Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A tough but very interesting look at Paul, March 25, 2006
I found "Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Xtianity" to be the eye opener that a friend promised it would be. The edition I found is published by Barnes and Noble. So you won't find the current edition at Borders but they may carry earlier editions. While the book is about Paul and exploding the myths around him to see who he really was - what is most interesting is the look at the Jerusalem Xtians and JC in the context of Temple.
Maccoby did an excellent job of navigating Sadducee, Pharisee, and Pauline positions as well as carefully examining where JC's teachings fit in with each. Maccoby succeeds very well in demonstrating that Paul is the inventor of Xtianity as we know it today. He also goes into great detail in describing the Jerusalem sect, which is the inheritor of JC's ministry through his brother James. I think many Xtians may very well appreciate this aspect of the book. While common sense always told me that JC was a Rabbi teaching Torah, I really appreciate Maccoby's ability to look at JC's teaching with great care and demonstrate how they affirm Jewish values as well as looking at Jewish theological, political and (to a lesser degree) social trends of the day.
There are some limitations to "Mythmaker." The book is something of a well researched primer to Maccoby, not including references, is only 211 pages long. Some of the counterpoint as well some detail is lost for the sake of brevity. Of course this is aimed at a wider than typical audience. There is little appreciation for the possibility the Paul couldn't have really understood the anti-Semitism he was unleashing within Xtianity. I also think not nearly enough description was available to describe Gnostic anti-Semitism and its possible effect on Xtianity as Gnostic movements are absorbed or Gnostics are converted as Xtianity grows. This would have balanced Paul out a little bit.
I also think that any reader would have appreciated much greater detail on Pharisee thought since it relates so closely to JC's teachings. Maccoby does make all his major points well but this is such a rich pertinent vein that he could have been mined more. Especially for a book that intends a wide general circulation.
Mythmaker really demonstrated how hand in glove JC's teachings were to Judaism, including his claims of being the Messiah. I think it's a revealing look at a religion just before the first century CE. Perhaps best of all this work represents a door for Xtians back into the Torah, perhaps a means for Jews to find some common ground with the NT. Even Muslims might appreciate this kind of analysis of JC and comparing it to the Koran. Maccoby's perspective offers a good basis for dialogue. That's not to say that he doesn't take a tough look at Paul but it is a well reasoned and often well justified look at Paul.
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46 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What was Paul's role in the development of Christianity?, March 21, 2001
The received wisdom is that Paul was a Pharisee and Jesus was not. Hyam Maccoby makes a solid case here that the exact reverse is the truth.Maccoby's case about Jesus is made at greater length in _Revolution in Judea_, but there is a chapter here describing Jesus's cordial relationship with the Pharisees. Maccoby further contends, perhaps less plausibly, that the "Ebionites" ("poor ones") were the group which accurately received and transmitted the traditions of the historical Jesus himself. Maccoby's account of Paul is nothing short of a thorough shredding. If Paul was a trained Pharisee, why don't his arguments have the sound logical structure he should have learned in Pharisee School? Isn't there something a little funny about the way Paul whipped out Roman citizenship papers whenever he got into trouble? And just what _was_ the nature of the famous disagreement between Peter and Paul? Maccoby's Paul was, in short, a cunning rogue who pieced together a new religion from bits of this and that, and then dressed the whole thing up with a sprinkling of out-of-context Torah quotations. I have yet to see a solid reply to most of Maccoby's case. Does he denigrate Paul too far? Perhaps. Does he fail to account adequately for the rise of Christianity? Perhaps. But can we ever read the letters of Paul the same way again after Maccoby has scrutinized them? Undoubtedly not. Agree or disagree, Maccoby's volume makes a strong counterargument to those who, having reclaimed Jesus as a Jew, wish to extend the same courtesy to Paul. If this book becomes available again, grab a copy at once. And check out Maccoby's other books as well.
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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very compelling, with a few caveats, July 10, 2003
This book is extremely enjoyable and well written. I had no problem finishing it in two days. Maccoby presents very compelling arguments for making his case, and his evidence comes mostly from the Bible itself. He presents very reasonable explanations for his conclusions: Jesus was a Pharisee, contrary to the presentation of the Gospels; Jesus and his first followers believed him to be the Jewish messiah in the traditional understanding thus the future king of Israel; that Jesus in no way abrogated the Torah and was in fact very Jewish; that Jesus was crucified not for religious blasphemy but for political sedition; and finally that Paul essentially created Christianity by transforming the historical person of Jesus into a savior God and mixing together elements of Gnosticism, classic mystery religions popular in the Greco-Roman world, and historical Judaism. In presenting these arguments, he addressed several strange inconsistencies in the New Testament that in hindsight are obvious. Such as why would the Jews be clamoring for Jesus' crucifixion when he had purportedly done such great things among them? Why would the Romans care a wit about what the Jews wanted to do and carry through with it? Why would the Pharisees oppose Jesus but then show great leniency to his followers after his death? Why are there discrepancies between how Acts portrays the conflict between the Jerusalem church and Paul versus how Paul's epistles portray it? And why does Paul's complex theology show no traces of Jesus' earthly teachings and vice versa? It also always seemed a bit strange to me that Paul always talked about "my gospel". That claim makes sense in light of this book. There are however a few points I was unconvinced on, or wished the author had spent more time explaining. His assertion that Paul single-handedly "created" Christianity seems a bit too simple and I don't see how one man with only a few cohorts could establish a religion so different from what Maccoby portrays Jesus' intentions as being. Even if he could, I don't see what Paul's motivation for doing so would be. His dramatic turn around after the Damascus vision requires a more thorough explanation than simply Paul's frustration with Judaism and subsequent desire for power. His presentation of Paul's trial in Jerusalem was credible, but not fully developed or analyzed. He also does not address the fact that Jesus' followers in Jerusalem apparently did believe that he had risen from the dead. What exactly was the nature of this belief; was it a quasi-spiritual resurrection such as Paul seems to indicate in 1 Corinthians, a flesh and blood resurrection as indicated in the Gospels, or was it not an actual resurrection but merely a return from heaven to take his place as King of Israel? It's hard to justify the latter, given that every messiah was discredited as inauthentic after his physical death. Why was Jesus different? Furthermore, how does one explain the epistle largely credited to Peter that has very Pauline ideas, from the resurrection to eschatology? Did Peter convert to Paul's Christianity? How did Peter come to be in Rome and become the first pope of Paul's church? Despite my reservations and remaining questions, this book was an excellent read, highly stimulating, very illuminating. I recommend it heartily.
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