spend the three winter months in the warmer climate of Corinth (ACTS 20:2; cf. v.6). Accompanying him were a number of fellow Christians from both Macedonia and Asia (ACTS 20:4-5; cf. 2COR 9:4); they would assist him in bringing the collection money to Jerusalem. Paul decided to send his Asian companions on ahead to Corinth in order to expedite the collection of money there. He wanted to avoid two situations. One was that his repeated and confident boast to the Macedonians about the Corinthians' "eagerness" and readiness to give money would turn out to be without foundation upon his arrival. The other was that when his companions from Macedonia arrived at Corinth with Paul (2COR 12:11 & 13:1-2), the Corinthians would still be unprepared, and this would greatly embarrass him. To make certain that neither of these predicaments arose, Paul "thought it necessary to urge the brothers" to prepare for his coming to Corinth by supervising final arrangements for the collection there. He reminds the Corinthians of their earlier commitment ("the generous gift you had promised"). By a prompt response when the brothers arrived, they would be fulfilling an obligation they had promised, and would ensure that the gift was not "grudgingly given."

During those three months spent in Corinth, Paul began to look to the future again. Since his goal had always been to preach where no one else was preaching (ROM 15:20-21), he decided that after his quick trip to Jerusalem to deliver the collection, his next mission field would be Spain (ROM 15:24-25, 28 ). Why was Paul always so eager to run off and evangelize new areas – especially as his current congregations were always experiencing so many difficulties? Perhaps one or more of the following might answer this question: (i) He would have complete autonomy to preach his version of Christ among people who had previously heard nothing. (ii) He could wallow in his grandiose sense of self-importance without hindrance from other Christian teachers. (iii) He could fulfil his desire for excessive admiration from others without competition. (iv) He could also fulfil his fantasies about having unlimited success or power by evangelising such far-reaching places. This would also fulfil his belief that he is special, unique, and superior to others.

In spring of A.D. 57, Paul decided to go back to Jerusalem, bringing with him the money he had been collecting in Macedonia and Achaia (Rom 15:26). Nothing is mentioned about the money which had been collected in Galatia? He found a ship heading for Syria, but discovered (or imagined?) a plot of the Jews (perhaps to steal the money?) just before embarking. Consequently, he quickly changed his travel plans and headed by land back through Macedonia (ACTS 20:3). Several of those accompanying Paul went on ahead to Troas while he spent the Passover in Philippi (ACTS 20:4-6). When he left Philippi by boat for Troas, Luke now also accompanied him. They embarked on a ship at Troas, but Paul once again decided to go overland, this time to Assos, about fifteen miles south. He boarded the ship there. They sailed along the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea, stopping at various places. He stopped at Miletus, about thirty miles south of Ephesus. The group had to spend a couple of days there, so Paul sent word to the elders of Ephesus to meet him in Miletus so he could see them one more time (ACTS 20:17). Luke records Paul’s farewell speech to them (ACTS 20:18-35). For some reason, Paul felt he would never see them again. At Miletus, Paul and his friends boarded the ship again and kept on heading south, stopping at various points. At Patara they found a different ship, headed directly to Tyre. After spending seven days in Tyre with the Christians there, they got back on the ship and eventually landed at Caesarea, where they stayed a number of days with Philip (ACTS 21:1-8 ). Throughout this journey, people kept warning Paul not to go to Jerusalem (ACTS 21:4, 10-14). But he was determined to present his gift in person to the Christian authorities in the holy city, so he refused to heed these warnings. Arrangements were made for Paul and those with him to stay at the house of Mnason, an elderly Cypriot believer living in Jerusalem (ACTS 21:15-16). Paul’s third missionary journey was now over.

As soon as Paul arrived in Jerusalem (AD 56 or 57), he and his friends attended a meeting of their Christian brothers and sisters in that city (ACTS 21:17). At that time he presented to the church the generous monetary gift he had been carrying, which had been donated by his Gentile churches (cf. ACTS 24:17). We are told that the believers in Jerusalem were deeply touched by that symbol of Christian unity, and they received Paul and his companions warmly (ACTS 21:17). The next day Paul and his group had an appointment with the leaders of the church in the holy city – James and the elders. Paul “reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry” (ACTS 21:19). Again we are told that these leaders responded by praising God for the success of Paul’s mission. But the leaders knew that suspicions about Paul remained. Since the time of his last visit to Jerusalem, thousands of Jews in Judea had come to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, many of whom remained true to the Law of God. Rumors among them persisted that Paul was teaching his converts, including Jews, to ignore the Law (notably, the practice of circumcision), and that he himself no longer obeyed its requirements (ACTS 21:20-21). Bringing a gift to Jerusalem, no matter how large, was not going to remove concern on this issue. We are then told that James suggested a form of deception for Paul. Four Christian men in Jerusalem had recently made a Nazirite vow, which was due to expire (see NUM 6:1-21). If Paul would accompany them to the temple as they completed this vow and pay their expenses, and also join with them in their purification rites (a process that would take seven days, ACTS 21:27), everyone would think that Paul had not deserted the Law of God (ACTS 21:23-24). Paul readily agreed to this proposal. If James did actually suggest or agree with such deception, then it was indeed a sad day for Truth! Paul, as we have seen, had no scruples about such deception or hypocrisy – as he had previously said: “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law ... so as to win those under the law” (1COR 9:20-22). Anything, including lies and deception, was acceptable to him if it was going to advance the cause of Christ (or Paul?) and his church! Paul here shows his true colours; and the church he initiated – THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH – has carried on his example to the present day.

It is quite clear that Paul viewed himself as the greatest apostle bar none! Throughout his letters he refers to himself as an “apostle” more than twenty times; and not simply as just one of the apostles, but says: “I (Paul) consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles." (2COR 11:5; cf. 12:11). On other occasions, almost as though he knew he should be ashamed of such claims, he would tie his assertion to a statement of unworthiness, with the hope that the gullible would embrace him as the greatest of apostles because of such humility: "For I (Paul) am the least of the apostles, and am not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But, by the grace of God, I am what I am,***[“I AM WHAT I AM” is the precise description, Name, and reference to God Himself in EXOD.3:14 – and Paul, an educated Pharisee, would certainly have known this very well! Thus we have here a very clear indication of Paul’s high esteem of himself.]*** and His grace toward me is not in vain; as I work harder than all the others." (1COR 15:9-10). To the Galatians, Paul made no pretence about how he compared himself to Peter, James, and John: "As for those who seem to be important – whatever they are, it makes no difference to me; God shows favouritism to no man – those men of repute imparted nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcised had been committed to me… and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave Barnabas and I the right hand of fellowship." (GAL.2:6-9).

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In conclusion of this evidence for Paul’s psychosis and errors, let us look at a few more passages from his letters. To the Corinthians he writes: “I (Paul) hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! What anyone else dares to boast about – I am speaking as a fool – I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” (2COR 11:1-27).

It is clear from this passage that Paul is boiling over with envy and rage at the situation he hears is taking place at his church in Corinth. Apparently, some Jewish-Christian teachers had arrived in Corinth and were taking the leadership away from him by teaching a different gospel. It is likely that these teachers were appointed and sent by the Jerusalem Church, as they were obviously very highly regarded, and may have included among their number at least one of the original Apostles of Jesus – thus the term “super-apostles” which Paul disrespectfully uses to refer to them. Paul insinuates that the high esteem with which they are regarded is simply because of their eloquent language and/or their high status (viz. “super-apostles”). Someone like Paul could never accept that they might actually have been teaching the Truth! He automatically sees any other teacher as a rival, and therefore a false prophet. It is obvious that Paul is also extremely jealous about the Corinthians being so impressed with these new teachers that they are supporting them financially during their stay – something they apparently did not do for Paul (even though he declares that he refused any such support from them). ***[note: It is hardly credible that Paul would have refused any financial support from the Corinthians if it had been offered. Why would he refuse it from them, but accept it from others? He tells them: “I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed.” It is quite obvious that the Corinthians did not wish to offer him any support.]*** He then becomes more aggressive in his attack on these “super-apostles,” saying he will continue regardless “in order to cut the ground from under them” – those who, to Paul’s twisted mind, had the audacity to consider themselves equal with us (i.e. Paul himself) in the things they boast about (i.e. anything they say). This sounds like Paul’s madness speaking. The men, as we have seen, were already considered more than equal to Paul, and anything they said would sound like boasting to a man in Paul’s mental condition. All Paul can do is throw insults and threats, for he has no sound arguments or answers to their teaching. So he calls them false apostles, deceitful workmen, Satan’s servants, masquerading as apostles of Christ. Then he turns his insults to the Corinthians – You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you, or exploits you, or takes advantage of you, or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. Paul says he was “too weak” to do anything like that – a very strange sentiment! Finally, there follows a long, crazed rambling about all his long suffering and mishaps – obviously seeking sympathy to turn the hearts of the Corinthians (it would more likely succeed in turning their stomachs) – but there is absolutely no reference to the actual substance of any teaching (true or false) contained in this letter! Any genuine Apostle of God would surely give clear substantiation of any false teaching, and provide a clear solution to any Spiritual problems – not merely rant and rave, and sling insults and threats! Paul’s letter goes on much further, with more of his boasting, sorrows and then threats – he will not forgive those who turned against him: “On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.” (2COR 13:2). Paul believes that previously he may have appeared "weak" in the Corinthian’s estimation (2COR 10:1 & 10), so he now thinks that his impending severity would provide sufficient proof that he is a spokesman of Christ. Surely, such twisted reasoning is enough in itself to prove Paul’s madness. This letter to the Corinthians stands as a clear and classic example of Paul’s unfortunate psychosis.

We see similar traits in Paul’s letter to the Galatians: “I (Paul) am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one (i.e. Paul himself) who called you by the grace of Christ, and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all (i.e. it is not Paul’s). Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ (i.e. Paul’s own gospel)… But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were Apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus… And they praised God because of me.” (GAL 1:6-24). Note Paul’s claim here that God had set him apart from birth… and revealed His Son in him – his belief that he is special, unique, and superior goes to the extreme of imagining he is equivalent to Jesus. Believing such, there was no need for him to consult “those who were Apostles before he was”!!! Such arrogance is typical of those with a narcissistic personality disorder.

To the Ephesians he writes: “Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me (Paul) for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets (i.e. especially Paul).” (EPH 3:2-5). The mystery of the Lord was indeed known to many genuine Prophets throughout the ages – not only to the Hebrews, but throughout the world.

“Now to him (God? Jesus?) who is able to establish you by my (Paul’s!) gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings.” (ROM 16:25-26). It seems here that Paul is saying that God or Jesus will establish (the true Roman church) by the use of Paul’s own gospel! Also, he now says that the revelation of the “hidden mystery” is made known through the prophetic writings – not by ‘visions’ and ‘revelations’ made only to him!

“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” (1COR 15:1-3).

“If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.” (1COR 15:14-15). Here Paul clearly means Jesus when he refers to Christ. It was not the man (Jesus) who resurrected, but the Christ Spirit, which continually resurrects or reincarnates on Earth in a continuous succession of Divine men. God, therefore, certainly resurrected the Christ, but not in the way that Paul imagined. From this we see that Paul’s ‘preaching is useless and so is the faith.’ “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (1THES 4:14).

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Paul’s teaching about Jesus being a final blood sacrifice for the sins of the world is probably based on the accepted (erroneous) translation of Isaiah 53:5-6. A new, and better translation reads: “But He (a Master/Messiah of Isaiah’s time) was wounded due to our rebellion, and crushed because he corrected our wickedness and brought Peace to His disciples for their (Spiritual) healing. (NOT: “by his wounds we are healed”!!!) We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord intervenes Himself for all our wickedness.” (NOT: “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all”!!!) (ISAIAH 53:5-6). This passage speaks of a previous Master being wounded due to the people’s rebellion – we are not told if the wounding was physical, or due to inner pain and sorrow at being rejected. In the same way He (His whole teaching of Truth and Divine Revelation of Peace and Healing) was trampled underfoot and crushed (i.e. totally rejected) by the general population who never like to hear the Truth. Maybe this Master was killed, like so many other genuine Prophets, we do not know. But the translation: “by his wounds we are healed” and “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” are very suspect. This passage repeats the story of all the Masters who benevolently and continually come to us, for we are all like lost sheep, following our own desires, but the Lord Himself comes, again and again, to intervene for all our wickedness!

An example of Paul’s confused mind can be seen in his analogy of the Divine Law with the law of marriage (see ROM 7:2-6). To illustrate the binding character of the Law, Paul uses the case of a woman who is married to a husband and remains bound by law in that relationship as long as her husband is living. During this time she is not free to seek another attachment; that may be done only in the event that the husband dies, and she would thus be released from "the law of marriage." Paul now applies this illustration in a very inconsistent way. In the case under consideration three essential statements are made: 1) a woman is married to a man; 2) the man dies; 3) the woman is then free to be married to another. In his comparison he uses the following three statements: 1) the Jewish-Christians were bound to the Law; 2) they have died to the Law; 3) they are now free to be joined to another. The parallel breaks down at the second item, for the Law, which is the assumed master or husband in the analogy, is not represented as dying; rather, the Jewish-Christians are said to have died to the law (the same as saying that the wife died). Paul avoids saying that the Law died (something that is never affirmed in Scripture). Thus the analogy is totally wrong and invalid!

There are also some rather strange and unexplained references in Paul’s letters to some kind of sickness that he was suffering. To the Galatians he wrote: “As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.” (GAL 4:13-14). The only conclusion we can reach from this passage is that some form of unpleasant and/or embarrassing sickness lay behind Paul's first visit to the Galatians, and that, although they could have despised him because of it, they did not, but instead, received him favourably. They actually received him as "an angel of God, as if he were Christ Jesus himself." It is noteworthy that he does not suggest here that such high respect for him was in any way wrong. On the contrary, he believes they were quite right to receive him in this manner – as if Paul himself was the Lord! Also, to the Corinthians he ambiguously mentions some kind of problem or illness which he suffers “to keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” (2COR 12:7). The efforts to identify Paul's "thorn" are legion. But paucity of information and the obscurity of Paul's language have frustrated all attempts to solve this problem. It has been suggested by some that he suffered from epilepsy (a chronic brain disorder that briefly interrupts the normal electrical activity of the brain to cause seizures). Perhaps, if he did suffer from such embarrassing seizures, he would afterwards claim to have had a vision of Jesus, as though God had sent the convulsion for this reason. During Paul's time, many people in Hellenized world believed that epileptic seizures were of "divine origin." Hippocrates (c. 460-377 B.C.) the Greek "Father of Medicine" argued in his treatise on epilepsy ‘SACRED DISEASE’ that the disease was not of divine origin: "Men think epilepsy divine, merely because they do not understand it. But if they called everything divine which they do not understand, there would be no end of divine things. This ‘Sacred Disease’ appears to me to be not a bit more divine than other diseases, nor more sacred; it has a nature and a cause. Men believe it something divine through ignorance and their sense of the marvellous. Yet while its divinity is sustained because of an inability to comprehend it, this is really disproved by the simplicity of the manner in which the disease is cured, to wit, by purifications and incantations… (Those) who first ascribed this disorder to the gods must have been like magicians and purifiers, charlatans and quacks of our own day who claim excessive piety and more than average knowledge, while they use divinity as a pretext and a shield for their own inability to produce a cure." (Hippocrates, THE SACRED DISEASE, Trans. by W. H. S. Jones, London: Williams Heinemann, 1923, vol. II, p. 139). Unfortunately, we can now only speculate about whether or not Paul also suffered from epilepsy.

Finally, in Paul’s letter to the Philippians (written while he was sometime imprisoned – perhaps in Rome) he is discussing various local Christian teachers. He states: “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.” (PHIL 1:15-18 ). This is all about Paul’s own conceit. It is obviously his own jealousy that makes him accuse some of proclaiming the message of Christ "out of envy and rivalry." For, as far as Paul was concerned, they were not false teachers, but for some reason he considered them to be causing trouble for him while he was imprisoned. That Paul found no fault with the content of their message shows that the problem was not doctrinal but personal. He obviously believed that they were using the occasion of his confinement to promote themselves. Perhaps they had enjoyed some prominence in the church before he arrived, but had been eclipsed since he came to their city. By taking advantage of Paul's imprisonment, they may have hoped to recover their former popularity. But this envy is all clearly in Paul’s own mind – whether his beliefs were true or not! On the other hand, the teachers who Paul commends for their goodwill and love are obviously those who are subservient to him – their goodwill and love is directed at Paul – they are Paul’s disciples, and know that he is imprisoned “for the defense of the gospel.” Paul’s conclusion to the situation, "But what does it matter?" Yet, from his previous statements, it obviously mattered greatly to him! However, being imprisoned, he could say little else. It is thus very difficult to believe that he could really rejoice, “Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.” This episode is yet another clear indication of Paul’s narcissistic personality.

There are many other examples in Paul’s letters which demonstrate his various inconsistencies, errors, ambiguities, and symptoms of psychosis. It would require another lengthy study by a fully qualified and unbiased psychologist to examine everything fully.

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