Major features and significance of understanding the New Testament

¶ … features topic significance understanding New Testament. This a short research paper include introduction, thesis, body, conclusion.

Jesus and Paul -- compare/contrast

Both Paul and Jesus are largely considered to be two of the most influential individuals in Christian history. Even though Paul was an apostle, many consider him to be equal to or even more important than Jesus, taking into account his contribution to early Christianity. Paul is widely regarded as being the founder of Christianity, but there is much controversy regarding his understanding of Jesus' teaching, as he provides a relatively different account concerning the Messiah's life. Many Christians actually denounce Paul on account of him having modified Jesus' word with the purpose of shaping the Christian world and having Christians appreciate him more than they did at the time when he became a Christian.

Body

It is impossible to provide solid data supporting the fact that either Jesus or Paul were born on a particular date. The New Testament provides two different accounts (Matthew and Luke's) about the life of Jesus and it would be unfeasible for both of them to be true. "Hence, what they have in common is important, because one confirms the other" (Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives 1). While Matthew was concerned about providing society with an impressive account concerning Jesus' life, Luke concentrated on describing a succinct story in order for people to have a complex understanding of the Messiah's background. "Matthew felt that it was his right as a storyteller not merely to retell what had been passed on to him but to make it more attractive and to give it greater impact by filling out the picture" (Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives 2-3). The story involving Herod the Great's massacre of innocents was largely Matthew's attempt to emphasize the danger Jesus was in across his life.

Whether considering Matthew's more magical account or Luke's succinct story regarding Jesus' life, one is likely to agree that the Messiah was a simple individual who was generally concerned about assisting people experience a reawakening process. Although both Matthew and Luke refer to Jesus as paidiou (child), it is left for readers to assume that they are referring to Jesus being a child at a time that was close to Herod's death. Paul wrote a letter to Philemon when he was in prison and this makes it possible for individuals to understand that the fact that Paul's contemporaries referred to him as a presbytes (an elderly individual who is about 60) at the time meant that he was born approximately at the same time as Jesus (Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives 8).

One of the most intriguing aspects about the way that Paul and Jesus taught Christians relates to how the former focused on emphasizing justification by faith while the latter concentrated on preaching with regard to the kingdom of heaven. This is certainly surprising, taking into account that it would seem more logical for things to be the other way around. Many individuals are inclined to choose sides because they are confused about whether it would be better for them to focus on Jesus, on Paul, or on the connection between the two.

Individuals are often inclined to believe that Jesus and Paul come from different generations and that this is one of the principal reasons why many of their teachings differ. "Jesus is seen as the symbol of a Palestinian Aramaic-speaking church, which some ten or so years gave birth to a Greco-Roman Greek-speaking church best represented by Paul, a diaspora Jew from Tarsus in Cicilia" (Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives 1).

Paul is generally believed to have been converted in 31 or 32 AD. Although individuals think of him as having been primarily concerned about promoting Christianity and about interpreting Jesus' teachings in order for the masses to be able to understand them, he was also actively involved in putting Jesus' teachings into practice. The famine relief visit was meant to have Paul acknowledge the importance of his missions. In addition to this, it also provided the world with the ability to understand that he was not solely interested in the idea of faith without being concerned about the well-being of others.

Although it would be difficult and almost impossible to claim that Jesus and Paul put across the same teachings, it is nonetheless intriguing to consider the congruity between the two. Both were concerned about painting a picture of God as a person who was kind and severe at the same time and whose mercy was brutal and unique. Paul's influence is nonetheless very strong when considering Christianity in general, even with the fact if it would problematic to determine whether or not it is actually better.

To a certain degree, Paul was more concerned about providing people with a complex account involving the life of Christ. He virtually took Jesus' simple message and elaborated it in order for the masses to be able to understand it better. His idea of salvation was downright classical in character, taking into account that he apparently wants people to consider the efforts that they have to go through in order to change most of the principles they live by in order to embrace Christian faith (Still 1).

Many consider that Paul contrasted Jesus in a series of ways when considering the values that each individual lived by. While the former did not hesitate to relate to controversial ideas concerning women and sex, the latter primarily focused on living a religious life and on helping people understand the importance of believing. Paul is largely discriminated on account of the fact that he interpreted Jesus' teachings and adapted them in order to present people with a more complex story, as he apparently believed that it was important for individuals to understand exactly what Jesus wanted them to learn.