| I don't mind your response, it's interesting. There's a wide body of scholarship on who wrote each Epistle and when, no point trying to debate that here imo. I agree they weren't all written by him, but the seven that were are enough for decades of individual study and reflection.
In the ancient world, writing in the name of a respected teacher wasn’t always seen as fraud the way we think today. It could be seen as honoring a tradition — like continuing a school of thought under a founder’s name. I don't think our replies negate each other, they seem complimentary to me. Another aspect that's interesting is that his path covers most of the territory that was conquered by Alexander the Great, see Daniel 8-11. This Hellenistization and Paul's strength in Greek rhetoric, and 'dual' citizenship made him well suited for quickly spreading the gospel to these areas. Jewish by birth and religion — giving him authority in synagogues, knowledge of Scripture, and credibility among Jews. Roman by law and politics — granting him rights that protected him and enabled his mission across the empire. This combination was rare and made Paul uniquely suited to bridge cultures: he could preach to Jews in their synagogues, debate philosophers in Greek forums, and stand trial before Roman governors. |