"A young girl...having a Spirit of [the demon] Python...having followed Paul and us, was crying [to the public many days], saying, 'These men...declare to us a way of salvation.'" Acts 16:16-17

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Recommendations

Only Jesus (great song by Big Daddy)

Just Jesus: His Living Words (2011)

Jesus' Words on Church Structure by S. Rives

 

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Recommended Reading

This page offers articles and book links on various topics such as:

  • Ingenious Design in nature;
  • The History of Paulinism and the Problem of Paul; and
  • Canon issues, salvation doctrine, Sabbath, etc.

My Articles on Paulinism

1. Marcionism - Paulinism of 144 AD was then heresy (html)
4. The Problem of Paul to All Faiths From Following Jesus (html intro w link to PDF)
5. Luther Killed Jesus' Words Only Movement in Reformation (PDF) or (html)
6. Early Negative Church Views of Paul (html)(June 27, 2010)
7. Paulinist Tares: How To Treat Them? (html)(May 28, 2010)
9. Jesus's Commands on Church Structure (contradicted by Paul)(html)(June 5, 2010)
10. Paul's Flawed Christology (html) (June 6, 2010).
11. More on Benjamite Wolf Prophecy & Paul (html)(June 15, 2010)
15. Paul's Contradictions of Jesus (html)(July 14, 2010)
16. Tolstoy Criticizes Paulinism (html)(July 16, 2010)
17. Paul's Trial Before Caesar - A Drama (html and audio)(July 17, 2010)
20. Jesus's Words on Baptism (versus Paulinist dismissal of its importance)(html)(Aug. 13, 2010)
22. Paul or James' Church: Which Was The Greatest Evangelist? (Aug. 28, 2010)(links to html/pdf)
23. Gates of Heaven: A Modern Pastor Seeks Entry (Drama Indicting Paulinism)(Sept 10, 2010)(html)
31. Pagan Influences on Paul (July 17, 2011)
32. Paul Abolished Sabbath (July 23, 2011)
36. 3-Fold 1 Page Pamphlet to Hand Out on Jesus' Prophecies to not listen to Paul (Dec. 3, 2011) (PDF). For audio version, listen at Podomatic at this link.
44. Revisiting the Marcan Priority Claim (from Rives, OGM II at 97 which impacts Paul.) (4/7/2012).

Famous Thinkers Critical of Paul/Paulinism

Kierkegaard: Critical Remarks on Paul & Paulinism (html)(added May 27, 2010). Famous Dutchman who found fault with Pauline doctrine in church, advocating instead that Jesus's doctrine is paramount. See also my article - Kierkegaard: Influence on Bonhoeffer to Reject Pauline Salvation Doctrine (PDF)

Reverend Vincent Holmes-Gore Christ or Paul (C.W. Daniel: 1946) -- a serious Christian writer, Holmes-Gore bemoans the influence Paul has taken away from Christ's message. See my synopsis at Gore's Christ or Paul

Tolstoy, My Religion (1884) -- discussed in our webpage "Tolstoy Criticizes Paulinism."

David W. Bercot (Texas attorney/Christian), Common Sense: A New Approach to Understanding Scripture (1992) at 21-22 - Amazon link - excerpted here on our site. (Added May 10, 2010)

Renan, St. Paul (1869) at 326-30 - (HTML) or (PDF).  Renan largely defends Paul but in doing so unwittingly also criticizes Paul if you accept Revelation ch. 2 as canon, as I do. Otherwise, Renan is a JWO-enthusiast. He says now Paul's "reign is coming to a close," but Jesus' reign is alive "more than ever." Renan closes: "True Christianity comes from the gospels, not from the Epistles of Paul."

Boulanger, Critical Examination of the Life of St. Paul (1823) (books.google.com copy) which we excerpt and summarize at this webpage. Boulanger claims Paul was an apostate against the Law given to Moses which was contrary to the message of Jesus, and thus proves Paul was not a true apostle.

Jeremy Bentham, Not Paul But Jesus (1823)(books.google.com copy) - which we reformatted and edited -- pages i-11 (PDF) (work in progress). Bentham's thesis is everyone must choose between Paul or Jesus. They are not the same. (On critical reaction to Bentham's book, see our webpage.)

Horatio Woodburn Southworth, To Nazareth or Tarsus? (J.S. Ogilvie Publishing Company, 1901) - a collection of quotes on Paul's inconsistencies with Jesus are retyped at this html link. You can read the original book in the books.google.com version at these links -- pages 52-129 and 200-217.

Jefferson' Letters on Jesus' Words Only (PDF) [I disagree with his view of Jesus as a moralist and no more. Yet, Jefferson sees the variances Paul introduced against Jesus' teachings.]

H.G. Wells, Outline of History (1921) (html) - profound thoughts on how Pauline doctrine replaced the lessons of Jesus, and focused on belief for salvation, without a need for change in habits/actions.

Hugh Schonfeld, Proclaiming the Messiah (London: 1997) -- said Paul imagined himself channelling Jesus' words, and almost therefore a second Messiah. Our summary of this work is at this link.

Macarius Magnes, 300 AD. In Apocriticus, Magnes is the oldest systematic critic of Paul from 300s who couched it in a debate, appearing to defend Paul, but not doing a very good job of it.

Famous quotes critical of Paul which we collected during research.


Famous Rebuttals to Earlier Efforts at JWO Movement

Bultmann in 1929 responded to the "From Paul to Jesus" (JWO) movement of the early 1900s led by William Wrede. Bultman admitted Jesus' doctrine was "largely irrelevant to Paul." But Bultmann defended this because Paul taught in 2 Cor. 5:16 that we are "no longer" to know Jesus through His teachings when Jesus gave them "in the flesh." Only the post-resurrected Jesus -- whom Paul met at Damascus -- is supposedly our teacher. Bultmann then concludes the only way to know Christ is through Paul.  But Bultmann's argument backfires in two ways if he correctly read 2 Cor. 5:16 (which Origen ca. 200s similarly understood). Such an interpretation would expose that Paul did not meet Jesus on the road to Damascus because the post-resurrected Jesus did indeed have flesh and nail-holes to prove it, but Paul in 2 Cor. 5:16 says, if Bultmann is correct, that he met a Jesus without flesh. See our webpage for further discussion.


Books Critical of Paul/Paulinism

Mark Douglas Given, Paul’s True Rhetoric: Ambiguity, Cunning, and Deception in Greece and Rome (2001) provides proof of systematic guile used by Paul, and unabashedly so. Given collects admissions of these facts from leading reformers. For example, Calvin said about Paul's appearance before the Sanhedrin (Acts 22:30-23:11): "Paul's strategem, which Luke reports, seems out of keeping with a servant of Christ. For the astuteness he used was closely related to a feint, that was not far removed from lying." (Id. at page 81.) Given then quotes Calvin defending that this is not lying by Paul, but essentially Calvin means that lying for a greater good justifies lying, as Given explains. (Id.) There is an excellent book review of Given's book at this books.google.link.

Thomas Cossette, Hebrew Prophecies of the Coming of Paul (2007) - Amazon purchase link. For my review and analysis, click this link.

F.F. Powell, Robbing Peter to Pay Paul: The Usurpation of Jesus and the Original Disciples (2009) - highly recommended. Amazon Purchase link.  My current review -- under construction -- is at this link.

Ruy Barraco Marmol, Faithful to Jesus Christianity and The Truth About the Apostle Paul (2012) -- available through his website at this link. An excellent critique from one raised as a Roman Catholic and whose voice is Christ-focused.


Articles By Others Critical of Paul/Paulinism

Did Jesus Really Send Paul? by Truth Seekers. An excellent, objective and methodical proof that answers no.

Problems with 'Apostle' Paul -new webcenter beginnnig 2012 on issue.

Paul The False Apostle from He Is Yah.com (heisyah.com) - from a Yahweh-Yahshua centric ministry including good worship song materials. Proves Peter's standards to be an apostle set forth in Acts 1:21-22 - been with Jesus since baptism and witness resurrection, and lots more.

"The False Apostle" at NewYork City Bible Study (March 2011) - excellent with Bible quotes.
Questions to Ask Your Preacher About Paul of Tarsus by J. Ward (Facebook, January 2011)
Anonymous, Series of Critical Points on Paul (2010) - pithy points of Paul's self-contradictions, contradiction with Jesus, flaws, etc.

Paulianity, Not Christianity (Dec. 19, 2009 at Nigerian Village Square) - harsh analysis of Paul but points cite valid quotes of Paul

Babe Jesus, Yes, Jesus Words Alone etc. (2006). (One of my favorites; influenced JWO.)
Dan J, Discipleship (2005)(Very influential on my path to JWO.)
AH, Verses Critical of Paul (with no commentary)(2011)
Scott Nelson, http://www.judaismvschristianity.com/ -- many other articles of interest as well.
Femi Aribisala, "Distorting the Word of God" - Paul's misread of Bible to prove no one is righteous
Yada Yahweh -- Questioning Paul (2011) See our website review
Anonymous - 2011 For those who doubt Paul
Paul Problem at FaithWeb - Paul and the so-called Judaizers (our excerpts entitled "Unstable Paul")
Porque Jesus no Viene? (Spanish) -PDF / HTML by Robert (11/2012)
Why Does Jesus not Come? (English) - PDF / HTML by Roberto (11/2012)

Jesus' Important Lessons on:

A Short Biography of Jesus Without the Miraculous: Its Own Miracle (PDF)(Divine inspiration of the apostolic texts is evident without considering miracles of Jesus which it reports. And that is why we can believe Jesus performed miracles, and we can affirm them as further validation of Jesus' identity.)
Jesus' Idea of Faith (versus Paul's opposite view of Faith)  (PDF)
Jesus' Meaning of Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth -refuting Paul's principle of faith alone (PDF)


Endorsements of JWO Principle

Blog Post by Jesus for Me 66 (5/31/2009) -- our excerpt or read this original link.

Jesus' Teachings Homepage (from New Zealand) -- great and refreshing. See his "Teachings" page.


Articles on Science

Proofs for Creation (PowerPoint) - available in English and Spanish -by Doug T.
Created by Ingenious Design (Intro & PDF)(draft as of 2009) - by Doug T.

Our Articles on Church Practices and Canon

Christmas & Easter Errors (Intro with links to either HTML or PDF)
The Sabbath Command (html)
Canon Studies (html) - The Original Hebrew Matthew - Is Enoch Canon?

Paul: Biography

A Biography (html)(added 7/9/2010)[work in progress]


Study Resources

Library Resources - Greek/Latin dictionaries, Literal translation tools, classic commentaries, etc.

Quotes - Bible and authors - endorsing principle of Jesus Words Only

Topical Index of this site - under construction

 


Edification

Prayers and Edification

Websites and Videos We Recommend

Bible Lesson on Debt

Bible Lesson on Anger

Bible Lesson on Putdown Humor

Bible Lesson on Oaths

The Sabbath Command -- with lots of worship tips

R. Christian, What Did Jesus Say -- The Seven Messages from the Master (2012) - $9.99 as ebook /$19.95 as book. (I have no affiliation with the author. I like the book's focus on words of Jesus.)