Opinion of Paul the Apostle

[vitoNova]

A shrewd businessman who had a vested interest in spreading his cult into the Roman world.

Follow the money. 

[vitoNova]

A shrewd businessman who had a vested interest in spreading his cult into the Roman world.

Follow the money.  

Please go on.

Think of a cross between My-Pillow Guy, Bill O'Reilly, with a dash of James Carville.  

[vitoNova]

I'm not a huge Paul fan, but I think he's become something of a sin-eater for things people don't like about small-o orthodox Christianity and so most of the popular criticisms of him get on my nerves. The unusually stringent ~Christian sexual ethic~, for example, derives in large part straight from the mouth of Jesus, and Christian antisemitism is at least as evident in the Johannine writings as it is in the Pauline writings (Paul continued to identify as a Pharisee throughout his life, for goodness' sake!).

I don't understand how someone who wrote Romans 11 ( "all Israel will be saved" ) could be considered antisemitic.

Yeah.  And Trump is "totally not racist."

All those early Christian cultists fresh-off-the-boat had no choice but to throw their fellow Jews under the bus because it made converting Romans much easier.   Which was, after all, their ultimate goal.  

It was much more politically prudent to blame the Rabbi's crucifixion on "those people" as opposed to telling the truth:  Rome had Jeebus executed for insurrection.   

[vitoNova]

I'm not a huge Paul fan, but I think he's become something of a sin-eater for things people don't like about small-o orthodox Christianity and so most of the popular criticisms of him get on my nerves. The unusually stringent ~Christian sexual ethic~, for example, derives in large part straight from the mouth of Jesus, and Christian antisemitism is at least as evident in the Johannine writings as it is in the Pauline writings (Paul continued to identify as a Pharisee throughout his life, for goodness' sake!).

I don't understand how someone who wrote Romans 11 ( "all Israel will be saved" ) could be considered antisemitic.

Yeah.  And Trump is "totally not racist."

All those early Christian cultists fresh-off-the-boat had no choice but to throw their fellow Jews under the bus because it made converting Romans much easier.   Which was, after all, their ultimate goal.  

It was much more politically prudent to blame the Rabbi's crucifixion on "those people" as opposed to telling the truth:  Rome had Jeebus executed for insurrection.  

It's amazing how your posting style is so theatrically abrasive and unpleasant as to make the received, mostly-uncontroversial explanation for why the Gospels stress Jewish leaders' culpability in Jesus' death seem like an edgy Nu Atheist take.

Surprising to hear, actually.  I would assume it was a fringe theory.  It's not like I read anything academically justifying my "argument" other than what little I paid attention in Catholic school as a kid.

It's simply the only explanation that makes logical sense.  

These early Xtians folks weren't old bearded mystics who wandered the desert in humble robes.  They were businessmen and realpolitikers.