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PAUL AND GNOSTIC DOGMA
Figure 4.2 Seventh-century mosaic of Paul, in the Basilica of Saint Praxedes, Rome. Photo
courtesy of April D. DeConick.
the traditional covenant spirituality of his ancestors. The new religion that
was built out of Paul’s profound ecstatic experience and his reevaluation of
his Jewish heritage was a religion that focused on the worship of YHWH
by non-Jews. At its heart beat a spirituality that is Gnostic.
YHWH as Jesus
There are many versions of what happened on the road to Damascus.
Luke provides us with three varying accounts in the book of Acts, in
which Paul experiences a light so intense that he is physically blinded and