DeConick A.D

119
PAUL AND GNOSTIC DOGMA
Afterward, Paul spends years wandering south to the Arabian Peninsula,
preaching as he goes (Galatians 1:17). We don’t know for certain
why he chose Arabia, but it is the desert area south of the land of Israel
where Mount Sinai is located (4:25). Perhaps Paul felt compelled to visit
the mountain upon which YHWH revealed himself to Moses and Elijah
in his glorious form, seeking similar visions for himself (Exodus 3:1–6,
34:27–29; 1 Kings 19:1–18). Paul claims to have received multiple visions
and revelations during his travels, including a revelation that involved a
celestial tour to paradise, where he learned things that are impossible to
communicate humanly (2 Corinthians 12:1–4). Throughout his letters, he
claims that his gospel was not taught to him by human authorities but was
conveyed to him in a revelation of Jesus the Messiah (Galatians 1:1, 11–12).
It’s a Mystery
It is the experience of God in the form of Jesus Christ that Paul tries to
communicate to converts throughout the rest of his life. At a loss for
words to describe the overwhelming experience, Paul relies on Gnostic
language. He says the experience is a revelation of a mystery that has been
hidden since the beginning of time (Romans 16:25–27; 1 Corinthians 2:7;
Ephesians 3:5, 8–10). It is something that can’t be rationally explained. Nor
is it known to the archons (rulers) who reign over this aeon (age) (1 Corin
thi ans 2:6–7). It is about God’s wisdom and power, which is foolishness
to human logic (1:20–25; 2:1). It is about gnosis, the direct apprehension
of God in the form of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 2:14;
Ephesians 1:17–19, 3:18–19; Colossians 1:9–10, 2:2). It is to know the love
of Christ, the fullness of God, that surpasses all (Ephesians 3:18–19).
According to Paul, this Gnostic experience is not without consequence.
It directly conveys a pneumatic (spiritual) gift that unites the human spirit
with the spirit of Christ and transfigures the human mind (Romans 1:13;
1 Corinthians 1:5, 6:17, 7:7, 40, 9:11; 2 Corinthians 13:5). Paul promises
to those he converts that he will reveal “what no eye has seen, nor ear
heard, nor the human heart conceived” (1 Corinthians 2:9). He considers
himself a steward of these mysteries (1 Corinthians 4:1; 2 Corinthians
11:5–6; Colossians 1:25–26).
What is the mystery that has been hidden? The very identity of God
himself. Although the pagans or Gentiles recognized the power of God