Posted on 06/29/2009 8:30:16 PM PDT by naturalman1975
Ruthless, half mad, he stoned Christians to death. He also founded modern civilisation. And until yesterday, his fate was one of history's great mysteries...Deeply moved, the Pope delivered the news on Sunday that fragments of bones found in the tomb traditionally considered to be that of Saint Paul did indeed date from the first or second century.
Which means that, in all likelihood, they are the bones of the Apostle Paul - bones that have lain there for 1,950 years yet, astonishingly, have only been discovered in our time.
You might say, so what? Aren't Roman Catholics always making claims about bones and relics? Was it not said that if you measured all the bits of the True Cross venerated throughout the world you could build a bridge to the moon? Yes, yes.
But this is slightly different, and it is very exciting. The Pope was not saying that he revered some relics as a matter of faith. He was saying that scientists, by carbon dating, have come as close as possible to identifying the very bones of St Paul himself.
Why is he so convinced? Though the carbon-dating experts knew nothing of their origins, the bone fragments were recovered after a tiny probe was inserted into the tomb which lies in a crypt beneath the Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls in Rome - a church long held to have been built on the site where Paul was buried.
It was only three years ago that the tomb itself was discovered by Vatican archaeologists.
The fact that it was positioned exactly underneath the epigraph Paulo Apostolo Mart (Paul the Apostle and Martyr) at the base of the altar convinced them it was Paul's tomb.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
How could they be “discovered” if they’ve been lying under the tomb stone for 1950 years in plain sight? And, why are they digging up his grave? Leave the poor chap alone...
No... nothing to do with anti-Christian sentiment....
This is nuts. A church was built over his grave by Constantine! That are these grave robbers up to????
Paging Captain Obvious, paging Captain Obvious...
The writer of this piece is an anti-Catholic drooling imbecile.
"Religious" writer (a.k.a. Leftist...)"
I hear native Americans and Saints are a bit touchy about bones...
His writings have been described that way by literary scholars for a long time haven’t they?
I’m familiar with A.N. Wilson’s earlier work on Oliver Cromwell and John Milton. The man is unfortunately an anti-Christian bigot. Clever, a prolific writer, but a bigot.
I don’t know why he keeps writing books on religious figures if he feels this way about them.
"While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.""
Cheers!
A stumbling block to the Jews and FOOLISHNESS to the Gentiles. Festus was a Gentile and the whole Resurrection thing was foolishness to him... Of course he would see Paul as being mad... but he wasn't.
Yes, well, that’s earlier work.
He’s recently, very publically reembraced Christianity and declared his atheism was an error.
Again, a stumbling block to the Jews and FOOLISHNESS to the Gentiles. They stoned him, beat him with rods, drive him out of town. He was abused, beaten, jailed, stoned and finally executed. Crazy for the Lord. And thank G-d for it!
Nut job scholars want to call him crazy. Well Christ said the world would hate Christians because we belong to God.
They can count me in with Paul, and with the hated.
And that is something which we all do share, whether we wish to or not. For this reason, the discovery of his bones is of immense historical significance. We have found the father of our civilisation.
I enjoy reading AN Wilson's columns in the Daily Mail and I have read his work The Victorians. Sometimes he will like to thrown some literary bombs, describing Paul as half-mad or basically insuitating Victoria and Prince Albert were both bastard children. But then he makes great overall points like the quote above or in The Victorians he basically defends them and appreciates them for who they were and their achievements.
I see you didn’t read the article. The author has followed a path from preparing for the Anglican Priesthood, to Catholicism, back to Anglicanism, to Atheism, and recently returned to religious beliefs. He has written biographies of both Jesus and Paul.
By grace you are saved through faith in Jesus and not from works so no man can boast...
I did read it all - unlike some people in this thread, I think.
I thought it was overall positive about Christianity, personally.
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