Paula Fredriksen, on the nature of Paul’s persecution of followers of Jesus.
- Fredriksen, on what might have motivated Paul to persecute the Jesus followers: “The open dissemination of a Messianic message, in other words, put the entire Jewish community at risk.”
https://academic.oup.com/jts/article-abstract/42/2/532/1703659?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false
What did Paul mean when he said, “I persecuted the church” (Philippians 3:6) ? And why did he “persecute”? No, oppressing does not mean “killing”. Paul uses this word to mean “to impose disciplinary punishment.” So why was he subjecting Christians to disciplinary punishment? Because in pagan cities, groups that do not believe in the local god and are not Jewish are a threat to the social order in the ancient world. Ancient pagan cities were not secular regions, but networks of religious institutions in their own right. And if you insist on not worshiping the local gods of this institution while you belong to this institution (and are not Jewish), you will anger the gods. Angry gods mean disaster, and disaster means angry people. The mission of “pagans to return to the God of Israel”, which Christianity started before the arrival of Paul, is a threat to the social balance of ancient times. Paul punishes his followers for threatening this order, and then he himself is punished by his synagogue. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53PDO7OQSTs&ab_channel=StanfordJewishStudies
According to Josephus, in 62 AD, high priest Ananus had Jesus’ brother James stoned to death on the grounds that he violated the Law. Because of this execution, the Pharisees complain to the Romans about Ananus and have him removed from his position as high priest. Even in 62 AD, the two groups were on good terms.
