A.N. Wilson’s *Paul: The Mind of the Apostle* (1997) offers a speculative biography of Paul of Tarsus, presenting him not as the founder of a new religion but as a visionary Jew who reimagined the meaning of Judaism in the context of his time. Here are key points Wilson makes about Paul, based on available sources:
1. **Paul’s Role in Christianity**: Wilson argues that Christianity, as it is traditionally understood (with beliefs in Jesus as the Divine Savior, the Resurrection, and the Eucharist), would not exist without Paul. He portrays Jesus as a fervent Jew focused on a stricter observance of Judaism, whereas Paul transformed Jesus into the Messiah and the center of a new religion by claiming divinity for him.
2. **Paul’s Background and Transformation**: Wilson describes Paul as a complex figure, a Hellenized Jew and Roman citizen, possibly a tent supplier to the Roman legions and a temple guard who may have witnessed or participated in Jesus’ execution. His conversion on the road to Damascus, prompted by a vision of the crucified Jesus, was a pivotal moment that shaped his mission to spread Jesus’ message beyond Jewish communities.
3. **Paul’s Vision and Context**: Wilson emphasizes Paul’s revolutionary idea of what it meant to be Jewish, influenced by his experiences in the Roman Empire during Nero’s reign. The book vividly reconstructs the settings of Paul’s life—Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome—blending social history with detective-like analysis to show how these environments shaped Paul’s theology. He portrays Paul as a “prophet of liberty” whose inner life anticipated Romantic poets, rather than a rigid rule-maker.
4. **Critique of Traditional Views**: Wilson challenges accusations of Paul as misogynistic or obsessed with carnal sin, suggesting that Christianity has become an “institutionalized distortion” of Paul’s thought. He defends Paul against claims of distorting Jesus’ message, though he acknowledges ambiguity in whether he praises Paul for spreading Jesus’ teachings or criticizes him for altering them.
5. **Historical and Theological Approach**: Written during Wilson’s atheist period, the book intertwines biography with theology, drawing on diverse sources like Rudolf Bultmann and F.F. Bruce. However, Wilson’s skepticism leads him to question the Bible’s reliability as a source about Paul, often placing biblical dates and details in quotations while treating other ancient sources more credulously. He also makes a notable error by conflating the Jewish revolts of 66–73 and 132–135 CE, which affects his dating of the Gospels and Acts.
6. **Paul’s Legacy**: Wilson credits Paul with significant influence on the growth of the Catholic Church and its core beliefs, portraying him as a “religious genius” whose epistles defined Christian theology. Yet, he notes that Paul’s focus was on preparing followers for an imminent day of judgment, not establishing long-term doctrines.
**Critical Reception**: The book is praised for its erudite and engaging prose, historical context, and thought-provoking insights, though some readers find it disorganized, with long digressions into Roman history or post-Pauline church development. Critics note that Wilson’s arguments sometimes lack credible evidence, and his idiosyncratic view of Paul may not convince all readers.
Wilson’s work is a blend of scholarship and speculation, aiming to uncover the psychological and historical journey of Paul, whom he sees as Christianity’s true inventor, while grappling with his own complex relationship with faith.
********************
### Detailed Insights into Wilson’s Portrayal of Paul
1. **Paul as the Architect of Christianity**:
- Wilson argues that Paul, not Jesus, was the true founder of Christianity as a distinct religion. He posits that Jesus was a Jewish teacher focused on reforming Judaism, whereas Paul reinterpreted Jesus’ life and death to create a universal religion. Wilson suggests Paul’s vision of Jesus as a divine figure was a radical departure from Jewish messianic expectations. For example, Wilson emphasizes Paul’s role in formulating doctrines like the Resurrection and the Eucharist, which became central to Christian theology.
- A key idea is that Paul’s epistles, written before the Gospels, shaped early Christian thought. Wilson writes that Paul’s letters provided the theological framework for understanding Jesus as the Christ, a concept less explicit in Jesus’ own teachings.
2. **Paul’s Psychological and Cultural Context**:
- Wilson paints Paul as a Hellenized Jew, deeply influenced by the Greco-Roman world. He speculates that Paul might have been a tent supplier to the Roman legions and possibly a temple guard in Jerusalem, potentially witnessing Jesus’ crucifixion. This background, Wilson argues, gave Paul a unique perspective, blending Jewish zeal with Roman pragmatism.
- The Damascus Road experience is central to Wilson’s narrative. He describes it as a transformative vision that shifted Paul from a persecutor of Christians to a missionary. Wilson suggests this was less a supernatural event and more a psychological breakthrough, where Paul reimagined the crucified Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy.
3. **Paul’s Revolutionary Judaism**:
- Wilson portrays Paul as a “prophet of liberty” who redefined what it meant to be Jewish in a cosmopolitan Roman Empire. He argues that Paul’s mission was to extend Jewish monotheism to Gentiles, removing barriers like circumcision and dietary laws. This is evident in Paul’s emphasis on faith over works, particularly in epistles like Romans and Galatians.
- For example, Wilson highlights Paul’s teaching in Galatians 3:28 (“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”) as evidence of his inclusive vision, though Wilson notes this was radical for its time and often misunderstood later.
4. **Challenging Misconceptions**:
- Wilson defends Paul against accusations of misogyny and legalism. He argues that passages like 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 (urging women to be silent in churches) are either misinterpreted or later interpolations, not reflective of Paul’s broader views. Wilson suggests Paul’s focus on spiritual equality was progressive, though later Christian institutions distorted his teachings into rigid doctrines.
- He also counters the idea that Paul was obsessed with sin, emphasizing instead his focus on grace and redemption, which Wilson sees as a poetic, almost Romantic expression of human liberation.
5. **Historical and Methodological Issues**:
- Wilson’s approach is skeptical of biblical accounts, particularly Acts, which he views as less reliable than Paul’s epistles. He questions traditional timelines and events, such as the dating of Paul’s travels, and sometimes relies on speculative reconstructions. For instance, his conflation of the Jewish revolts (66–73 CE and 132–135 CE) leads to errors in dating the Gospels and Acts, which he places later than most scholars.
- He draws on a range of sources, from liberal theologians like Rudolf Bultmann to conservative ones like F.F. Bruce, but his selective use of evidence has been criticized. For example, he accepts some non-biblical sources (like Roman records) at face value while dismissing biblical ones, which some reviewers found inconsistent.
6. **Paul’s Legacy and Wilson’s Ambivalence**:
- Wilson credits Paul with shaping the Catholic Church’s structure and beliefs, particularly through his emphasis on Christ’s divinity and the sacramental system. However, he also suggests that Paul’s focus on an imminent apocalypse (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17) was not intended to create a lasting institutional church.
- Written during Wilson’s atheist phase, the book reflects his complex relationship with Christianity. He admires Paul’s genius but critiques the church for institutionalizing his vision into something Paul might not have recognized. This tension makes Wilson’s portrayal both sympathetic and critical.
### Addressing the Request for Quotes
Since I lack direct access to the book’s text, I can’t provide verbatim quotes, but I can summarize key ideas Wilson likely expressed based on reviews and analyses:
- On Paul’s role: Wilson likely wrote something akin to, “Without Paul, there would be no Christianity as we know it; he transformed Jesus from a Jewish teacher into the divine Christ.”
- On Paul’s vision: He might have described Paul’s Damascus experience as, “A moment of profound insight where Paul saw the crucified Jesus as the key to a new understanding of God’s covenant.”
- On liberty: Wilson probably emphasized, “Paul’s gospel was one of freedom, breaking down ethnic and social barriers to create a universal faith.”
2:00 Christianity is idolatry.
3:00 The dogma of the Trinity
4:00 Jews reject the Trinity.
5:00 Muslims are too afraid of Christians to obey quran.com/18/4
6:00 Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights protect freedom of expression.
7:00 Hypocrites
8:00 A N Wilson
https://slguardian.org/lesbian-archbishop-breaks-anglican-barrier
14:00 Cult of the Vestal Virgin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestal_Virgin
23:00 Corinthians
26:00 Christian scripture
30:00 Anglican accelerationism
31:00 Elevation of sex offenders contrary to divine law
33:00 Provocation is a partial defence to murder.
34:00 quran.com/17/104
39:00 VINCENT BRUNO joins.
42:00 A N Wilson's accelerationism
43:00 No common sense without a common belief system.
44:00 Laws against no murder, no theft, no rape.
45:00 Global religious war?
46:00 Taking idolatry seriously
47:00 No man can serve two masters.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206%3A24&version=NIV
49:00 Biblical stories > philosophical essays?
50:00 People don't think Jews are stupid.
51:00 13 Principles of Judaism are not stupid.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maimonides#Thirteen_principles_of_faith
53:00 There must have been a first man and woman.
54:00 Mumbo jumbo and Aesop's fables
55:00 Belief in the Abrahamic God and the afterlife is more important than believing in the literal truth of the Biblical stories.
56:00 Aesop's fables
Core beliefs
57:00 Was the universe created?
58:00 Not the Abrahamic God
59:00 The nature and attributes of the Abrahamic God
1:00:00 Vincent says he will read the Koran.
1:01:00 Fearing God
Climate change
1:02:00 Bible stories
1:03:00 Gender war can only be prevented by obeying the laws of God.
Mental health issues
1:04:00 Identity issues
Absurd beliefs
1:05:00 Hinduism
People want to believe in the Abrahamic God
1:06:00 Real history
1:07:00 The moral of Jonah and the whale
Matilde Ludendorff
https://scientificnordicpaganism.blogspot.com/2025/08/why-mathilde-ludendorffs-philosophy.html
https://scientificnordicpaganism.blogspot.com/2025/08/why-did-mathilde-ludendorff-reject.html
https://scientificnordicpaganism.blogspot.com/2025/08/why-did-mathilde-ludendorff-rejected.html
1:09:00 Acausal realm
1:10:00 Arthur Schopenhauer was an atheist.
1:12:00 Since neither the existence nor the non-existence of God can be conclusively proven, the most intellectually respectable position to take on whether God exists is agnosticism.
1:13:00 Positive thinking
1:14:00 Optimism is a survival strategy.
1:16:00 Leave people to their delusions.
1:18:00 Jews run circles round Muslimorons.
1:19:00 Muslimorons are interpreting their Koran wrong.
1:20:00 Jehovah's Witnesses
1:21:00 The people who break thei rules are low status and the people who keep the rules are high status.
Judaism is not a religion for everyone.
1:22:00 It is easy to prove that Muslims have been misinterpreting their Koran for centuries.
1:23:00 Hadith that conflicts with the Koran should be rejected.
1:24:00 https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=4&verse=24
1:27:00 MIKE MALZAHN joins.
1:28:00 Zina
1:30:00 Koran alone Muslims
1:31:00 The role of the supreme court
1:33:00 The number of times Muslims are supposed to pray a day is not quite clear in the Koran.
1:34:00 I am not going to create my own religion.
1:35:00 Christianity v Islam
1:36:00 Western governments are not taking suggestions for improvement from the governed.
Western governments want to commit suicide by cop.
1:37:00 Ross Perrot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Perot
1:39:00 Why Spinoza was excommunicated
There is a chasm between mere monotheism and ethical monotheism.
1:40:00 Albigensian Crusade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albigensian_Crusade
1:41:00 Vincent calls the beliefs of the Abrahamic religions nonsense.
Christianity v Islam
1:42:00 Atheism v Ethical monotheism
Social conservatives v the sexually liberated
Mike prefers Congress to make up the rules as it goes along.
1:43:00 The law is not properly enforced or enforced unfairly.
Muslimorons have not acknowledged that Islamic scholars under absolute monarchs would be in fear of their lives, liberty and property.
1:44:00 The Gulf kingdoms are asbsolute monarchies.
1:46:00 Shahada story
The question of whether reciting the Shahada (the Islamic declaration of faith) results in the forgiveness of all prior sins, including severe crimes like murder, robbery, and rape, is a nuanced one in Islamic theology. It depends on interpretations within different Islamic schools of thought, the nature of repentance, and the distinction between divine forgiveness and earthly consequences. Below, I’ll provide a concise yet comprehensive answer based on mainstream Islamic perspectives, addressing both the spiritual and legal dimensions.
### Islamic Perspective on Forgiveness and the Shahada
1. **Divine Forgiveness for Past Sins**:
- In mainstream Islamic theology, particularly within Sunni and Shia traditions, sincerely reciting the Shahada and embracing Islam is believed to wipe clean a person’s slate of sins committed before conversion. This is based on several Quranic verses and hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). For example:
- **Quran (39:53)**: “Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.’”
- **Hadith (Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 121)**: The Prophet Muhammad reportedly said, “Islam wipes out all the previous misdeeds.” Another narration states that when a person converts to Islam, Allah forgives their past sins, and their record starts anew.
- This principle applies regardless of the severity of the sins, including grave crimes like murder, robbery, or rape, as long as the conversion is sincere and accompanied by genuine repentance (tawbah). Repentance involves remorse, ceasing the sinful act, and resolving not to return to it.
2. **Conditions for Forgiveness**:
- **Sincerity**: The Shahada must be recited with genuine belief and intention to submit to Allah. A superficial or insincere declaration does not qualify for forgiveness.
- **Repentance**: While Islam teaches that conversion erases past sins, scholars emphasize that true repentance is crucial, especially for major sins. For crimes involving harm to others (e.g., murder, rape), repentance may also require seeking forgiveness from victims or making amends where possible, though this is debated (see below).
3. **Distinction Between Divine and Earthly Consequences**:
- **Divine Forgiveness**: From a spiritual perspective, Allah’s mercy is vast, and conversion with sincere repentance can lead to forgiveness of all prior sins, including heinous ones. This is a matter between the individual and Allah.
- **Earthly Consequences**: However, Islamic law (Sharia) and secular legal systems distinguish between divine forgiveness and earthly accountability. Crimes like murder, robbery, or rape often carry prescribed punishments (hudud or qisas) in Islamic jurisprudence or penalties in secular law. Conversion to Islam does not automatically exempt a person from these consequences if they are prosecuted in a legal system.
- For example, in a Sharia-based legal system, a convert who committed murder might still face qisas (retribution) or diya (compensation) unless the victim’s family forgives them. Similarly, secular courts would likely pursue justice regardless of the perpetrator’s conversion.
4. **Rights of Others (Huquq al-Ibad)**:
- Islamic scholars differentiate between sins against Allah (huquq Allah) and sins against people (huquq al-ibad). Sins like idolatry or disbelief are purely between the individual and Allah and are forgiven upon conversion. However, crimes like murder, robbery, or rape violate the rights of others. Many scholars argue that forgiveness for these requires not only repentance but also restitution or seeking forgiveness from the victims.
- For instance, stolen property should be returned, and harm caused (e.g., through rape or murder) may require compensation or justice in this world, even if Allah forgives the sin spiritually.
5. **Diversity of Scholarly Opinions**:
- **Sunni View**: Most Sunni scholars (e.g., Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali) agree that conversion forgives past sins, but they differ on whether earthly punishments still apply. Some argue that hudud punishments may be waived for pre-conversion crimes in certain cases, especially if the crime wasn’t prosecuted before conversion, but this is not universal.
- **Shia View**: Shia theology also supports forgiveness of past sins upon conversion but emphasizes repentance and restitution for crimes against others. Some Shia scholars hold that legal consequences may still apply unless victims or their families waive their rights.
- **Modern Interpretations**: Contemporary scholars like Yusuf al-Qaradawi have noted that while Allah’s forgiveness is absolute for sincere converts, human justice systems (Islamic or secular) may still hold individuals accountable to prevent impunity.
### Practical Implications
- **Spiritual Clean Slate**: A sincere convert who recites the Shahada and repents is considered spiritually forgiven by Allah, regardless of the gravity of past sins. This reflects Islam’s emphasis on divine mercy and the transformative power of faith.
- **Legal Accountability**: Conversion does not automatically erase legal consequences. For example:
- A murderer converting to Islam might be forgiven by Allah but could still face trial and punishment in a Sharia court (e.g., qisas) or secular court (e.g., prison).
- A rapist or robber would similarly face legal consequences unless victims or authorities waive punishment, which is rare for such serious crimes.
- **Restitution and Forgiveness**: For crimes like robbery, returning stolen goods or compensating victims is often required as part of repentance. For murder or rape, seeking forgiveness from victims or their families is encouraged, though not always feasible.
### Example Scenarios
- **Murder**: A convert who committed murder before embracing Islam is spiritually forgiven if their repentance is sincere. However, if the victim’s family demands retribution under Sharia or the crime is prosecuted in a secular system, the convert may still face execution, imprisonment, or compensation.
- **Robbery**: The convert must return stolen property or compensate victims as part of repentance. Legal systems may still impose penalties like fines or jail time.
- **Rape**: Divine forgiveness is possible with sincere repentance, but the crime’s severity often requires legal punishment (e.g., hudud in Sharia or prison in secular law), and victims’ rights must be addressed.
### Conclusion
Reciting the Shahada with sincere faith and repentance can lead to divine forgiveness of all prior sins, including terrible crimes like murder, robbery, and rape, according to mainstream Islamic teachings. However, this forgiveness pertains to the spiritual relationship with Allah. Earthly consequences—legal punishments or obligations to victims—typically remain, as Islam balances divine mercy with justice for those harmed. The exact application depends on the legal system (Islamic or secular) and scholarly interpretations.
1:48:00 Anti-natalism and atheism
1:50:00 Reciting the shahada is like being born again with a clean slate?
1:52:00 How can our group carry on if most members don't want to have children?
1:52:00 Mike's mother had five children but only has eight grandchildren.
1:53:00 Mike's anti-natalism
1:54:00 Famine
1:55:00 Anti-natalism and immigration
1:56:00 Reintroducing slavery
1:57:00 Slavery destroyed the Roman working class.
1:58:00 A nation ought to have its own working class or its own army.
1:59:00 Manumission is the right of every slave.
2:00:00 Trump's land empire
2:02:00 Hoarding wealth
2:04:00 Usury
2:07:00 Mubaharah, mudarabah etc
2:12:00 Dividends
2:13:00 Raising interest rates
2:14:00 US inflation now 2%.
