THE MYTHMAKER: Paul and the Invention of Christianity

by Hyman Maccoby ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 4, 1986

Maccoby, a Talmudic scholar from Leo Baeck College in London, will inflame many with his contention that Paul, not Jesus, was the true founder of Christianity. Despite impressive research, the author's needlessly pugilistic stance--he comes off as someone defending the honor of Judaism against pagan insurgents--bleeds his argument of real force. In sum, these are Maccoby's beliefs: Paul, who claimed to be a Pharisee rabbi, was in fact ""an adventurer of undistinguished background""; Jesus, portrayed by Gospel writers as opposing the Pharisees, was in fact one himself, a devout Jew who believed he had been chosen by God to overthrow Roman rule and reign as the King of Israel; the earliest Christians did not preach the divinity of Christ until Paul rejected the Torah and replaced it with a pagan myth of a dying and resurrected god. When it comes to asserting the Jewishness of Jesus, Maccoby stands on firm ground alongside large numbers of contemporary scholars. His work will probably strengthen the belief that Jesus was to some extent an anti-Roman political revolutionary, Paul a Hellenistic interloper. However, it's difficult to take seriously the charge that Paul ""sought fame by founding a new religion"" because he ""was disappointed in his hopes of advancement."" By making Paul out as a sort of carnival huckster, Maccoby ignores the apostle's religious profundity; by making of Paul a spiritual Svengali who misled many of Jesus' closest followers, Maccoby will seem to some to be promulgating his own religious myth. His arguments simply confirm the observation that when it comes to the early years of Christianity, documentary material is so scarce and fragmentary that the few available texts can, and have, been used to bolster every conceivable viewpoint. And like other debunkers, Maccoby sometimes lets polemic get in the way of prudence; many of his assertions stand unsubstantiated by quote or other reference. A historical brief of questionable reliability--but undeniably fascinating. Elegantly argued, this one should ruffle feathers for years to come.

Pub Date: June 4, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION