(Just over the Tokyo Bay)Paul and Peter in Antioch 1950 Years Ago
Why must a Japanese NGO worker be killed in Afghanistan by the Taliban?
It is because Japan must deal with Islam, just like St. Paul and St. Peter must have dealt with non-Israelites 1950 years ago.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7584232.stm
Honestly, I think that the Vatican should move or go back to Jerusalem so as to deal with Judaists living there now, since St. Peter loved Israelites and Jerusalem above all, unlike St. Paul who was also a Roman citizen.
**********************************************************
According to Max Weber, the establishment of individualism, equality, freedom, independence, and every key factor in the Western civil society and democracy of today can be traced back to the meeting of St. Peter with St. Paul at Antioch decades after the execution and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the first century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioch
There are many arguments and discussion on this meeting with various focuses and interests, for example:
------------------------------------------------------
Paul Confronts Peter in Antioch
Galatians 2:11-21
What provoked the confrontation? - The Event (Gal 2:11-13)- Peter was probably in Antioch shortly after Paul and Barnabas had returned from their mission trip to Galatia, but before the incident in Acts 15:1 occurred.
- Like Paul, Peter was trying to be all things to all men and he made a practice of eating with the Gentile believers from the church at Antioch. But when messengers from James arrived, they probably told him that his "free" lifestyle in Antioch was hindering the work of Jewish evangelism in Jerusalem. So Peter made the decision to withdraw from fellowship with Gentiles because he did not want to offend the Jews to whom he was commissioned to minister.
- When Paul saw this inconsistency in Peter's actions, he confronted Peter face-to-face in public. Even though his motives may have been admirable, Peter was wrong to withdraw from Gentile fellowship.
- Paul knew that Peter still held to orthodox doctrine - his beliefs about the gospel were correct. But his practices contradicted what he was believing. This type of inconsistency causes a disconnect between doctrine and practice, and the human mind tends to reconcile the problem by changing doctrine to correspond with the practice. This is what Paul was afraid might happen, so he stood firm for the truths of the faith.
What was at stake? - The Rebuke (Gal 2:14)- Paul knew that true doctrine would be affected by this inconsistent practice, so he brought everyone back to the center line of doctrine. The very truth of the gospel was at stake!
- not straightforward (ortho-podousin) = literally, "not straight-footed," not walking straight, believing one thing but doing another. Peter was actually contradicting the doctrine of the gospel by his practice.
- Paul was especially concerned that the Gentiles (to whom he was called) would be confused by this inconsistent practice. The Gentiles could only draw one conclusion: that as long as they remained uncircumcised they were only "second class" Christians. Paul calls this "compelling the Gentiles to live like Jews."
- Paul knew that the "wall of partition" between Jews and Gentiles had been broken down by Christ (see Ephesians 2:14-16), but now Peter was helping to rebuild the division between the two groups in the body of Christ.
What was the truth? - The Correction (Gal 2:15-21)- Paul begins by addressing Peter (as a Jewish believer who had separated himself), and he includes all of the other Jewish believers who are present.
- "We are Jews ... but even we Jews know that a man is not justified by works of the law, so even we Jews have believed in Christ so that we may be justified by faith in Christ."
….
- The effect of being justified by faith alone is to make a person dead to the law. Since he is now truly alive, he can really live for God! Justification by faith also brings the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit into the life of the believer.
- The impact of teaching the necessity of obeying the Jewish Law was to destroy the doctrine of the gospel and to make the death of Christ useless!
http://www.spiritandtruth.org/teaching/Book_of_Galatians/06_Galatians_2_11-21/Gal_2_11-21_Notes.pdf
------------------------------------------------------
* * *
As there is clear discontinuity between the age of France, Germany, and Britain and the era of the Roman Empire, there is clear discontinuity between the age of European Christianity and the era of the first and direct followers of Jesus Christ.
For the former, the decisive incident might be the fall of the city Rome in 410; for the latter the decisive meeting of St. Peter with St. Paul in Antioch before 60 A.D.
If in Antioch St. Peter had insisted that above any interpretation and understanding of words and deeds of Jesus Christ it must have been Israelites that could be saved through Christ, St. Paul would have been regarded as a maverick and thus forgotten in the history.
In this case, even today, Christians must have meant one faction among Judaists. There must be no such a thing as the Vatican, Protestant churches, and African-American Christians, since Christianity must be only composed of Judaists even today.
In that case, their doctrine would have been: a man can be saved by a faith but not by a law; yet, a man should be a Judaist to be saved by whatever means or the means Jesus Christ provided.
Indeed, from the beginning, if St. Peter had been so great, why must have Jesus Christ chosen St. Paul?
If St. Peter had had a great faith, he could have also covered the work St. Paul had done. St. Peter should have focused on non-Israelites as much as St. Paul did, which he however could not since he was a pure Israelite.
Truly, the key issue is why Jesus Christ needed St. Paul in addition to St. Peter.
If St. Peter had been so great, so holy, so powerful, and so endowed with holy authority, Jesus Christ had no need for St. Paul.
The meaningful player is St. Paul but not St. Peter for non-Isrealite Christians.
Nonetheless, what is a difference between them so long as such a question is instructive to us?
* * *
The big difference between St. Paul and St. Peter is that the former never saw Jesus Christ in person but the latter did.
Yet, it is crystal clear that it is St. Paul who set the foundation of the modern European Civilization.
Indeed, it is crystal clear that it is St. Paul who set the foundation of the Vatican in terms of salvation of non-Israelites and non-Judaists.
The implication is that you and I who have never seen Jesus Christ in person in the first century are allowed to talk about Him as with St. Peter or the Vatican, since St. Paul was allowed to, too.
What’s more, it can be interpreted that we don’t need the Vatican anymore as the sole authority in Christianity.
The Vatican’s justification for its authority is that it is backed by the historical fact that they are direct successors of St. Peter who saw Jesus Christ in person.
However, as St. Paul proved that Christianity did not need Israelites with his assertion of the death in the Law, the meeting at Antioch also suggests that Christianity does not need the Vatican; the followers of God do not even need Christianity; and the God is almighty so as to project His authority to any religion on the earth.
(And, if a God’s Angel introduced Islam, Christians must accept it, since Jesus Christ had appeared to St. Paul as the God’s Angel appeared to the founder of Islam.)
***************************************************
Now, can you know why the first African-American U.S. President must be Mr. Barack Obama?
Or, can you know why the first Vietnam War hero who is elected as U.S. President must be Mr. John McCain?
It is because it was St. Paul but not St. Peter Jesus Christ authorized for the mission to non-Israelites, since St. Peter could have claimed to his Lord that He did not need St. Paul at all since St. Peter himself could fulfill any functions to be committed to St. Paul.
Just like the God needed St. Paul, He might need EEE Reporter, Mr. Barack Obama, or Mr. John McCain, since He seems to have needed Islam in addition to Buddhism.
Otherwise, you might be highly needed for a scared cause, since you might be akin to St. Paul rather than St. Peter.
(As I checked a half, though huge, bridge over the Tokyo Bay:
http://www.fukuchan.ac/music/popular/bridgewater.html )
2Pe 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.