Paul Of Tarsus
Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul) or St. Paul for Catholics (born c. 8 at Tarsus , in Cilicia (now Ice in Turkey ) - Death v. 67 in Rome ) is one of the main figures in the Christianity , both by the role he played in its initial expansion, as his understanding of the teachings of Jesus.
According to the New Testament (Book of Acts of the Apostles and Epistles of Paul), Paul claims to be one of the apostles of Jesus Christ who, some years after his death, resurrection and ascension, it would have appeared and have converted.
Summary |
This section is based primarily on religious sources and not on historical texts.
The Epistles Pauline give some information on them:
- "I, circumcised on the eighth day of the race of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee ; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; impeccable, with respect Justice of the Act. "- (Phil. 3:5).
According to Luke , Paul was born into a Jewish family in Tarsus in Cilicia (located in present-day Turkey ):
- "I'm Jewish , "said Paul of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of a city that is not unimportant. "- (Acts 21, 39).
According Stridon Jerome (St. Jerome), he was born in Galilee in Giscala:
- "Paul's parents were from Gyscal, province of Judea , and when the whole province was devastated by the Roman armies and the Jews dispersed throughout the universe, they were transported to Tarsus, a city of Cilicia. Paul, while still young, his parents followed Issues concerning the biography of Paul
The Conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus (1600) by Caravaggio. Several aspects of Paul's life is not fully understood: his dual Jewish and Roman, his radical conversion, his contacts with the Roman authorities. As to his Roman citizenship real or perceived, it embarrasses many historians. Here is what Voltaire, known for his great erudition, in his famous philosophical dictionary:
"Was Paul a Roman citizen, as he brags about it? If Tarshish was in Cilicia, Tarsus was not a Roman colony a hundred years after him. All antiques are in agreement. If it was the small town or Village of Giscala, as St. Jerome believed that this city was in Galilee, and certainly, the Galileans were not Roman citizens . "- He knew the Aramaic and Hebrew. Her mother tongue is Greek , and it is in translating the Septuagint he reads the Bible. He added to his Hebrew name, Saul, the Roman cognomen Paulus. Recent studies have shown a mastery of the Greek diatribe . This implies a serious education in Tarsus. It was apparently easy family since had the right of Roman citizenship, which does not stop him, according to a fairly common practice at that time in Jewish families, especially among the rabbis, to learn a manual job: the Acts we learn that he used to make tents, that is to say he was probably a weaver or cowhide. "
His arrest is secondary to the fact of a charge related to an unproven assumption of introduction of a pagan shrine in Jerusalem or in his presence itself.
Conversion
Statue of Saint Paul in Damascus Main article: Conversion of Paul and Ananias (Damascus).Paul of Tarsus, sent to Damascus to persecute the early Christians, said he saw Christ appear. On the road to Damascus, the Scriptures say he had the revelation of faith. Christians know him mainly in his Roman name Paul, Apostle to the Nations. " The episode, narrated in the Acts of the Apostles , a symbol from any place where a sudden reversal of conviction allows access to religion. This is more of an intimate encounter with Christ. The term conversion, Paul used to Gentiles who convert to Christianity.
The Travels of Paul
After his conversion, Paul spent some time in Damascus , then in Arabia , then to Jerusalem , to Tarsus , before being invited by Barnabas to Antioch. From this city he will leave for these mission trips. One can reasonably date his travels within a few years of 45 to 58 about .
Map of the first missionary journey First trip (estimated 45 to 49)
It is a round trip he makes in the company of Barnabas and John Mark (cousin of Barnabas ). He visits Cyprus , the Pamphylia (PERG) and preaches around Antioch in Pisidia.
Paul and Barnabas seek to convert Jews , preaching in the synagogues , are often poorly received and forced to leave quickly (because of their message of salvation and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 13:15-41), but not necessarily well received (Acts 13:42-49).
On the way back, they do not iron by Cyprus and go directly from Perge to Antioch.
Second missionary journey map Second trip (estimated 50 to 52)
Paul makes this second journey with Silas.
His first goal is to meet again with the communities that have arisen Cilicia and Pisidia.
At Lystra he met Timothy who continues the journey with them. They roam the Phrygia , the Galatia , the Mysia. In Troy , they sailed for Macedonia. Paul spent some time in Athens and then to Corinth.
He then returned to Antioch by way of Ephesus and Caesarea.
Third missionary journey map Third voyage (estimated 53 to 58)
It is a journey of consolidation: Paul returned to see communities that have sprung up in Galatia , Phrygia , at Ephesus , in Macedonia to Corinth. Then he returned to Troy by way of Macedonia. From there, he embarked and ends its journey by sea to Tyre , Caesarea , Jerusalem where he was arrested.
Voyage of captivity
This last trip to Rome was made a prisoner of the Roman authorities. However, the work of evangelization is reported by Paul in Acts 28, 30-31. It was during this journey he was shipwrecked on Malta "where people show him a little common humanity" (Acts 28:1-2). After he arrived in Pozzuoli , where he was received by a small Christian community ( Acts 28:13-14). He arrived in Rome around the middle of the year 61. It would have allowed Paul to live in a private home in the custody of a soldier, with the assistance of the slave Onesimus (Phil 8-19). According to ancient tradition, the Apostle lived in a rented house near the bend of the Tiber , on its left bank, at the height of the Tiber Island , crowded area where there were many Jews. Archaeological excavations have identified that they were tanners, for the most part. This housing would be at the site of the church of San Paolo alla Regola , the only located within the Aurelian Walls , which is dedicated to the apostle. The presence of a silo spacious mentioned in documents from the second century describing the home of Paul, says that upon arrival in the city, the apostle was able to call him a great number of Jews who lived in Rome for to announce the kingdom of God.
The Epistles of Paul
In the New Testament , 13 letters are explicitly attributed to Paul (The Epistle to the Hebrews is anonymous):
- Romans
- First Epistle to the Corinthians
- Second Epistle to the Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Epistle to the Philippians
- Epistle to the Colossians
- First Epistle to the Thessalonians
- Second Epistle to the Thessalonians
- First Epistle to Timothy
- Second Epistle to Timothy
- Epistle to Titus
- Epistle to Philemon
We can group . It is known that writing was not easy and that the writings were dictated to one or more scribes.
Pauline discourse has a very repetitive. The insistent voice has often been compared to a stutterer's speech. Benignus Bossuet Jacques wrote that such great minds have learned to "humbly stuttering in the school of Christ, under the discipline of Paul . "
Authenticity
The allocation of Paul's letters has not been questioned before 1840, when the work of the German Ferdinand Christian Baur led him to accept only four letters as genuine (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Galatians ). If the current exegetical of the radical critique took the view long as nothing of Paul's letters were authentic, theologians Hilgenfeld (1875) and HJ Holtzmann (1885) rajoutrent to the list of Baur's Epistles to Philemon, 1 Thessalonians and Philippians to constitute what is generally regarded today as the seven "letters inconstestes" Epistles of Paul or "proto-Pauline." Nowadays, the authenticity or attribution of others is more or less discussed. Conventionally distinguished:
The Epistles "proto-Pauline"
They are considered to be Paul, editing dates ranging from 51 (the first to the Thessalonians) to 55 (first to the Corinthians).
They are:
- The first epistle to the Thessalonians ,
- The Epistle to the Galatians ,
- The Epistle to Philemon ,
- The Epistle to the Philippians ,
- The Epistle to the Romans ,
- The first epistle to the Corinthians ,
- The second epistle to the Corinthians
The Epistles "deutero-Pauline"
These three letters are companions of Paul but could not be identified.
In 2000, the question of the authenticity of the letters is as follows:
- The Epistle to the Colossians is considered pseudepigraphic by 60% of exegetes. The main reason is that the city no longer existed when Colossus was written;
- The Epistle to the Ephesians is considered by 80% pseudepigraphic exegetes. This is a rewrite of the Epistle to the Colossians developing the extension of Christ's action in the Wisdom of God Church;
- For the second epistle to the Thessalonians , opinions are divided equally.
These statistics cited by Rgis Burnet are recognized by the scientific community as a whole .
The Epistles "Trito-Pauline" or "Pastoral Epistles"
These three letters are a "successor" of Paul, it is generally accepted by scholars (eg Raymond E. Brown ) that the letters "pastoral" are Pseudepigrapha .
They are:
- The first epistle to Timothy,
- second epistle to Timothy,
- the Epistle to Titus.
The Epistle to the Hebrews
Since 1976 and the work of Albert Vanhoye , it is accepted that the Epistle to the Hebrews is an epistle, but a treaty, it is not addressed to the Hebrews is not Paul.
Note
It is obvious that this letter is addressed to the Hebrew speaking Jews in contrast to those who speak Greek. "The writer of Hebrews is not known by name. This anonymity is obviously not a reason to dismiss Paul, even if all his other letters bearing his name. Indeed, the letter presents strong intrinsic elements stating that the apostle was the writer and Italy, probably Rome was the place of writing (Heb 13:24). It was in Rome that Paul was imprisoned for the first time, probably for 59 years to 61 n.. Timothy, whose name is mentioned in the letters of the Apostle to the Philippians, Colossians and Philemon written from Rome during his imprisonment, was with him in this city (Philippians 1:1, 2: 19; Col 1:1, 2; Phm 1). This detail is consistent with Hebrews 1:23 p.m., where the writer mentions the release of Timothy and expresses his desire to visit soon in Jerusalem. " ref it. wachtower1997
Biblical ref cited in note
(Hebrews 13:24) Send my greetings to all those who lead you and all the saints. Those from Italy send you their greetings. (Philippians 1:1) Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus to all the saints in union with Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, as well as supervisors and departmental assistants (Philippians 2:19) For me, I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I am a happy soul when I learn things about yourself. (Colossians 1:1-2) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy The reasons for the inauthentic
According to Rgis Burnet , "moves the debate on the reasons for the inauthentic , so far dominated by the pursuit of an apology to editors as to why they are adorned with peacock feathers to adorn their writings. Theories of the excuse of a gun which carries the deception as a mark of infamy can be divided into 3 groups:
- "So the notion of implementing the IP did not exist in the ancient world "... is false (see the Sophists in Plato is proposing to burn the works of Democritus ;
- "The concept of authority does not exist: they were schools of authors "... regarding the Proto-Pauline, there is no trace of school, it is an authority 's expresses.
- "The editors were not aware of being writers, but only to be inspired, possessed by the deity ..." if we follow this reasoning, writing in Paul's name has less legitimacy than those who infringe ... This reasoning is not very strong given the fate that Paul made in most Christian churches. "
Teaching of Paul
- "The attempts to reconstruct its theology (or reconstruct Christianity from it) generally amplified and highlighted some ideas over others, regardless of the tensions, contradictions, and sometimes there are contradictions between them. Must be considered because of the diversity of their origin (Scripture, Christian traditions, personal revelations), the duality of his culture, Hellenic and Jewish, and especially the fact that most of his writings are occasional writings . "
Pauline Theology
The differences between the Jesus of Paul and that of the Gospels were sometimes considered "significant. According to some, Paul is reflecting on the role of Christ and its implications for life more than it affects the direct message.
Conversely, it also highlighted the continuity between the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and that of Paul on the interpretation of history, love of God for all men, justification by faith, ethics .
This teaching is centered on Christ "died for our sins according to the Scriptures", "raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor 15: 3-4), "Lord" (1 Cor 12, 3) "Son of God" (Rom 1, 4, etc..) is the "Spirit of Life" (Rom 8, 2), and who "dwells all the fullness of divinity. "(Col 2, 9):
- "If there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ be not raised, our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. "(1 Cor 15, 13-14).
- "The Jews demand signs and Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but God's power and wisdom of God for those who are called, both Jews and Greeks. "(1 Cor 1: 22-24).
Main article: Christology of Paul.It focuses on faith, hope and above all, love:
- "When I speak with the tongues of men and angels, if I did not love, I am become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And when I have the gift of prophecy, the science of all mysteries and all knowledge, though I have all faith can move mountains if I have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, when I give my body to be burned, if I do not love, it profits me nothing. "(1 Cor 13: 1-3).
Redemption is for everyone, regardless of race, social status, gender, etc..
- "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no longer male and female" (Gal 3, 28).
The church no longer means just a community of believers but a mystical body (Eph 1, 23, Col 1, 24).
Reviews of Paul's teaching
Various aspects of the teaching of Paul were widely criticized. Nietzsche recalls, denouncing the exploitation of what he refers to as the decline to be attributed to Christianity, a speech presented by Paul in 1 Cor 1: 28: "God chose what is weak before the world, which makes no sense to the world, is despicable and despised ": this was the formula, in hoc signo the decadence was victorious. "( The Antichrist , LI). Here are the relevant verses:
- "But what the world is crazy for is what God chose to confound the wise, and what the world is for nothing, that's what God chose to confound the strong and God has chosen this that the world is without consideration and without power, which is nothing, to reduce to nothing what is, so that no flesh should boast before God. "(1 Corinthians 27-29, Chanoine Crampon translation)
On rereading the passage above, a further exegesis could see through these words of praise Christian doubt and deviance, where the notions of high / low, noble / vile, etc.. correspond to a form of trial manufactured from a dominant norm. We could discuss here a sociological awareness of the fathers of Christianity, which would be consistent with theories of Rene Girard and Simone Weil. If this were the case, remember that the deviation vector is a sociological form of social renewal and culture and thus counterbalancing of its own decay ... (This aspect is explored by Jacques Ellul Anarchy and Christianity in without directly addressing these verses.) It should also be noted here that the German philosopher is aware, since it describes the first steps of the Christian religion of "Dionysiac" in the first pages of The Antichrist.
His comments on women it has also been charged and were strongly opposed to the concern that Jesus showed to them. However, they must be contextualized and do not hide that these admonitions just showing that women had an active participation within the early Christian communities . For Paul, as between masters and slaves (1 Cor 7, 21-23), the status is less important than the fellowship in social relations, so the state authority must be accepted if it is exercised with justice:
- "As has occurred in all churches of the saints, that your women keep silence in the meetings because they have no mandate to speak, but they are subject, as also saith the law. If they want to learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. "(1 Cor 14, 34-35);" But I want you know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and that the head of Christ is God. "(1 Cor 11, 3). "Let the husband render to his wife what he owes, and that women do likewise to her husband" (1 Corinthians 7, 3).
- "Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God established and those who resist, and bring upon themselves a conviction." (Rom, 13, 2). "Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom you owe tax, tribute to whom you owe the tribute, fear to whom you should fear, honor to whom you owe the honor. Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. "(Rom 13, 7-8).
Importance of the thought of St. Paul
The "Apostle of the Gentiles" has structured the Christian doctrine.
The Epistle to the Romans was a reference to Luther to found his doctrine of justification by faith. She also serves as a referent to the theologian Karl Barth and jurist Carl Schmitt to think about the origin of the state or the impasses of democracy .
Alain Badiou says of him: "For me, Paul is a thinker and poet of the event, at the same time as those who practice and sets of invariant features what may be called the militant figure. It brings out the connection, fully human, and whose fate fascinates me, among the general idea of a break (...), and that of a thought and practice, which is the subjective materiality of the breach . "
Jean-Michel Rey, dans son essai , souligne l'trange actualit de l'aptre : La pense paulinienne imprgne toute notre conception de la politique ; elle en organise, le plus souvent notre insu, les principales articulations . En effet, que l'on soit rformiste ou rvolutionnaire, nous sommes incapables de dire la nouveaut autrement que sur un mode violent : une conversion absolue, o l'accueil de l'indit appelle non seulement une mancipation l'gard du pass, mais encore le dsaveu de l'antrieur. Ce modle propre aux philosophies de l'histoire, ce prototype des idologies progressistes est propre la structure de pense de Paul. Son discours spare en toute nettet le prsent du pass. Le pass est dsign comme ne pouvant pas comprendre et reconnatre les formes de la nouvelle ralit .
Rle de Paul dans la fondation du christianisme
Un courant minoritaire parmi les historiens soutient que Paul est le fondateur vritable du christianisme du fait de sa thologie et du rle qu'il a jou dans la propagation du message chrtien aux paens.
Cette ide est rfute par d'autres historiens, comme tienne Trocm qui dit ce sujet :
- Sans sous-estimer l'immense porte de la pense paulinienne, on doit dire que l' aptre n'est pas le crateur des ides centrales de la doctrine chrtienne. Sa doctrine de Dieu vient tout droit de l' Ancien Testament et du judasme. La christologie qui dfinit la personne du Christ remonte pour une large part la primitive glise de Jrusalem (cf. les discours de Pierre en Actes 2 4, et le titre de Seigneur (Kurios) si frquent sous la plume de Paul, a une origine palestino-syrienne. La doctrine du Saint-Esprit , que Paul a beaucoup dveloppe, n'est pourtant pas sa cration, puisqu'elle a de profondes racines bibliques et qu'elle est prfigure, non seulement Qumrn , mais aussi chez les chrtiens palestiniens de la premire gnration (Mc 3, 28-30 et par ; Ac 2, 1-13 ; 8, 29-39 ; 15, 28). Quant la doctrine du salut , expose par Paul avec tant de vigueur dans ses pitres aux Romains et aux Galates , elle vhicule bien des notions venues du judasme palestinien (la mort du Christ interprte comme un sacrifice , Rm 3, 25 ; ou encore comme un acquittement judiciaire, Rm 3, 31-24 ; etc.). Bref, Paul est ici un gnial interprte, non le crateur qui aurait donn au christianisme son systme doctrinal propre .
Sur l'importance de Paul dans la propagation du message christique en dehors du judasme , il faut l aussi nuancer et ne pas oublier que Jsus et les premiers disciples taient originaires de Galile , une rgion o se ctoyaient Juifs et non-Juifs comme le rappelle Marie-Franoise Baslez :
- Terre de contacts, la Galile tait aussi l'poque de Jsus , une terre de contrastes et d'antagonismes. Dans la prdication apostolique qui s'adressa, au-del des Juifs , la terre entire, l'insistance sur l'enracinement galilen permit d'affirmer d'emble la perspective universaliste d'une religion dont le fondateur n'tait presque jamais sorti de Palestine. On comprend mieux aussi la vocation des aptres . "
Nanmoins, ainsi que le relve Henri Persoz, pourquoi Paul cite-t-il si peu les paroles du Christ ? Il ne suffit pas de dire comme Christophe Senft que la comparaison de la prdication de Jsus et l'vangile de Paul fait apparatre de surprenantes convergences entre la parole de Jsus et celle de son aptre . Selon Charles L'Eplattenier :
- . "
Paul se veut relativement indpendant des autres aptres. tant directement inspir du Ressuscit, il ne se sent pas li une tradition humaine concernant Jsus (Gal. 1:16-17, cf. II Cor, 5: 16). Son christianisme a des points communs avec le christianisme hellnistique d'tienne mais est distinct de lui. Le christianisme paulinien s'est fdr a posteriori avec les tendances diriges par Pierre et Jacques (Gal. 2:9).
La tombe de Paul : donnes du Vatican
Une tradition chrtienne atteste depuis le IV e sicle attribue Paul de Tarse un tombeau situ au-dessous de l'autel majeur de l'actuelle basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs au sud de Rome . Des fouilles rcentes y ont t effectues qui ont t rapportes dans un communiqu de l' agence de presse internationale catholique (APIC) du 17 fvrier 2005 :
- Un sarcophage pouvant contenir les reliques de l'aptre Paul a t identifi dans la basilique romaine de basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs , selon Giorgio Filippi, responsable du dpartement pigraphique des Muses du Vatican.
Sous le matre-autel actuel, une plaque de marbre du IV e sicle , visible depuis toujours, porte l'inscription (Paul aptre martyr, ndlr). La plaque est munie de trois orifices probablement lis au culte funraire de saint Paul. D'aprs Giorgio Filippi, ces trous taient utiliss pour la cration de reliques par simple contact" avec le tombeau de l'aptre.
Le long de la voie Ostiense, un dicule aurait t lev sur la tombe de l'aptre Paul, aprs sa mort dans le cours du I er sicle. Comme pour saint Pierre , l'empereur Constantin entreprit ensuite au dbut du IV e sicle de faire construire une basilique pour abriter la tombe. Puis, en 386 , un demi-sicle aprs la mort de Constantin, devant l'afflux des plerins, une basilique plus grande fut construite la demande des empereurs Valentinien II , Thodose et Arcadius . "
Le 28 juin 2009 , le pape Benot XVI a confirm qu'un sondage a t effectu dans le sarcophage de pierre. Une petite perforation a t pratique afin d'introduire une sonde, grce laquelle ont t releves des traces d'un tissu prcieux en lin color de pourpre, lamin d'or fin, d'un tissu de couleur bleu avec des filaments de lin. On a aussi relev la prsence de grains d'encens rouge, de substances protiques et calcaires et de fragments d'os, qui ont t soumis l'examen du carbone 14 effectu par des experts ignorant leur provenance. Ceux-ci ont conclu qu'il s'agissait d'ossements appartenant une personne ayant vcu entre le 1 er et le 2 e sicle. Pour Benot XVI, cela semble confirmer la tradition unanime et inconteste qu'il s'agisse des restes mortels de l'aptre Paul .
Saint Paul
Dans le calendrier liturgique romain , il est ft le 25 janvier , jour de sa conversion au christianisme , le 29 juin , jour de son martyre avec celui de Pierre , et le 30 juin. L'anne 2008-2009 allant du 29 juin 2008 au 29 juin 2009 est dclare anne jubilaire cumnique saint Paul par le pape Benot XVI .
References
- (texte numris)
- Voltaire, article Paul.
- Voir page 11 in , Calvin Roetzel, First Fortress Press, 1999
- Voir page 136 in , Robert Cate, Mercer University Press, 2006
- , ditions du Cerf, 1988, ( ISBN 2-204-03079-1 ) , Tableau chronologique, p. 3073 et suivantes.
- Rom 16. 22
- a , b , c , d et e Jean Birnbaum, Paul ou les ambiguts, de Jean-Michel Rey : Paul, la rvolution en bgayant , , 5 dcembre 2008.
- Voir le texte de l'pitre, version Louis Segond (1910), sur Wikisource : premire ptre aux Thessaloniciens.
- Voir le texte de l'pitre, version Louis Segond (1910), sur Wikisource : ptre aux Galates.
- Voir le texte de l'pitre, version Louis Segond (1910), sur Wikisource : ptre Philmon.
- Voir le texte de l'pitre, version Louis Segond (1910), sur Wikisource : ptre aux Philippiens.
- Voir le texte de l'pitre, version Louis Segond (1910), sur Wikisource : ptre aux Romains.
- Voir le texte de l'pitre, version Louis Segond (1910), sur Wikisource : premire ptre aux Corinthiens.
- Voir le texte de l'pitre, version Louis Segond (1910), sur Wikisource : deuxime ptre aux Corinthiens.
- Voir le texte de l'pitre sur [[s:ptre aux Colossiens|]].
- Voir le texte de l'pitre sur
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