10-12-2004, 09:34 PM
Paul: how he invented the current Christian faith & destroyed that of Jesus
by Wadeea Ahmed
One of the most confusing sections of the Bible is those epistles (letters) that Paul wrote. They are not considered "gospels" & yet they fill more than half the pages of the New Testament. They contain a lot of contradictory statements & are the real cause for the deviation of current Christianity from its original righteous path. They were the seed that started the division of the Christian faith into several opposing sects. From the moment these epistles were included in the holy book, Christianity kept drifting farther & farther away from its simple forgiving origins. The core of today's Christianity barely has any connection with Jesus' preaching & has even shifted far from Paul's deviations (absurd as they may be):
1. Paul claimed that Jesus is "the Son of God" Romans1: 4, but not "the God". He is a Lord that comes 2nd to the Father.
2. Paul never stated that God (the father) & Christ (the son) are one.
3. Paul did not say that God & Christ are equal. Paul defined God as the father/the creator/the almighty/the greatest, while Jesus was always the follower who takes after the father.
4. Paul never referred to any "trinity".
5. Paul did not designate mother Mary any divinity & never called her "the mother of Light (God)".
Paul may have put down the foundation of Christianity, but the Patriarchs/Monks/Priests throughout the years have added a multi-story building on top of this base, a building that Paul himself (let alone Jesus Christ) never intended to be erected!
Notes on Paul's autobiography [according to Acts (of the Apostles) in the Holy Book]
1. In Acts 9 Saul (Paul's original Jewish name before embracing Christianity) is portrayed (years after the ascent of Christ to Heaven) as a fanatic anti-Christ Jew who was "breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord." He went to the high priest of Jerusalem & asked him for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus deputizing Saul to arrest any man or woman embracing the new religion & bring them bound in chains back to Jerusalem. "As he journeyed & came near Damascus, a light from Heaven suddenly flashed around him making him fall to the ground. He then heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?" So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" Then Jesus replied, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Get up & get into the city & you will be told what you must do." At this very moment Saul shifted his beliefs from the far-left anti-Christ stand to become a far right fanatic pro-Christ! Now, three versions of this incident appear in this section of the Bible [Acts], not one of them is identical with the other. So let's review them & note the differences:
a) In Acts 9 "The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. They led him by the hand to Damascus. For 3 days he was blind & did not eat or drink anything."
b) In Acts 22: 9 "…my companions indeed saw the light & were afraid, but they did not hear the voice.."
c) In Acts 26: 13 " … along the road I saw a light from Heaven stronger than the sun, shining around me & those who journeyed with me. We all had fallen to the ground when I heard a voice speaking to me in Hebrew…"
So, in version (a) the companions heard the sound but did not see the light & Saul was blinded. In version (b) they saw the light but did not hear the voice. In version © all of them fell to the ground (not just Saul as in a). How can the same crucial event be narrated by the same man (Paul) in the same chapter (only few pages apart) of the same book (the Bible) & be that different? There is no plausible explanation other than being a fabrication or that the man is feeble-minded.
2. Now let us carry on with the story in Acts 9 "In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Arise & go to the house of Judas on the street named Straight & ask for the man from Tarsus, Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he saw a man named Ananias coming in & putting his hand on him to restore his sight." Ananias said to the Lord, "I have heard from many about the man & all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. He has come here with an authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles & their kings & before the people of Israel." Then Ananias went into the house & on placing his hands on Saul he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus-who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here-has sent me so that you may see again & be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes & he could see again. He got up & was baptized. After taking some food, he regained his strength. Immediately, he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. " All of a sudden Paul becomes "Immediately" an expert in Christianity & begins preaching it! And what does he preach: that Jesus is the son of God. Who taught him that? Where has he learned the principles of his preachings? Also, there is a historic flop as Damascus did not have synagogues at the time being an enemy of the Jews." All those who heard him were astonished & asked, "Isn't he the same man who destroyed all those who called on this name [Christ]? & hasn't he come here for the purpose of taking them bound in chains as prisoners to the chief priests?" They were astonished then & we are still amazed now! "After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan… but his followers took him by night & lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall [surrounding Damascus]. When he reached Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples [of Jesus] but they were all afraid of him & didn't believe that he was really a disciple. But Barnabas· took him & brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey to Damascus had seen the Lord & that the Lord had spoken to him, & how in Damascus he has preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed in Jerusalem with them & he moved freely speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He disputed with the Hellenists [Greeks] & they tried to kill him. When the brothers learned of this, they brought him to Caesarea & sent him to Tarsus." One small remark, the occupants (at that time) were Romans & not Greeks!
3. The narration stops here to be resumed in Acts 11: 22 when the church in Jerusalem learns of the great number of believers (including many non-Jews) turning to Jesus' message in the north, so they decide to send Barnabas to Antioch to teach the new believers. He went to Tarsus to fetch Paul, found him & took him back with him to Tarsus where they stayed preaching in the Church for one year. "…And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" Acts 11: 26. Isn't this strange? Jesus never gave his message, followers & disciples a particular name during his stay on earth. Now, several years after his ascent to heaven, there comes someone whom Jesus never met: a zealot enemy of his message who suddenly turns towards it because of an alleged vision of Jesus. Out of a sense of self-guilt & repentance for his previous attitudes or out of a cunning desire to degrade the message of its forgiving humble goodness content, this man (Paul) begins preaching a new religion exalting Jesus to the divine levels of God & gives it the name (Christianity) that the founder of it dared never use; a name implying that followers now worship Christ rather than the Creator of Christ, the Almighty God. Furthermore, Paul disobeys the rules of preaching that his master had set, he preaches to non-Jews (Gentiles) & in a land far up north of where Jesus intended his message to be confined; "Jesus said 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel'" Mathew: 15: 24.
4. While preaching in Cyprus, together with Barnabas, the Holy Book tells us that Saul has suddenly changed his name to Paul & no reasons are given, "Then Saul, who also is called Paul, became filled with the Holy spirit.." Acts 13: 9. So what does this Saul or Paul say about his origin? We become really very much confused about a man who seems not to know his origin (or is deliberately changing or hiding it), a man who is sainted & considered the founder of the current Christian faith by most Christians. In Acts 16: 37 we find that Paul is Roman, "But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us publicly without being condemned in any trial even though we are Romans." In Acts 21: 37 Paul is thought to be an Egyptian, but he addresses the Jerusalem mob saying that he is a Jew from Tarsus; " Then as Paul was about to be led to the barracks, he asked the commander in Greek, 'May I say something to you?' The commander said, "Do you speak Greek? Aren't you the Egyptian who sometime ago stirred up a revolt & led 4000 terrorists out into the desert?' Paul answered, 'I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia…" In Acts 22: 25-28 Paul again insists that he was Roman, not a one who obtained the citizenship but born Roman, " As Paul was bound with thongs to be flogged, he said to the centurion [commander of 100 soldiers] who stood by, ' Is it lawful for you to scourge a Roman citizen who hasn't been found guilty?'…. the commander said to him, 'Are you Roman?' Paul said, 'Yes.' The commander said, 'I had to pay a big price to obtain my Roman citizenship.' And Paul said, 'But I was born a citizen [Roman]." Still, for more confusion, in Acts 23: 6 Paul shouts out loud that he is a Pharisee! " But when Paul perceived that some of the members of the Sanhedrin [high Jewish council] were Sadducees & the others Pharisees [2 different Jewish creeds], he cried out in the council 'My brothers I am a Pharisee & the son of a Pharisee.."
5. To carry on with Paul's story (according to Acts), in Jerusalem Paul was arrested in the temple by Jews from Asia shouting, "he is the man who is teaching against the laws of Jews" Acts 21:28, he was rescued from the mob by Roman soldiers. He was given a hearing infront of the Jewish council & there was a plot to kill him from which he was saved & deported to Caesarea where he spent sometime in prison. The Jews in Jerusalem have plotted to kill the imprisoned Paul. He knows of the plot & the commander of the barracks lets him leave at night escorted safely to Caesarea with a note to its governor Felix urging him to make Paul stand trial infront of his accusers. Paul was imprisoned for almost 2 years after the trial until Festus succeeded Felix. The new governor re-trialed Paul in the presence of King Agrippa, & their verdict was to agree on Paul's appeal to be in the custody of Caesar in Rome. He was called by Festus "insane" Acts 27:24. After a weary 3-month sea journey in which the ship sank & Paul passed by Malta & Alexandria (of Egypt), they finally reached Rome. There, Paul stayed for 2 whole years in a house he rented boldly preaching the kingdom of God & all about Jesus Christ. .. In Acts 28:17 it is stated that Paul spent 2 years teaching & preaching freely the Jews in Rome (despite of a contradictory statement in Acts 18:2 in which it is mentioned that earlier "Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome"!) History informs us that Paul was killed by the sword in Rome.
6. It is noticed that Paul has introduced in his preachings a lot of new rituals & beliefs that Jesus never preached. He told the Jews & Gentiles to turn away from Moses laws (commandments) [Acts 21: 21], especially circumcision (Acts 15:2). He was a hypocrite that talked to every sect in the way they believe, as when he circumcised his follower Timothy (Acts 16:3) while preaching among the Jews of Derbe & Lystra (despite being against circumcision Galatians 5:2/3:12); & as he did with the Greeks in Athens when he felt distressed by the many idol statues he saw there & yet when he preached the Athenians he told them that the altar they had on which is inscribed "To an unknown God" could be worshiped as The Almighty God creator of the world (Acts 17: 16-25) . Other signs of his hypocrisy are encountered in his praise for the Old Testament (Moses law) when he is addressing Jews [as in Romans 1:16/2:13/3:31/7:12], yet he degrades the book & the law when talking to non-Jews [Galatians 2:16/3:1-3/3:11-12/3:19/4:5]. He introduced some pagan rituals into Christianity {as offering sacrifice, Acts 14:13 and forming churches & churchmen hierarchy, Acts 14:23/20:28, and also in Turkey (Corinth & Ephesus) when he found that disciples of John the Baptist had preceded them there preaching the true religion, he invented the ritual of receiving the Holy Spirit in baptization, Acts 19}. Although Paul referred to Jesus as the Christ/the Lord/the Savior of Israel, he still maintained God's superiority over Jesus [Acts 13:23/17:3/17:31].
The status of God & Jesus in Paul's epistles
Christians of today have a sound belief that Paul wrote these epistles (letters) by direct revelation from the Holy Spirit. Hence, they have included them as part of the Holy Book (found after Acts). Next, we will review some of the content of these epistles that became the core of the prevalent Christian faith of today (according to Paul).
ROMANS
1. "..His son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was a descendent of David according to the flesh, & declared to be the son of God through the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead." Romans 1: 3-4. Here is stated the first aberration from the true message of Jesus. Paul raises him to the rank of the "son of God" & endows upon him 2 natures: one human "to the flesh" & the other "divine spiritual".
2. "Grace & peace to you from God our father & from the Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 1:7. Here divinity is divided between 2: God & Jesus (father & son) with no mention of any 3rd entity sharing this divinity (the holy spirit).
3. "..I thank my God through Jesus Christ…God, whom I serve with my whole heart…" Romans1: 8-9. Here Paul starts specifying privileges & functions to each of his 2 divine entities: thanking is a function of Jesus while worshipping is to God.
3. " [God] has left the sins committed in the past unpunished, & to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time that He might be just & the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus" Romans 3:26, "..in the day that God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel" Romans 2:16. These verses indicate that God's righteousness & forgiveness to people occur through their faith in Jesus (rather than the message of Jesus). Then Paul refers to his own gospel, where is it??
4. In Romans 3:25 "God presented him {Jesus} as a sacrifice/atonement/propitiation by his blood, through faith" & in Romans 5:8 " But God demonstrates his love to us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us". This implies that the sins of mankind of the past & the present are nullified by Jesus' sacrifice of his blood & faith in such sacrifice (another of Paul's numerous additions to the original faith). One can't help wondering how God had no mercy on his so-called "son" by making him suffer like that! Wasn't there any other more merciful way in God's endless powers to provide love & forgiveness to his subjects?
5. In Romans 5: 18-19 " Therefore, just as through one man's offense condemnation came to all men, so also through one man's righteous act justification of life came to all men. For as by one man's disobedience [Adam] many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience [Jesus] many will be made righteous." In Romans 6:11 "..count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus". Here is another serious shift of faith. A man is not judged by his own sins & deeds, but rather by those of others! If you do bad, Jesus' sacrifice has provided you with propitiation, redemption & atonement provided you just believe in that. Conversely, if you do good, you still remain a sinner (being of Adam's seed)!
6. In Romans 1:21-23 " Although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile & their hearts darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools & exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man, birds, four-footed animals & reptiles.” Very strong right statement, so why did Christians (under Paul) did not do what he preached? Why do they pray to images & statues of Jesus, Mary & Saints?
7. "The One who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you" Romans 8:11. We have no objection to that statement for it demonstrates that God controls all. But note the capital "S" in spirit & the pronoun "who", both implying that God's spirit is something separate from God, an independent entity. If we return to the original script from which this is translated, we will find how seemingly simple insinuations like this can change the whole faith. Just put a small "s'" & use the pronoun "that" & all is right again with God being One, not two or three.
8. Another flop in translation is seen in Romans 8:15 " & by him we cry, 'Abba, father'..". This is by no means a referral to the famous Swedish pop group of the 1970's in the Holy Book! This is an "intended" mis-translation. As "Abba" means father in Arabic & Hebrew, the verse would correctly read ".. Father of our father" implying that Jesus is the son of God & those who believe in him have become their sons. In other words, God is the grandfather of believers in Paul's depiction of Christ! This is further assured in Romans 8:17 " If we are children, then we are heirs -heirs of God & co-heirs with Christ…"
9. "The Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" Romans 8:27, "It is Christ who died, & furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us" Romans 8:34. So, both the Spirit & Jesus will intercede for us at God. Now the Spirit is given an entity & powers to promote for the formation of a trinity.
10. "…And from whom [the Israelites] comes the human/flesh of Christ, who is the eternally blessed God over all" Romans 9:5. Hold on. What is this? Jesus is the "eternally blessed God over all"! Wasn't he the son of the father (God) whom God had risen from the dead & is sitting to his right? Are they one or two? Now read this, "for there is no authority except from God" Romans 13:1, and this, " Now I say that Jesus has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God" Romans 15: 8. Are you confused? You have the right to be. In one verse Jesus is the eternally blessed God & in the other he is a servant of the circumcision (meaning the law of the Jews) with God having all the authority.
HEBREWS
1. "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through prophets, in these last days He has spoken to us by His son, whom he appointed heir of all things & through whom he has made the worlds" Hebrews 1:1-2. Here Jesus is the son of God. Now read this; "It was fitting for God, for whom & through whom everything exists, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of salvation perfect through suffering. As both the one who sanctifies & those who are being sanctified are all of one family, for which reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers" Hebrews 2:10-11. Here God is the almighty & Jesus is a suffering person leading others to salvation & thus becoming his brothers, i.e. all believers become the sons of God. Furthermore, to God the creator of all, Jesus is a faithful appointed prophet, same as Moses. "He [Christ] was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house" Hebrews 3: 2. But Paul retreats from this fact right in the following verses, as if it was a slip of the tongue " Jesus has been found worthy of more glory than Moses…Moses indeed was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over his God's house…"
2. God has placed Jesus superior to the angels in Hebrews 1: 4 " He [Christ] sat at the right side of the Majesty in heaven having become so much better the angels." But, Jesus is retreated to a position lower than angels in the following paragraph, "But we see Jesus, who was put a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory & honor for the suffering of death" Hebrews 2: 9. So which verse do we believe?
3. "Every high priest is selected from among men & is appointed to represent them in matters pertaining to God…No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify himself to become high priest. It was God who called upon him "you are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek" Hebrews 5: 1-6/7:17--25. So, Jesus Christ has the rank of a "high priest", same as Aaron & Melchizedek. The latter is exalted to a very high status in Hebrews 7 being appointed a priest forever without being a descendant of Levi, with no known genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life & a Son of God. Jesus is likened to him.
4. " You have come to God, the judge of all… & to Jesus the mediator of the new convenant" Hebrews 12: 23. So Jesus here is just a mediator between God & the people, while God controls all. " May God of peace who brought up Jesus from the dead….may He make you equipped to do His will & may he work in us what is pleasant to Him…" Hebrews 13:20-21. So God, the almighty, revived Jesus from the dead & he is the One who makes people complete to fulfill His will. "During the days of his life on earth, he [Jesus] offered up prayers & petitions with loud cries & tears to the One who could save him from death; & he was heard because of his reverent submission to God" Hebrews 5:7. So Jesus was just a suffering fearing human who begged God the almighty "in loud cries & tears" to save him from death, & God did that.
5. "For we have become partners in Jesus if we hold on to the confidence we had in the beginning to the end" Hebrews 3:14. "For it is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, & have tasted the heavenly gift (of faith), & have become partners of the Holy Spirit…" Hebrews 6: 4. Here, we learn that believers in the faith become partakers of Jesus & of the Holy Spirit.
General remarks on Paul's concepts of God & Jesus
1. Paul did not deny any of God's s superior qualities & high status. He remains the Majesty, the Creator & the Judge of all. It was God who raised Jesus from the dead & who endowed upon him the exalted level of high priest & son.
2. Jesus Christ remains human with human qualities & submission to God. Despite attaining higher ranks up to the level of son of God, he still needed God to raise him from the dead & was required to plead for that. He sits on the right side of God in heaven, but not on the throne. He stays second to God whenever both are mentioned in the same context. Paul has never given him any of the supreme qualities of God. His high status, powers & miracles are all ascribed to God.
Paul's innovations in Christian faith
1. Disciples of the way (followers of Jesus' message) were first called "Christians" by Paul & Barnabas at Antioch several years after Jesus left our earth [Acts 11:26]. It is not just a change of name. The implications are grave, for now the principle of unity of God has been shattered & Christ has become "the Lord" together with God. This paved the way for the later emergence of the trinity with holiness & divinity shared by 3 entities (father, son & spirit).
2. He constructed the Church & organized its hierarchy of apostles, prophets, priests, elderly, …etc [Acts 14:23/15:6/20:28 & 1 Corinthians 12:28 & Titus 1:5]. He then added the ranks of bishops & deacons [Philippians 1:1]. He stated the qualifications for being appointed in these positions [1 Timothy 3: 1-13]. Among several conditions required, a bishop or deacon must be the husband of only one wife (indicating that polygamy was the rule at the time, years after Jesus has gone), & he must be sober & not given to much wine (drinks, but not much to the state of being addicted to liquor)!
3. Concerning his attitude to alcohol (spirits), Paul does not prohibit it (even to clergymen, vide supra). As a matter of fact, we could say that he insinuates encouraging its consumption. In 1Timothy 5:23, " No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake & your frequent infirmities." In 1Corinthians 11:25, "He [Christ] took the cup [of wine] after supper saying, ' this cup is the new convenant in my blood. This do, as often as you drink it is in remembrance of me."
4. Concerning marriage & man-woman relations, he stated a lot of rules that were never revealed by Jesus [1Corinthians 7]. Marriage, as a whole, is not encouraged. Even if one is married, he is not encouraged to seek such lawful carnal knowledge! "I wish that all men were even as myself (unmarried)" Co 7: 7. "I say to the unmarried & the widows: it is good for them to remain even as I am" Co 7: 8. "But this I say brethren, the time is short so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none" Co 7: 29. He invented monogamy & prohibited divorce. In Co 7: 2 "Nevertheless & just for the cause of sexual morality, let each man have his own wife & let each woman have her own husband." In Co 7:10-11 " A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife." According to Paul, Christians are allowed to stay married to non-believers (non-Christians), but such a marriage is not bonding! "If any brother has a wife who does not believe & she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her let her not divorce him … But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases " Co 7:12-15.
5. Concerning the head covering, again some strange unfamiliar habits were introduced by Paul in 1Corinthians 11. He promotes uncovering the head of men & covering that of women during prayers [Co 11:4-5]. However, when a woman is not praying she should keep her hair uncovered! "But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering" Co 11:15. Very strange indeed: while praying uncovering the head of a woman dishonors her & the reason given is that "for this reason the woman has to have a symbol of authority on her head because of the angels" Co 11: 10; yet when she is not praying covering her head becomes now dishonoring & it is a "glory" for her to uncover it!!! The reason: the angels; as if these are not around except when praying & as if God is not there at all. Ladies & gentlemen, it is the angels & nothing but the angels who only become offended with a woman's uncovered head during prayers!
6. It was Paul who introduced crucifix & designated it with glory & holiness. In Galatians 3: 1 he says, " O you foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified." In Galatians 6:14 "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me." In Philippians 4: 18 "For, as I have often told you before & now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ."
7. Paul has stood against many of the rituals & rules of Judaism stated in the Law (Old Testament) including circumcision, fasting, prayers & food. In 1Timothy 4:1-7 he says, "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith & follow deceiving spirits & doctrines taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry & order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe & know the truth. For everything God has created is good & nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is sanctified by the word of God & prayer…. Have nothing to do with godless myths & old witches' fables [Jewish priests]." In Colossians 3:20 he adds, "Since you have died with Christ to the basic principles [profanes] of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules [the law]? 'Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch', all concerning things that perish with using, because they are based on commandments & doctrines of men. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship, their false humility & their harsh treatment of the body. But they lack any value in restraining indulgences of the flesh."
8. Paul gave the churchmen (especially the seniors) that followed his religion powers that are close to those of God. They can grant forgiveness & blessings just by laying their hands over subjects! 1Timothy 4:14.
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· For more details on this apostle of Jesus, please refer to our essay on Barnabas & his discredited Gospel.
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No offense in that is there Ronn