Yesterday, I posted on Luke’s theologizing of the conversion of Saul. So, I want to post just a few thoughts about what his historical Damascus Road event may have been.
Paul was a good Jew – a Pharisee. They did not take too kindly to the physically different. Remember, nothing not-right could worship in the Temple. No Eunuchs, for example.
So, Saul, going about knifing Jesus followers, has an accident. Perhaps a fall or a serious fever that causes him to lose most of his eyesight. No doubt, a proper interpretation of such a fever would be God’s will, and thus, for the Pharisee, a sign to force Saul to consider his actions.
In Paul’s recovery, he meets a Jesus-follower. And suddenly…
Anyway… thoughts?
And remember, Paul does not have much to say about his conversion experience except that God showed him Jesus.
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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It is a little sad to think that Paul didn’t actually meet Jesus on the road.
I didn’t say that, did I?
It seems to me a rationalizing theology which seeks to explain away experiences and instances of divine intervention in the life of a formative biblical character has little value other than besmirching the faith it seeks to understand.
Paul’s own retelling of his Damascus Road moment is more prominent than you give it credit for above. Using the narratives (albeit Lukan) from Acts 22 & 26 in combination with his own descriptions we see something far more significant that your picture above. Wouldn’t Paul, being alive and a partner with Luke through the time of the writings of the two (or one) Lukan texts have had editorial influence? Or at least some of Paul’s own followers who would have kept Luke accountable?
I don’t think you have fully considered the implications or the reality behind your thoughts.
Robert, I appreciate the comment. Would you mind pointing me to the description by Paul of his Damascus Road experience?