Unit 7

This week the unit was one of academic breadth and depth. We studied colonialism and the spread of ideas. Unlike some of my classmates I swing a little both ways on this issue. I understand and accept that societies should be respected as they are. There cultural norms and religious practices are a part of who they are and western mores should not be forced upon indigenous populations by their colonial overlords.

But, some of the information spread was of value and should be welcomed with open arms. Especially matters of technological advances and everything that comes with it. Technological advances spread because they accomplish their ends better than they way they were done before....think of farming, before the tractor and after the tractor. The tractor was a technological advancement that provided more food for less labor, allowing more people access to food and the farmer more time to spend pursuing his or her own interests beyond sustenance farming. Yes,,,the tractor and it's use will eventually change the farming culture which adopted it's use. Yes, as different cultures adapt to mechanized farming techniques they begin to loose something of their own tribal farming culture and adopt something, not everything, of the broader mechanized farming culture worldwide. We homogenize...and that's a good thing.

Technological advances are, for the most part, good things. Yes, they change the societies that adopt them and farming communities that use mechanized farming begin to resemble one another more than they resemble similar cultures which do not, and that's okay. We should not be afraid to adapt what's more effective, better, stronger, faster...even if it changes or society. Because, in the long run it's good for society (Mechanized Farming-more food, more leisure time, etc).

Trucks vs Yak cart-Trucks win, Computers vs Abacus-Computers win, and so on and so forth. The tragedy for Africa, South America and such is that most of the advances we have discussed are Western in origin and western society has already been transformed by these innovations. So when they begin to use these advances themselves they appear to be adopting western norms, when in reality they aer not adapting to "western norms...just following down the trans formative path as did the people of the west before them.

All this is a good thing and the sooner we are homogenized as a species the less likely the chance we will destroy one another.

Unit 6

Race....

Race is a complex issue in today's world. I grew up in California, an urbanized ethnic mixing pot. I lived in and around Sacramento until I was close to thirty. Sacramento was, and perhaps still is, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country. Sacramento, for all it's pluralism, had some problems of it's own. The very diversity which also gave the city so much of it's strength also gave rise to it's darker sentiments. The closeness of the "other" led to the old refrain "familiarity breeds contempt". The twin spectres of racism and separatism raised their heads. While admittedly, not as terribly as in other California communities.

I wonder as i write this how much of that division was based on class more so than race. Yes, there was a division of neighborhoods; this neighborhoods a white neighborhood or that neighborhoods a black one. But, the neighborhoods of the upper crust seemed to be more ethnically diverse than that of the poor. Rich and affluent Caucasians mixed with and live alongside equally rich and affluent Hispanic, African American, and Asian neighbors. It was only when you slid down the pole did you see residential division relevant to race.

Why is this? Could it be that the oppressor class seeks to keep the masses divided? Is it little more than the old idiom, divide and conquer? Could it really be that simple?

Unit 5

The readings this week were wonderfully rich and complex. I was called to recollect the struggles of a number of Bosnia (or is it Bosniak) families in Twin Falls. They wanted only the opportunity to put their lives back into some semblance of order. Uprooted as they were from the war torn lands of their origins they were relatively unceremoniously plopped down in a rural Idaho farm town, with only a small community college sponsored refugee center, they showed resilience, resolve, and a nearly grim determination.

Hundreds of family members, all or most of them European Muslims, endeavored to persevere in a strange land. Idaho, perhaps a strange choice for refugee resettlement. Idaho known for little, beyond it's potatoes and neo-nazi skinheads, to the broader world. Yet, Idaho had much to recommend itself to the Bosnians. High rocky mountains, rich fertile lowlands, simple people of simple faith holding fast to a simpler way of life. Yes, much of the ways of Idaho were not entirely dissimilar to the land and folkways they had left behind.

The folks of Twin Falls had felt sorrow over their struggles in Bosnia. Newscasts carried reports of rapes, killings, even genocide. They willingly supported the movement to provide a relocation center for those who had been forced to flee the violence. Willingly they approved the center, and willingly they supported the process. But, their was little they were willing or able to do personally. The "community" helped them but on an individual level the lines of separation stood fast. Their was little mixing between the two communities and over time an us and them mentality began to develop. It happened faster and more easily than one might ever have imagined. Everything necessary to destroy the initial potentialities, everything necessary to taint the hope. The newcomers looked different, spoke a different language, practiced a different, some had even been...god forbid, communists.

As the two communities grew together the level of distrust ever grew. Leaders from the "original inhabitants" and the "newcomers" went through the motions of harmony and integration but the groups they represented began to exhibit more and more signs of divisiveness. The telling moment, in my eyes, was the rejection they received and the hands of their neighbors when they sought to establish a worship community. No church was willing to provide them a space, no place would rent to them, no one seemed willing to help. They all had their reasons...excuses. I heard some of their motives uttered in hushed tones...they might be terrorists....well, their not Christian.....they have quite a few criminals....it's to dangerous.

It was sad, it was terrifying. Is that who we really are?

Unit 4

Hi,

This week was a week of music. It was pretty nifty to see how the threads of music were woven together into a whole. My favorite experience this week was my introduction to a band called Pharaoh's Daughter. They are a wonderful and eclectic mix of traditional vocals and world music...it's just great.

I can't get the lines we draw out of my mind. Here in eastern Idaho there are quite a few lines in the sand. Some we draw and some are drawn for us. I think of the LDS/Mormon experience...they draw lines around themselves...they are chosen, they are blessed, they got all the answers. Some lines are drawn around them...they are cultists, they are polygamists, they're dangerous. The lines we draw and the lines that are drawn for us...it's so sad. There is so little black and white in the world...it's really, and I mean really all gray. We may thing that we are in one place experiencing one life and then low and behold...a shift of light and we find ourselves somewhere else, in a different place. Perhaps even our place in relation the ever present lines will have changed maybe were on this side now or maybe the lines have moved...it's all so wrong.

Unit 3

Hi,

This week we discussed the diaspora in greater detail. Much of my interest was focused upon the segment pertaining to Hispania. It's the history of the place and the outcome of play and chance that fascinates me. Perhaps it's that I always had a thing for Roman history. Ever since I red my first copy of Gibbon I have been drawn to that time.

I wonder about the what if's and could have's So much of the world as we no it hangs on the decisions, sometimes seemingly trivial, made by characters of days long past. I can't help but think of an insecure Emperor upon the western throne. What if he had had more faith in the local garrisons of the Pyrenees and had not replace them with barbarian troops. Troops that allowed the Vandals to pass though the defences of Hispania with little or no challenge. Until that time the local garrisons had something to protect, a reason to fight...they were defending their own homes. Hispania had proven loyal to one of the military usurper emperors and for this they were no longer trusted. They were replaced by barbarian tribesman who were loyal only to the pay they received. They had nothing to protect but their own coffers. That decision long ago changed the face of Hispania and through it the face of the world.

I wonder what chance or fate brought me to where I am now. What antecedent's decisions laid the way for the life I lead. What thin thread we use to weave the fabric of our totality. Who are we really, and who am I.

Unit 2

Hi,

This week we discussed the ethnic divisions of the Jewish people. It was a fascinating journey though the halls of history. I was saddened by the examples I saw in the Jewish experience and realize that their experience is much as everyone Else's. We draw lines between ourselves, boundaries that keep us apart. I think if those boundaries were not readily apparent we would seek them out. If they are not found I think we might create them. What does that mean for us? What does that say about us....all of us?

Why do we always need someone or something to fear. Why do we always define ourselves by the "other". Why is it so hard to see we are all family and it is little more than chance and happenstance that we are where and when we are. Perhaps it's because the exploiter class wants it that way. If we took the time to realize how much we have in common we might come to realize that we're not enemies...in fact we are both victims.

Was Paul of Tarsus the Founder of Christianity?

Was Paul of Tarsus the Founder of Christianity?

The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the facts surrounding the contributions made by Paul of Tarsus on the origins of Christianity and his role as one of the traditions foundational figures. I will approach the problem from the perspective religious landscape of the eastern Mediterranean world of Paul’s time. I consider development of the Jesus myth, the development of Jewish and Gentile churches, the Pagan Mysteries, Hellenistic Judaism, the Pauline milieu and their relation to one another. From these sources I will draw a conclusion that is consistent with the facts presented herein.

Some things to consider before we move forward are; the designation “Christianity” was not ever applied to the movement during the lifetime of Jesus. In fact it was not until it had been “identified both internally and externally as something new” that the term came to prominence. (Ludemann, 213).

Before we take up Paul we need to examine the foundational personage of the tradition. Jeshua ben Yusef was an itinerant Rabbi, an apocalyptic prophet, a teacher of wisdom, a political subversive and a Jew. The historical Jeshua we encounter in the synoptics was all this and much more, what we do not find contained within them is Jeshua represented as God or Godman. Jeshua never claimed for himself the unique nature that was attributed to him by Paul and the Pauline Christians. We can discern some of the development of myths surrounding Jeshua in the chronological progression of the Gospels. In Mark, he was a traveling miracle worker and healer, in much the same manner as similar personages who wandered the Mediterranean world healing the sick and raising the dead. In Matthew, he was a messianic figure of the Jewish tradition, come in the fulfillment of prophecy. In Luke, he has been transformed into the savior of the entire world. By the time we leave the synoptics and engage him in the Johannine text he has become “the word” or the “logos,” a creator deity, co-eternal with God “through which all things were made.” In the course of a few generations Rabbi Jeshua ben Yusef’s legacy had been transformed, he was now Jesus the Christ, both God and Man, the savior of the world.

After the death of Jesus the church transformed, and out of this refiners fire emerged many divergent paths, containing often contradictory approaches to understanding Jesus and adhering to “The Way.” From the earliest days of the early church we can see two traditions within the larger body. This is suitably illustrated in the tension visible between Peter and Paul at Antioch and again in the Trial of Paul, both found in The Book of Acts. From at least this point forward we can divide the entire body into two broader approaches, the Jerusalem Church, which contained many of Jesus’ earliest followers, and was led by “James the brother of the Lord.” And, a Gentile Church developed through Paul’s committed missionary activity amongst the pagans peoples of the Hellenic world. (Ludemann, Acts of the apostles) The Jerusalem Church was initially the larger and more influential of the two but was to suffer greatly at the hands of the Empire during the First Jewish War. This, coupled with the great successes reaped by its missionary efforts, led to the primacy of the Gentile Church within the broader Christian community. (Macaby 174)

One group remained through which we can continue to see the teachings of the Jewish Jesus in place, the Ebionites, remnants of the Jerusalem Church who managed to survive and reconstitute themselves after their defeat at the hands of the Flavians. They held fast to their Jewish heritage, uninfluenced by the theological currents of the Gentile Church, a small marginalized sect within a rapidly growing Gentile Church. Ebionites held both faith in Jesus as Christ and in the Law. They were circumcised, kept the Torah, and taught that Jesus, though crucified and raised, was only human. (Fredrickson-JtoC 213)(Macaby 176). They taught that followers of “The Way” must convert to Judaism as the first step in following Jesus. Paul vehemently opposed these Jewish Christians wherever he encountered them. As early as the Epistle to the Galatians we find Paul challenging those he considered “evil and dogs” and proclaiming that “they taught a different Jesus from him. (Freke and gandy J and L Goddess29-30). After the sack of Jerusalem and their subsequent scattering the Jewish Christians never recovered their position of prominence. But they do give us an important benchmark for understanding the development of the Jesus Movement of first century Judaism into the Christ figure of Pauline Christianity.

Both traditions were placed firmly within the religious landscape of the Pagan world, a rich tapestry of syncretistic religious expression. In cities across this landscape there were many temples dedicated to the Civic Religion of the State, some honored the Emperor, others to the Genius of the city, and still others to the Games and more. Civic Religion was crafted to promote civic unity, a sense of community and loyalty amongst citizens. Public expressions of religion were understood in much the same way as we understand them when saying the Pledge of Allegiance or singing our national anthem. While these types of religious expressions were quite successful in fulfilling the goals for which they were developed, they did little to edify the spiritual life of the individual. Towards that end, Pagan religious expression provided the Mystery religions which ministered to the spiritual needs of the individual and pertained to individual salvation. Mystery religions came in many forms but amongst the consistently most popular forms of expression was the Godman motif.

This Godman myth can be found within the earliest religious texts available to us. Within them we find the myth of Osiris, the God who became man, who walked Egypt teaching religion and giving sage advice. Put to death by evil, he is restored and ascends to heaven ( Freke and Gandy the laugh Jesus 55). Early Egyptians believed that those who worshiped and adhered to his teachings would receive eternal life for themselves. It is a tale of a god who was also a man, teaching eternal truths and teaching of eternal life. It was compelling to its hearers and spread itself across the Levant and beyond. In each region the Mystery entered, it adapted itself to the unique cultural characteristics present, manifesting itself in many guises, especially adapted to the needs of local adherents. In Greece the Godman of the Mysteries was called Dionysus, in Asia Minor he’s called Attis, in Syria we find Adonis, in Alexandra its Serapis, he is found in one form or another throughout the Hellenized Levant. We find many attributes shared amongst the Godmen; attribution of virgin birth, proclaimed as savior and god in the flesh, born in a cave, he collects 12 intimate followers, promotes baptismal rituals, water is turned to wine , rises from the dead and ascends in glory, a ritual meal even a triumphal procession on the back of a donkey. (Ibid 56) Perhaps the most important aspect was an understanding that through a “symbolic sharing in the suffering and death of the Godman, initiates of the mysteries believed they would also share in his spiritual resurrection and know eternal life.” (ibid 57)

Hellenistic Judaism had taken full advantage of the common cultural threads binding the Hellenized east. Benefiting from the nearly universal use of Koine, with the support of the Ptolomaids, the Hellenistic Jews of Alexandria developed a Greek translation of the Torah, the Septuagint which borrowed from the Greek concepts of the day such as the logos. (fredrickson jesus to Christ 14). Using this text and the lens of Hellenism individuals such as Philo of Alexandria sought to emphasize an allegorical interpretation of scripture to reveal sacred truths, much in the same way Greeks had been viewing their own myths since the fourth century BCE. (ibid) The Jews of the Hellenized east joined in the syncretistic religious environment present at the time, adapting, adopting and sharing religious and philosophical understandings with the peoples around them. The Greek world also gained from the exchange. Plato, Socrates and others had known of the Torah from earlier translations. In fact, the Greeks eagerly sought out Jewish gnosis and revered the antiquity of their religion (ibid). The lines between philosophy and religion, Hellenized Jew and other Hellenized peoples were blurring as people and ideas crossed the shrinking boundaries that separated them.

As the Mystery traditions made their way through the communities of the Hellenized east, some Jews adapted its principles to their needs. In the Jewish lands we find the Essenes and the Therapeutae, who were described by Philo of Alexandria as two parts of a single school of philosophy. They were esoteric, Mystery flavored traditions steeped in Gnosticism. They claimed to have received secret esoteric teachings from Moses which allowed them to reveal the sacred allegorical myths found within the Torah. They also followed the teachings of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras, whose teachings the historian Josephus compared to those of the Essenes. The fusion of Jewish and Pagan religious expression was already well under way even as Rabbi Jeshua walked Galilee.

Paul of Tarsus was a Hellenized Jew and possibly a citizen of Rome. He certainly seems to have been comfortable moving within the Greek world. When quoting scripture he seems to have drawn upon the Greek Septuagint exclusively. He spends a great deal of time amongst Pagans, visiting some of the largest cities of the pagan east. His missionary activity took place within some of the greatest centers for the Mysteries in the Mediterranean world. In these great religious centers Paul would have encountered a Godman figure akin to his own Christ.

In Antioch we find the Mysteries of Adonis, in Ephesus we find the Mysteries of Attis, Corinth was the home of the Dionysian Mysteries, and Paul’s own home, Tarsus, was a world center of Pagan Philosophy and the place of origin for the Mystery of Attis. It would have been nigh to impossible for Paul not to have been aware of the many similitudes between the surrounding Mystery traditions. In fact it appears that Paul borrowed heavily from them. Much of the unique Pauline vocabulary can be directly connected to the sacred terminology of the Mystery Religions. We find Doxa/glory, Sophia/wisdom, Gnosis/divine knowledge, Pneuma/Spirit, Teleioi/the initiated, and many other terms directly borrowed from the Mysteries and incorporated into Pauline writings. He is even quoting a fellow a Tarsian, the Pagan Aratus when describing God “in whom we live and move and have our being.” (Freke Gandy jesus mysteries 162). Paul, in the tradition of Philo, seems to have borrowed freely from the religions around him and appears to have leaned heavily upon them in the development of his theology. Paul had developed a Mystery-based theology built upon the allegorical interpretation of the foundational documents of Judaism and viewed through the contemporary religious paradigm, the Mystery Religions. Paul preached this message in the very metropolitan centers where his message would be understood and readily accepted.

Referring to the Mystery Religions Macaby states “It was from the latter that Paul derived his idea of Jesus as a dying and resurrected god, who confers salvation and immortality through the mystic sharing of his death and resurrection. (Macaby 195) Paul has given us a Jewish Godman. Taking the real life of Rabbi Yeshua and adding to it layers of the Mystery tradition, he provided a Godman with a distinctly Jewish flavor. (Jesus Myth 194-95) This Jewish Godman was ready for exportation to, and consumption by, the Graeco-Judaeo communities of the Greek world.

As I ponder my conclusions I consider Paul’s teachings did not long outlive him, the forces he had put into motion continued to move away from the Mystery at its center. The focus moved towards the so-called “outer mysteries” of a literal understanding of religious texts and away from the Mystery based allegorical understandings of myth. The forces of literalism moved steadily forward, when opposed by dissenting voices within the church their opponents are quickly ostracized by powerful Bishops. Even as influential a voice as Valentinus was drowned out by the voices of literalism and consigned to condemnation. The movement towards literalism, hierarchal structure, and persecution of differing expressions of faith reached a high point when Constantine pulled the church onto the global stage, bending it the purposes of the state, and establishing a universal creed enumerating proscribed Christian beliefs. Those who remained loyal to Paul’s vision were pushed aside labeled heretical and persecuted into extinction.

So, can Paul be considered the founder of Christianity? The evidence is far from definitive. But, when we examine the material contextually we find volumes of circumstantial evidence which, when viewed objectively, must have had some influence on Christian origins. Perhaps with Jeshua, Paul should be considered one of two foundational figures, twin pillars. The spiritual teachings both men espoused, combined to create a religious force, brought about by a symbiotic fusion of their individual positions. The result was a more powerful and dynamic religious movement than either had achieved on their own. The foundational doctrinal teachings they preached continued to grow and develop long after the passing of the foundational figures themselves. This faith has developed into something beyond the imagination or comprehension of either foundational pillar. It has proved itself time and time again to be a force that still grows, develops, and stretches the human imagination even today.

The path to the cessation of suffering

There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, which is described more detailed in the Eightfold Path. It is the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism); and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth. The latter quality discerns it from other paths which are merely "wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these do not have a final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning. Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear gradually, as progress is made on the path.

The cessation of suffering is attainable.

The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. The third noble truth expresses the idea that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion. Nirodha extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. This means that suffering can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that ultimately results in the state of Nirvana. Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it.

The origin of suffering is attachment.

The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our perception. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursue of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, or in short: craving and clinging. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow. Objects of attachment also include the idea of a "self" which is a delusion, because there is no abiding self. What we call "self" is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of the ceaseless becoming of the universe.

Life means suffering.

To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age, and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. Although there are different degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life that we perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as ease, comfort and happiness, life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world is subject to impermanence. This means we are never able to keep permanently what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by, we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too.

Paul on women in the early church

Paul’s own authentic Epistles give us some of the most compelling evidence of Paul’s own support of vocal leadership by women in the churches to which he wrote.

Paul tells us in 1^st Corinthians 12:4 that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are bestowed upon “everyone” and as one of the promised gifts of the Spirit is speaking in tongues, Paul must have known that women would avail themselves of that gift.

Paul, in Galatians 3:28 write that we are “neither male nor female” showing Paul did not differentiate between the genders.

Perhaps one of the most powerful testimonies to Paul’s understanding of the role Women in the Church is the way he addresses many women in his Epistles as his peers and co-workers. Amongst the most relevant are those he acknowledges in or recommends for positions of leadership: In Romans 16:1 Paul recommends Phoebe, the bearer of his message to Rome as a Deacon to the church at Cenchreae, in Romans 16:3 her refers to Prisca/Priscilla and in Philippians 4:2 he references Euodia and Syntyche as his co-worker in Christ, this is a term he uses throughout his Epistles to identify persons engaged in missionary activity. Perhaps most compellingly is his reference in Romans 16:17 to Junia, a prominent Apostle who had found Christ before him.

Much of the material which condemns women to a subservient role is found outside the authentic Pauline texts and as such can be dismissed as pseudonymous and without the ability to give real insight into Paul’s intentions.

There are relatively few verses within authentic texts which may be used as a pretext for silencing women. Ephesians 5:22-24, which may itself be the product of later redactors, refers only to patriarchy within home life in the first century Mediterranean world and not the role of women holding positions of leadership within Christ’s church. 1 Corinthians 11:7-9 and 1 Corinthians 11:3 also limit their reference to household life in the ancient near east.

This leaves us 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 as the only authentic text which specifically refers to the role of vocal ministry amongst women in the early church. It prohibits all talking by women in church. Yet it is in contradiction to verse 11:5 where St. Paul states that women can actively pray and prophesy during services. Which leads us to the obvious conclusion that verses 14:33b to 36 are a later addition. If they are removed, then Verse 33a merges well with Verse 37 in a seamless transition. Since they appear to be a later interpolation, they do not fulfill the basic requirement to be considered as Pauline; therefore we are left without any evidence within the scriptures of Paul’s desire to limit the vocal leadership of women in the early church.

Paul’s writings do not silence women or prohibit leadership in the church. He recognize’s women in positions of authority and the important role they played. References to the contrary cannot be attributed to Paul and must be viewed as non-Pauline.