Did Paul invent Christianity? - Bart Ehrman Answers

Alot of skeptics and Muslims have over the years been told that Apostle Paul was the one who invented Christianity as we know it today.

This argument is usually put forward by lots of Muslims to decry the divine origin of the Christian faith, in this video, Bart Ehrman who is of course no friend to the Christian faith explains why this is not so.

[akashneel]

Bart is categorically wrong here. Paul was not persecuting 'Christians' - he was persecuting 'followers of Jesus'. Two entirely different doctrines.

[biblest]

Bart Ehrman preaching for us, not knowing it.

[elie]

Jesus did exist. Paul evolved Christianity to what it is but there were Christians before

[abucyrus]

Christians that Paul supposedly persecuted were of a different Christianity than what Paul invented.

[joep_kastanjer]

SA, from which video is this a fragment of?

[michaelmartin]

I have to say, the followers of Christ were known as followers of the Way. In Antioch is where they were first called Christians. This was after Saul/Paul came on the scene. And to put Jesus's teachings next to Paul's, yes, they are different. In my opinion and from my studies, Paul formed a new religion. Doesn't matter who agrees or disagrees, we all have studied and have our own conclusions. I feel he survived the crucifixion and died in India. Doesn't matter we all have our opinions. But I do disagree to a point. Paul did start Christianity. One reason I'm not a Christian

[joefriendly]

Historian Hyam Maccoby's 2 books, Revolution In Judaea, and The Mythmaker, Paul And The Invention Of Christianity, make the point that Paul's writings happened at a time when Rome made it a capital offense for anyone to advocate anything positive of Judaism. This was a result of Roman anger at the revolt of the Jews against Roman occupation of their land led by Simon bar Kokhba which Rome quelled after about 7 years, retaking possession of Judaea militarily and marching male Jews in chains as slaves thru the streets of Rome. Paul's writings complied with the Roman command and are a systemic defilement of Jewish principles. For example, to have sex with a woman betrothed to another is declared an abomination in Deut 22:23 but the mother of God's "only begotten son, " Jesus, was betrothed to Joseph. There are so many other examples: changing the Sabbath day to Sunday, trinity violating monotheism, graven image of God helpless on a cross, abandonment of circumcision.

[ThrivaNova]

He persecuted Jews. They wasn’t called Christians until after Paul.

[RassBrass]

There are a lot of things that were said and done by the historical Jesus that Paul decided to ignore and declare that the law law jesus followed is nailed to the cross and it’s the era of the grace of God. Or the idea of Jesus died for our sins is absurd it makes Hitler who believed in him blush

[MoreLifePlease]

I think Paul invented Christianity as we've come to know it today. As Bart and others have pointed out, there were many different Christianities in the first and second century, so it seems possible to me that Paul, though having persecuted other Christian communities, could still have become the chief author of the one that most closely resembles today's Christianity---via perhaps Marcionism?---particularly as exemplified by Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy and the Protestant sects.
Many others---Ebionites and others descended from "the Jerusalem Church' headed by James, Peter and John for example---either didn't survive at all or occupy comparatively small niches in the Christian world, such as Seventh Day Adventists.

[bcrusade]

🐂💩. Paul got what is Christianity and reshaped it as he saw fit. His version is different from what Jesus taught.

[blkshprd]

So if Paul 'made it possible' for Christianity to branch off and not 'be another sect of Judiasm' then he is precisely the creator of the religion. Without Paul, by Bart's own explicit argument, there would be no religion of Christianity and only some forgotten sect in the history books of Judaism. Ergo, Paul is the founder of Christianity as we know it and not the law observing Jews of Nazareth including Jesus. The religion is a creation of Paul.

[TheDorkShop]

*A lot

the claim that paul persecuted christians was made by paul

[james-yfwm]

Thanks for this video it helped me to realize that muslim apologists made a fake story about Paul that he is the founder of Christanity.

[nazhasan]

Doesn't matter, Christian is a religion invented by someone for the purpose and if Christian belief in Moses, Noah etc, they should keep Jesus as a prophet not as a god. Why out of sudden human became god if the teaching earlier than that did not adopt this idea. Jesus should join moses, noah, etc as a prophet. If Christian adopt this concept, we do not need Islam, christian will have more followers than what they have now.

[cheryldeboissiere]

Error-man is on the same witch hunt. He goes I’m an atheist and then only goes after apostles and other branches of Christianity ✝️. Wiping out “heresies” be his thing.

[cheryldeboissiere]

Paul wrote that he persecuted Christians himself so Error-man, the Paul Fanboy, distorts reality.

[EstudioVoitheia]

Erhman really needs to have some theology leasons with Dr. Pitre. The age of the Messiah means the convertion of the nations to the one true God (not the conversion of the nations as jews...).

[fukenbiker]

Paul persecuting Christians is historical fiction, imo.

It seems ridiculous to harm fellow Jews, simply for being Jewish. If the Jewish followers of Jesus thought he was going to be king of the Earth, there's nothing wrong with that. It is what Messianic prophesy is about.

What else could the Jewish followers of Jesus be guilty of?

Paul's vicarious atonement idea is idolatry. That's what set him at odds with Jerusalem.

This is what the matter is!