Christians would be much more accurately called Paulists.
CARR
I noticed that. Sometimes I listen to UCB (United Christian
Broadcasters) and the speakers almost always expound upon Paul and only
rarely on the Gospels.
Was Paul a gnostic heretic?
Paul has all sorts of gnostic language and ideas: Gal. 4:21-31: the
story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar is "an allegory" (v. 24), whose
meaning is secret (= not obvious), and needs explanation; Gal. 3.19:
"the Law was promulgated by angels, assisted by an intermediary." How
gnostic can you get?
The idea that angels gave the Law to Moses in is Josephus' Antiquities.
Does Walt regard Josephus or Paul as inerrant? Did Paul copy from
ordinary Pharisee ideas or was he inspired by God?
Eph. 5:8-9: "you were darkness once, but now you are light...be like
children of light." Col. 2:2-3: "until you really know God's secret in
which all the jewels of wisdom and knowledge [gnwsews] are hidden." I
Thess. 5:5: "you are all sons of light...we do not belong to the night
or to darkness." Col. 3:12: "You are god's chosen race." II Cor. 3:12-
18: Jews cannot understand their own scriptures because a "veil" between
them and the text keeps them from discerning clearly--Christians,
however, can discern because the "veil" has, for them, been lifted.
(For more on Paul and Gnosticism, see the by-now "ancient" study of E.
Pagels, *The Gnostic Paul* [1975].
All of this reeks of gnosticism, and fits the formal definition of
gnosticism: esoteric knowledge, hidden from the average person and
disguised in the literal reading of the text, but manifest to the
knowing "gnostic" who has been "enlightened," and can discern the
"hidden" "spiritual" meanings in the text; intermediaries in creation
and dealing with men; stratification of people into three levels; the
pneumatic gnostics are "children of light," and a "chosen race" apart
from the "dusty ones"; knowledge is paramount and identical with the
divinity. Allegorical interpretation is the norm. Etc., etc.
Therefore, the division between "orthodox" and "gnostic" is useless in
first century Christianity--and probably even 2nd cent.