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Ormly

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Question: Why did Jesus bypass the twelve and apprehend Paul to preach the gospel and establish churches throughout the known world in the Mediterranean? Were there unresolved weaknesses in the twelve? We know there were friends of the Apostles who no doubt spoke of Christ that a certain propagation took place of the word, however, there is no mention of churches being established by them. Paul who wasn't part of the twelve did the greatest works we read of.

Lets be clear about this: The Jerusalem church notwithstanding, that Peter was in charge of, Paul did the presenting of the foundation of Jesus Christ to the world in and around the Mediterranean and that he built no church upon any other foundation in those areas previously laid down by someone else, which, based upon the scriptures were slim and none.
Next to Jesus, Paul exhibited the life of Jesus' earthly life more perhaps than any other man, including Peter who had a problem with being weak from tiime to time that Paul had to deal with.

Did I overlook anything? I have my own ideas and will offer them as such.
 

Mary of Bethany

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Hi, Ormly.

For one thing, Peter was not in charge of the church in Jerusalem. James was (see Acts 15:12-29).

Also, Paul was chosen as a Gentile, a Roman citizen, well educated, who could converse with the Greeks and others outside of the Jewish community.

Also also , though it's not all in the NT, we know that the other Apostles were sent to other places - like Thomas to India (to this day, Indian churches use his name), Peter to Antioch (and perhaps Rome), Andrew to Greece and the areas around the Black Sea, John the Evangelist to Asia Minor, where he died at Ephesus. My point being that Christ didn't "bypass" the other Apostles - He had specific plans for each of them to spread the Gospel.

There's no doubt that St. Paul was a very forceful and disciplined Christian, and God used him greatly to evangelize the Gentiles and teach them the faith.
 
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Ormly

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And is the single largest contributer to the NT writings.
 
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Mary of Bethany

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And is the single largest contributer to the NT writings.

Yes. Perhaps that was his greatest gift. Take his rabbinical training, his knowledge of Greek and the pagan world, and then add the encounter with the Risen Christ, Whose followers he had been so zealously persecuting - you get a pretty powerful proclaimer of the Gospel.



Mary
 
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Ormly

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Yes he is, but Mary of Bethany does bring out some great points.

Indeed. Though I did make the point of confining Paul's church building to the Met area, knowing some of the Apostles were known to have traveled elseware. For instance John had great influence in Rome. It could be that his disciples are really the ones that should be credited with beginning the orginal work in that city, with Paul visiting at a later date. Much we don't know with much being credited to Peter with little to support it but writings that are questionable at best that support a religious agenda and of necessity, dismissing the questionable parts. I wish Jesus would have been a little definitive when speaking to Peter about "The Rock" He would establish His Church upon seeing there is only one Rock in Bible mentioned for the salvation of souls . . Christ Jesus.
 
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Ormly

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As an Orthodox Christian, I'm certainly not trying to defend St. Peter as "the Rock". My only intent is to show that all of the Apostles carried out their commission from Christ.

Mary

I don't believe I implied they didn't. We just aren't privy to all the facts, are we?

Perhaps, I should ask how it is that Paul was chosen at all given the twelve were, what they were, Apostles; sent ones; establishers; missionaries?
 
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Mary of Bethany

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I think perhaps it was this. The 12 Apostles represented the 12 Tribes of Israel, and the Gospel was first brought to the Jews. By setting apart Paul as Apostle to the Gentiles, Christ was making clear that the Gospel was for all the world. Paul was not replacing or supplanting any of the 12, but was an "addition" to the 12. So in restricting the use of Apostle to one who was taught by Christ Himself, Paul becomes the 13th - the 12 representing Israel, and the 13th representing the Gentile world.

Just a thought, since, as you say, the Scripture does not say.

Mary
 
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Ormly

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That sounded OK to me. When we read for understanding, thoughts as that can be of insight . . . and you violate nothing.
 
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Catholic Christian

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And is the single largest contributer to the NT writings.
So what. Jefferson was the biggest contributor to the founding documents of the United States. Does that mean he was the first president, instead of Washington?

Your logic is flawed (as usual).
 
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Ormly

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So what. Jefferson was the biggest contributor to the founding documents of the United States. Does that mean he was the first president, instead of Washington?

Your logic is flawed (as usual).


This from Peter:

".. .. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:15-16 (KJV)
 
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Catholic Christian

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This from Jesus:

Matt 16:17-19: "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you (AA)the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and (AB)whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."


Peter’s preeminent position among the apostles was symbolized at the very beginning of his relationship with Christ. At their first meeting, Christ told Simon that his name would thereafter be Peter, which translates as "Rock" (John 1:42). The startling thing was that—aside from the single time that Abraham is called a "rock" (Hebrew: Tsur; Aramaic: Kepha) in Isaiah 51:1-2—in the Old Testament only God was called a rock. The word rock was not used as a proper name in the ancient world. If you were to turn to a companion and say, "From now on your name is Asparagus," people would wonder: Why Asparagus? What is the meaning of it? What does it signify? Indeed, why call Simon the fisherman "Rock"? Christ was not given to meaningless gestures, and neither were the Jews as a whole when it came to names. Giving a new name meant that the status of the person was changed, as when Abram’s name was changed to Abraham (Gen.17:5), Jacob’s to Israel (Gen. 32:28), Eliakim’s to Joakim (2 Kgs. 23:34), or the names of the four Hebrew youths—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 1:6-7). But no Jew had ever been called "Rock." The Jews would give other names taken from nature, such as Deborah ("bee," Gen. 35:8), and Rachel ("ewe," Gen. 29:16), but never "Rock." In the New Testament James and John were nicknamed Boanerges, meaning "Sons of Thunder," by Christ, but that was never regularly used in place of their original names, and it certainly was not given as a new name. But in the case of Simon-bar-Jonah, his new name Kephas (Greek: Petros) definitely replaced the old.

 
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Trento

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Funny, Peter never seemed to have gotten that message.

If you believe that a direct Prayer for Peter By Jusus was of no avail you could be right.

Luke 22:31-32 "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.
Jesus calls Peter "blessed" (makarios in Greek). This word always denotes the blessedness of the person whose relationship to God is correct and holy. Read Mt. 5:1-11; Rom. 4:7-8; Lk. 1:45. There is another word for "blessed" (eulogetos in Greek) which is used only of God and means "Praise". For example, Lk. 1:68

Remember, St. Paul was among those who fell silent at the Council of Jerusalem once St. Peter spoke.Peter’s unique authority --most especially Acts 10:1-48, where Peter exercises his power to “bind and loosen” by unilaterally admitting the first Gentiles into the Church. And, he does this after receiving a personal vision from Jesus instructing him to do so. Furthermore, in Acts 11:1-18, none of the other Apostles question Peter's authority to admit the Gentiles into the Church. Rather, they accept the unilateral decision of Peter. And, a few years later, when some Jewish Christians from the party of the Pharisees try to impose circumcision on these Gentiles, Peter (in Acts 15:7-12) gives the definitive teaching at the Jerusalem council. After he speaks, the entire assembly falls silent and all debate on the Gentile issue comes to an end.



 
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Ormly

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