Reading Paul
“He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16)
When reading the Bible as a simple book, there are aspects that will confound and easily distort one's view of the word. Atheists and other authors will consider some of these to be considered imperfections and contradictions. Studying multiple articles from these authors shows that there is a glaring element that comes into focus: Paul is quoted, a lot. Much of the confusion comes from the letters that were written by Paul - which spans from Romans to Philemon. Are there actually contradictions in Paul’s writings? Why is it so hard to understand the books written by Paul? What does it mean for those who follow Yahweh?
To begin, there are no contradictions in the Bible. For true believers, the argument that says that ‘‘it was inspired by Yahweh’’ is enough, but believers aren’t the only ones who take part in the debate. Non-believers will retort and claim that it’s an unfounded argument that they do not believe. Therefore, to quell their beliefs, one must break down why there aren’t any contradictions. Firstly, the Bible that is read by most people in the World is read in their own language and not the original language in which it is written: therefore, trust is put in the hands of the translator to have correctly translated, leaving way for interpretations and mistranslations. Secondly, the Bible holds multiple narrators; Yahweh gives His Word and humans could add their opinions, such as Paul (1 Timothy 2:12). Therefore, once those two major elements of nuance are explained and covered, the idea of biblical contradictions disappear.
But to understand Paul as an author and servant of the Holy One of Israël, one must understand the context of the time. One can correctly assume that he wasn’t consciously writing the Bible: to him, he was writing letters. To whom he was writing letters to? To people who were now Ephesians and Galatians, to name but a few. However, these people were biologically Israelites (Romans 9:1 - 9), for who Yahweh had made covenants with their fathers. These people knew the law and the Prophets. Therefore, he spoke in ways that would make sense to them as they were already knowledgeable, hence Peter said that it was hard for those who were not sound in the scriptures, as it could lead to their downfall (2 Peter 3:16).
But many christians and followers of Yahweh aren’t taught the law; they are taught the false doctrine that says that the law was abolished.
Another factor that complicates reading is the historical/philosophical factor. Disregard the fact that Paul wrote around 2,000 years ago. Take into account that reading many of Paul’s writings show signs of the times: a very roman and hellenised period. The Socratic method - a teaching and learning technique that emphasizes asking questions - is being used, however we are only reading Paul’s response. The best example is in Galatians 5, when talking about circumcision: he isn’t against the law, Paul is espousing how you can’t be justified by the law, you are condemned by the law and justified by Christ, however, you need the law to understand what is wrong and right (Galatians 5:1 - 6) by using the Socratic method.
To be brief, the complications that come from reading the letters of Paul are multiple: it was destined for Israël, for those who knew the Law and written in the Socratic method. It seems like a lot, but when taken into account, reading becomes much easier. You are able to properly understand what Paul meant in his teachings and see that the bible has no contradictions.