Did Paul and Jesus have the same religion? Find out in "Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide!"
An 8-lecture online course from New Testament scholar and New York Times bestselling author, Dr. Bart Ehrman
Get lifetime access to eight 30-minute lessons today! Part of Dr. Ehrman's "How Scholars Read the Bible" Series.
Course Overview
Did Paul and Jesus Have the Same Religion?
This course addresses one of the most controversial issues of early Christianity: Did Paul and Jesus have the same religion? Should they be considered the “co-founders” of Christianity? Or were the teachings of Paul at odds with the proclamations of Jesus, making Paul himself the founder of the new faith? Few questions can be more significant for understanding the origin of the Christian faith, and the answers are by no means simple.
Virtually everyone can agree that Jesus’ life and teaching stand at the foundation of the Christian faith. No Jesus, no Christianity. But Paul hardly ever mentions Jesus’ words and deeds. For him, the entire point of Jesus’ life was his death and resurrection. And so was Paul a follower of Jesus’ own teachings? And, conversely, should Jesus even be considered a Christian?
In short, is it right to say that Paul transformed the Jewish religion OF Jesus to the Christian religion ABOUT Jesus? Or is it more complicated than that...
About Your Instructor
Bart D. Ehrman is a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina. He has written or edited thirty-four books, including six New York Times bestsellers: How Jesus Became God, Misquoting Jesus, Jesus Interrupted, and Forged.
key issues explored in this course
- How can scholars know what Jesus really said and did if all we have are later accounts written about him, decades after his life, by people who didn’t know him and who described his words and deeds in light of their own beliefs?
- What did Paul, writing before the Gospels, actually know about Jesus’ life, about his words, deeds, and experiences? Why did he say so little about it? Did he assume his readers already knew all about it? Did he think that Jesus’ life and teachings didn’t matter for salvation? Did he think they were irrelevant for the problems Christians were facing?
- Was Paul’s view of Christ as a pre-existent divine being the same as Jesus’ own view of himself and his mission?
- Jesus preached an apocalyptic message that God would soon destroy all who were opposed to him and bring a new, blessed kingdom to earth. How did that affect his understanding of salvation? Is Jesus’ call for repentance and a return to God the same as Paul’s gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
- Jesus instructed his followers to keep the Law and to live for others in order to enter the kingdom. How does that compare with Paul’s view that a person is made right with God apart from the law?
- If Jesus was right, that a person could enter the kingdom by behaving the ways God demanded, why would he have to die? If Paul was right, that only belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection could bring salvation, why wasn’t that the focus of Jesus’ own teachings?
- Since Paul claimed that a person could be saved apart from keeping the law, does that mean he advocated “lawless” behavior? How can he insist on ethical behavior? Does God care if a person keeps the Law?
SPECIAL BUNDLED PRICE: $119.60 $53.95
Our normal price for eight individual lectures with Dr. Ehrman is $119.60*. However, you can enjoy "Jesus and Paul: The Great Divide" online course including lifetime access to ALL eight lectures, Q&A, and bonus materials for the special bundled course price of only $53.95.
(*$14.95 each lecture)
BONUSES!
Registration Includes Lifetime Access to the 8-Lesson Online Course complete with:
- Eight 30 to 40 minute lectures by Dr. Bart Ehrman plus Q & A
- Exclusive 30% Discount for additional courses in the "How Scholars Read the Bible" series
- PDF lesson guides
- Questions for reflection
- Additional reading list to dive deeper
- Audio downloads for listening on the go
- $1 from your purchase is donated to charity: water
($159.60 Value)
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- Is this a LIVE course?This course was recorded live on May 27-28, 2023. If you purchase this course after these dates you will have access to the recorded version of the course, including the Q & A sessions
- What is the Special Bundled Price?Our normal price for eight individual lectures with Dr. Ehrman is $119.60*. However, you can enjoy the "Jesus and Paul: The Great Divide" course including lifetime access to ALL eight lectures, Q&A, and bonus materials for the special bundled price of $53.95
- Are any other discounts available?Yes, if you have purchased another course in the "How Scholars Read the Bible" series like "In the Beginning" or "Finding Moses," you should have received an email sent to you with a significant discount to purchase the course.
- Do you offer a money-back guarantee?Absolutely! If you don't love the seminar, send us an email and we will refund 100% of your investment. You will have 30 days from the date of the seminar.