Source: “When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation”, by Paula Fredriksen, 2018.
5. History's Last Generation.pdf
This podcast examines the earliest followers of Jesus, arguing that they were fully immersed in first-century Judaism and expected the imminent end of the world. It challenges common interpretations of early Christian texts, suggesting that Paul's "persecution" was likely a form of Jewish disciplinary lashing within synagogues and that his outreach to gentiles did not mean abandoning the Law but rather insisting they worship only the God of Israel, just as Jewish "god-fearers" did. The text highlights the importance of ancient Jewish prophecy and the expectation of a messianic figure, demonstrating how events like Caligula's threat to the Temple and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE fueled these apocalyptic beliefs and shaped early interpretations of Jesus' role and expected return.
The most common image of Paul before his conversion is that of a relentless and violent persecutor of the earliest followers of Jesus. This dramatic picture comes primarily from the Book of Acts, written decades after the events it describes. In Acts, Paul is depicted as "breathing threats and murder," an agent of the high priest who extends his reach to the synagogues of Damascus. He is even shown approving of the stoning and execution of Stephen, the first martyr. This portrayal of muscular, anti-Christian aggression has become the widely accepted, yet ultimately incomplete, picture of the early conflict.
To build a more accurate picture, we must turn to an earlier and more direct source: Paul's own letters, written decades before the account in Acts.
Paul's own letters, written closer to the events of his life, provide a different and more plausible interpretation of "persecution." In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul details the many hardships he suffered as an apostle of Christ, offering a revealing list of what he considered "persecutions":
Five times I have received at the hands of the Jews forty lashes less one. Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked, a night and a day I have been adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people and danger from pagans, danger in the city, in the wilderness, and at sea; danger from false brethren, in toil and hardship. (2 Corinthians 11.24-27 RSV, modified)