[betty boop]

Are you saying He was not an apostle? Are you saying his letters are not inspired scripture?

No I am not saying that at all. What I was saying: Paul was not a direct contemporary of Jesus. That's what I meant by Paul's not being a "direct witness," i.e., in the way the Twelve Apostles were. He certainly was quite implacably and vigorously opposed to Christ and His followers, until his miraculous conversion on the Road to Damascus.

Paul's way of thinking and speaking are certainly different than the way Christ's beloved Apostle John thinks and speaks. Yet both testimonies are necessary: It's not a question of one being "better" than the other.

Both are divinely inspired testimonies to the One Truth — though not exactly in the same way, they are both on the same model (so to speak)....

Or so it seems to me, FWIW.

[1000 silverlings]

Paul was a witness and a disciple of the resurrected Christ. Which bible are you reading?

[RnMomof7]

Paul was DIRECTLY selected by Christ as were all the other apostles, you know no one appreciates mercy as much as one that has much to forgive. The word contemporary means of the same generation..Christ and Jesus were indeed contemporaries . It sure sounded as if you wanted to discount Pauls teachings on the gospel to me. link

[MarkBsnr]

Paul's way of thinking and speaking are certainly different than the way Christ's beloved Apostle John thinks and speaks. Yet both testimonies are necessary: It's not a question of one being "better" than the other.

Interesting and well worth considering. Yet one must take into account that the Apostle John quotes Christ, and Paul does admit that he also preaches his own gospel as well as that of Christ. The earliest Christians had word of mouth and appeared to concentrate mostly on the Beatitudes / Sermons on Mount and Plain and the Two Commandments of Christ (Matthew) until the rest of what we now consider Scripture (along with hundreds of other books) started to circulate and be accepted.