The debunking of the popular myth of St. Paul as the founder of Christianity produced by a respected New Testament authority
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Challenging the argument put forth by many skeptics of the Catholic Church that Jesus was a great moral teacher whose message was corrupted by St. Paul, this book helps to untangle what scholars know about Jesus and Paul from the overactive imaginations of nonbelievers. Over recent years some critics of Christianity have claimed that while Jesus was a gifted teacher and a man of unparalleled kindness, St. Paul was the true founder of Christianity, which he based on a delusional mistake—the idea that Jesus was God. This theory has found its way into academia, churches, newspapers, and, most recently, novels. Here, respected New Testament scholar David Wenham looks at the historical evidence for such claims. Comparing the life and message of Jesus with the writings of St. Paul, he offers a thoughtful exploration of their relationship, concluding that far from imagining Christianity, Paul was the messenger of an inherited faith.