The Origin of Paul’s Gospel

In answer to Pauline scholarship that tends to explain the origin of Paul’s gospel in Palestinian Judaism, Hellenistic Judaism, mystery cults, or Gnosticism, Seyoon Kim here argues that the origin lies in Paul’s own testimony that he received the gospel from the revelation of Jesus Christ on the Damascus road. Only when this insistence of Paul is taken seriously, says Kim, can we really understand Paul and his theology. Kim begins his investigation of Paul’s interpretation of the Damascus event by examining Paul’s Rabbinic background. He then takes a more detailed look at just what occurred on the Damascus road, and follows this with a thorough discussion of Paul’s gospel–the revelation, its Christology, and its soteriology–keeping in mind at all times how it relates to the Damascus event.