The former title of the website was "Doubting Paul" when it chronicled my studies into the issue of whether or not Paul is a legitimate Apostle and served as the "First Edition" online/ print booklet. The previous content found on the website has been reworked into a different format and re-titled. This is the new website/ online booklet. A Free Version for Print-At-Home is also available. God willing, an audio version and another print-available option (not-for-profit) will be available soon.
PREFACE
"The Weak Brethren Doubting Paul" is a blend of creative writing and short essays exploring the question "Is Paul A Legitimate Apostle?" The "Weak brethren" refers to the non-meat eating disciples whom Paul talked about in his Epistles (Romans and Corinthians). History calls them "The Ebionites" (meaning "The Poor") who didn't eat meat or accept the "sacrifices." Nor did they believe that Jesus was God or born of a Virgin. I take "The Weak," mentioned by Paul, to be a pejorative he used to describe those disciples. I will endeavor to identify who the "weak brethren" were beyond doubt, as well as the exact nature of the controversy between them and Paul/ Paulinists (those who accept Paul as an apostle, i.e. Christians). I am not a Christian. I identify with The Weak Brethren.
Given that my background and area of study in college was Creative Writing, this booklet is written in the style of an "Epistle" addressed to Paul and those who accept him from the perspective of a "Weak" believer as a fun and creative way to address serious issues and explain my intention. This is a creative, stylistic choice and isn't to be understood as a claim of "inspiration" from God. It should also be noted that this booklet is born out of preparation for a debate that took place on February 1, 2025.
The subject material related to the Debate Preparation is found in the Three Main Sections of the booklet. Section 1 is my "Opening Statement." Due to the time constraint, Section 1 focused exclusively on the first major issue at hand, which is whether or not Paul actually met the true Jesus as he claimed and if he fits the qualifications for Apostle. Section 2 provides further analysis of my thesis statement and explores two other issues: food/ diet and the gospel. Section 3 is the Conclusion. That ends the content prepared for the debate. After Section 3 I provide four additional supplemental essays. The First of the supplemental essays explores 2 Peter 3 and whether or not "Peter" "endorses" Paul. The Second and Third essays explore a digression in Section 2, Subsection 1.b. concerning the identity and nature of Paul's "Jesus" and whether or not Jesus was miraculously conceived. The Fourth of the supplemental essays will further explore the idea of Paul being a Secret-Agent Man, or Section 2, Subsection 1.c and 1.d.