Initially, Paul's mission involved locating and capturing the followers of Jesus/Judas the Galilean to suppress potential revolts against the Romans (Galatians 1:13-14). Yet, due to the considerable number of followers who continued to anticipate a Messiah liberating them from Roman oppression (Acts 1:6), both the Romans and Paul had to modify their approach.
Paul began to preach in an effort to counteract the revolutionary fervor [35]. He shifted blame away from the Romans and onto the Jews for the death of Jesus/Judas the Galilean (1 Thessalonians 2:14-15). Paul went as far as encouraging the followers of Jesus/Judas the Galilean to submit to Roman authority (Romans 13:1-5). He argued that Jesus/Judas the Galilean was not an anti-Roman rebel but had come to preach peace to the people (Ephesians 2:17). Paul's narrative persisted in emphasizing that Jesus/Judas the Galilean willingly took on human form, sacrificed himself on the cross, and died for the sins of his followers (1 Corinthians 15:3). This approach was aimed at convincing the Jewish community that Jesus/Judas was not a rebel but had willingly offered himself as a sacrifice to bring an end to the uprising against the Romans.
The Jewish people had been eagerly searching for signs that would herald the arrival of their awaited Messiah. Paul, in his efforts to persuade the Jews, sought to convince them that Jesus/Judas the Galilean was indeed the Messiah promised in Jewish scriptures (Acts 18:28). However, if Jesus/Judas the Galilean had truly died on the cross, he would have been considered a failed Messiah. Failed Messiahs were often cursed by the Jewish community, and their names were remembered as "Jesus" with the addition of a curse, wishing their name and memory to be wiped out. Furthermore, according to Jewish law, anyone who was hanged on a tree was considered "accursed of God" (Deuteronomy 21:23). This presented a significant hurdle to accepting Jesus/Judas the Galilean as the promised Messiah, especially considering the crucifixion event (Acts 5:30, 10:39, and 13:29). Paul, however, employed a clever strategy to address this challenge.
Understanding that for Jesus/Judas the Galilean to be accepted as the promised Messiah, he could not have remained dead, Paul used scripture to support his argument. He claimed that Jesus/Judas the Galilean had been raised from the dead and had appeared to the apostles, as well as to more than 500 disciples, including Paul himself (1 Corinthians 15:1-11). Moreover, to strengthen his case, Paul cited scriptures that prophesied the Messiah as a descendant of King David (2 Samuel 7:8-17). To further bolster the claim that Jesus/Judas the Galilean was the promised Messiah, Paul asserted that he was of the lineage of David (Acts 13:23).
In conclusion, Paul's mission initially aimed at suppressing potential uprisings by capturing followers of Jesus/Judas the Galilean. However, faced with a large and persistent following anticipating a liberating Messiah, both Paul and the Romans adapted their strategies. Paul shifted blame away from the Romans, emphasizing Jesus/Judas the Galilean as a messenger of peace, and sought to convince Jews that he was the promised Messiah. Overcoming challenges posed by the crucifixion, Paul argued for Jesus/Judas the Galilean's resurrection, using scriptures and lineage claims to strengthen his case. This strategic narrative transformation played a crucial role in shaping the acceptance of Jesus/Judas as the Messiah, eventually paving the way for the rise of Christianity.
35. Voskuilen and Sheldon (2008)
