Vincent Arthur Holmes-Gore's Christ or Paul

Reverend Vincent Arthur Holmes-Gore was a serious Christian scholar besides a pastor. His writings include "The Thorn in the Flesh," Theology Vol. 32 (1936) 111ff.; "The Ascension of the Apocalyptic Hope. The Significance of Acts 1:6-8," Theology Vol. 32 (1936) 356ff.; "The Parable of the Tares," Theology Vol. 35 (1937); These We Have Not Loved (1941)(Christian-basis to vegetarianism); The Human Soul (1942, reprint 1989); The Churches of St. Thomas and All Saints Lymington (Gloucester: 1947); and "New Morals for Old: Being an Attempt to Restate and Defend the Christian Ideal of Marriage," Journal of Theological Studies (1949) 1ff.

Rev. Holmes-Gore said in Christ or Paul : A Re-Examination of Paul's Influence on Christianity (C.W. Daniel: 1946) that Paul has misled many:

Let the reader contrast the true Christian standard with that of Paul and he will see the terrible betrayal of all that the Master taught.... For the surest way to betray a great Teacher is to misrepresent his message.... That is what Paul and his followers did, and because the Church has followed Paul in his error it has failed lamentably to redeem the world....The teachings given by the blessed Master Christ, which the disciples John and Peter and James, the brother of the Master, tried in vain to defend and preserve intact were as utterly opposed to the Pauline Gospel as the light is opposed to the darkness.

Truth Seekers has another lengthy quote from Christ or Paul:

"The triumph of Paul's Gospel is all the more remarkable in view of the Master's repeated warnings that false teachers would arise immediately after his 'going away'. Thus we read in Matthew: 'Beware of false prophets. which come to you in sheep's clothing. but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them.... Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit...Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom, of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.'"

"This warning fits Paul. who taught that entry into the kingdom of Heaven depends upon faith. i.e. by calling Jesus "Lord. Lord'. and did not teach the pure way of life by which alone man can enter the kingdom. And if we apply to Paul the test 'by their fruits ye shall know them' it is abundantly clear that he was a false prophet. We have seen that it was he who founded the Pauline Church in spite of the true Apostles' opposition. It was he who formulated its doctrines...." 

"The Christianity which the nations claim to follow is the religion of Paul. who is admittedly the chief and almost the only theologian that the Church recognizes. Because of his betrayal of the Master's teachings the vision of true Christianity has been so dimmed that men have been able to defend war and a host of other evils. such as flesh eating and slavery, on the authority of the Bible. Had the teachings of the Master come down to us in their true form such misinterpretation would have been unthinkable." 

"We may well grieve that Christians have failed to give more heed to the Master's warnings against false prophets...."

Christian Vegetarianism

Holmes-Gore wished to revive vegetarianism which was popular in the early church. This has some historical support. (I continue to eat meat and chicken, so I include this so as to give a well-rounded depiction of Holmes-Gore's views.)

Apostle Matthew was himself a non-meat vegetarian (i.e., obviously eating fish), as seen in the words of Clement of Alexandria: "Accordingly, the apostle Matthew partook of seeds, and nuts, and vegetables, without flesh" (The Instructor). If we add to this the witness of Eusebius, who quotes Hegesippus and writes of James, the brother of Yeshua/Jesus, and first leader of the New Covenant Chruch: "He drank no wine or strong drink, nor did he eat meat."

Holmes-Gore had this to say inThese we have not Loved (The C.W. Daniel Company, Ltd., 1942) Preface, at pages 26, 30 in defense of vegetarianism:

“There is a close connection in our minds between the notions of civilisation and gentleness. The ideal civilised man is a gentleman, kind and courteous, unselfish and a respecter of others’ rights and feelings – the antithesis of the savage, to whom might is right and no one’s feelings matter but his own.

“Wherever the presence and love and transcendent reality of God have been vividly apprehended, there has resulted an attitude of reverence towards the mystery of life as an expression of divine love, an attitude of brotherhood and fellow-feeling with all that can feel – in due order and proportion, of course, beginning with God’s rational creatures, but not stopping short of His other sentient creatures.”