Journal: Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal
Volume: DBSJ 23:1 (NA 2018)
Article: Paul And The Words Of Jesus: On The Infrequence Of Paul’s Use Of Jesus’s Words
Author: Timothy E. Miller

DBSJ 23 (2018) p. 41

Paul And The Words Of Jesus: On The Infrequence Of Paul’s Use Of Jesus’s Words

Timothy E. Miller1

One of the most embarrassing facts for those who see Paul as a follower of Jesus is his failure to refer much to Jesus’s life or teaching.”2

—David Wenham

Introduction

David Wenham’s statement highlights a problem that nags at many observant Bible readers. Why does Paul not explicitly cite Jesus’s words with any level of regularity? This question is a part of a larger issue: what is the relationship between Jesus and Paul? As Wilson has noted, understanding the nature of that relationship is “one of the most complex and intriguing issues facing the historian of early Christianity,” and he correctly highlights that such a discussion “has profound theological ramifications which go to the heart of the Christian faith.”3

In the most important sense, the relationship is clear, for Scripture clearly describes Paul as a servant of Jesus. Paul met the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) and was called by Jesus to be an apostle (1 Cor 1:1). Nevertheless, critical scholarship is far from unanimous on the relationship between Jesus and Paul.4 Thus, this article will seek to plot the landscape of opinions using categories

DBSJ 23 (2018) p. 42

inspired by Niebuhr’s classic study, Christ and Culture.5 After doing so, we will look at the problem through one particular lens—the problem of the paucity of references to Jesus in Paul’s literature. The article will conclude by showing that even with the limited methods of critical scholars, there are many reasons to believe Paul valued, respected, and built his teaching on the words of Jesus despite the lack of frequent, explicit reference to those words.6

Critical Opinions On Jesus And Paul

Some scholars maintain a Paul against Jesus position, holding that Paul taught contrary to the earthly Jesus. This can be seen in F. C. Baur, who believed Paul developed his theology in two ways: negatively, he developed it in opposition to Jerusalem and their expression of the Jesus Tradition;7 positively, he developed it in light of his dramatic religious experience of the risen Christ.You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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