I like our Spanish Jew Rambam's (Maimonides') letter of 1174 to Yemen

[papau]

The revolt against Saladin as sultan, the extremist Shiite Muslims, the persecution of the Yemeni Jews, and the "compromise?" of a "prophet" preaching a syncrectic religion that combined Judaism and Islam, and Maimonides' reaction to that "prophet" as shown in his letter are all of great interest, as was Maimonides' successful intercession with Saladin of Egypt that appears to have ended the persecution.

I like the comparison of Rambam's letter to the letters from Paul as Paul in effect said the same thing as Paul tried to interpret scriptures while offering hope to his fellow followers of Jesus.

Indeed I like the integration of faith and reason that Rambam said was necessary to understand God.

I did not like Rambam's saying that Muslims and Christians were impostors, but then I did like in the "Laws of Kings" his implying having these "impostors" around would help pave the way for a monotheistic understanding amongst the nations of the world.

I guess the rejection of conversion as the only path to God is what I like best about Rambam - the Noahide laws provided for the salvation of non-Jews ....in his Misheh Torah Melakim (18.2): "Any man who accepts the seven commandments and is meticulous in observing them is thereby one of the righteous of the nations of the world, and he has a portion in the world to come."

As a Christian I reject Paul's view and go with Rambam. Does that make me a Christian Jew, or a Jew for Christ , or just confused???

:toast:

:-)

I just hope the Good Lord will see me as a "just man".

:-)

[displacedtexan]

1. It's OK to just be a person. (Paul is my least favorite disciple.)

I have an undergrad minor in Religion, and the more I studied Paul, the less I liked him. He came across as such a traveling salesman.

[papau]

2. The goal was similar - but average Rabbi Paul versus genius Rambam

is not a fair contest.

And Paul was a product of many biases that did not seem to trace to Jesus. But for all his faults, I felt Paul did his best.

Actually - the Jewish (and Christian) term - "a righteous man" - is what I hope to be - but if the Lord will accept simply "just a man" I will be very thankful!

:toast:

:-)

[displacedtexan]

3. "Righteous"-- Very astute!

All of my Native American friends and relatives use that term constantly.

It's not an easy term to define (unless you are at one with yourself and the world around you).

[PsychoDad]

4. Paul was the 13th disciple.

It's interesting that he never met Jesus( peace be upon him), and never heard the gospel from the lips of Jesus. Paul never learned the teachings of Jesus from anyone who learned directly from Jesus,(ie: Peter, or James, the brother of Jesus) and called what he taught "My Gospel",not Jesus' gospel, yet it is Paul's theology that most modern christians today follow. (with some notable exceptions, such as the Amish)

And whereas Jesus stated that he came to fulfill the Law, Paul threw the Jewish law out to accommodate roman converts.

I've always found this interesting.

Peace

[xchrom]

5. paul did make it to jerusalem for a while

and didn't he meet with some of the apostles there?

he didn't stay long and soon after was off after converts -- but interesting to me is paul's deep, deep concern with the apocalypse -- that fueled his converting the gentiles.

and how his letters{though how much of those we actually attribute to him is debatable} show a change in his strategies for converting gentiles as time passed and no apocalypse.


paul, is a classic text i think for misreading christ -- and the christ experience.

[grumpy old fart]

6. Disciple? I thought that term was reserved for the original 12.

Paul and such other latecomers were "just" apostles, no?