Saul's fight against the followers of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, and his robbery of the churches

 {In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful} [Al-Fatihah: 1]

{And you will surely find the nearest of them in affection to the believers to be those who say, "We are Christians." That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant.} [Al-Ma'idah: 82]

Chapter Two :

Saul's fight against the followers of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him; his robbery of the churches; and his approval of the killing of the saints.

In the first chapter of this research, under the title “The Founder of Christianity,” we intended to discuss in detail his upbringing and education, especially since he was a student of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel (he is depicted in the Bible as Gamaliel). We learned about the languages ​​he learned, his level of culture, and his personal characteristics in order to give the reader a clear picture of Paul/Saul. He received education from Rabbi Gamaliel, the elder of the descendants of Hillel, who is considered one of the most famous teachers and writers of the Talmud and its compilers in the third stage of the stages of compiling the Talmud. He is one of the Tannaim (teachers) of the first generation between 10-80 AD, and this upbringing played an important role in forming his mentality and refining his psyche according to the teachings of the Torah and the Talmud. He is Jewish in mentality and Pharisee in identity, and was saturated with the teachings of the Talmud at the hands of his teacher and mentor, and he announced this himself, and his broad knowledge of the cultures prevalent in his time and his familiarity with the religions present in his environment, which are pagan sects, are shown to us. This will be explained in more detail in its place in the research points.

Introduction :

The call of Christ - the Messenger of God - peace be upon him was made in Palestine, and people accepted the religion of God Almighty, and there were those who were not satisfied with this natural acceptance, so there was persecution, pursuit, imprisonment and killing of the followers of the new religion, and after the death!!!(1) of Christ, his followers were subjected to severe torture on charges of blasphemy, and Paul (2) (Saul) contributed to accusing the followers of Christ of heresy. He was not satisfied with this, but he pursued them and imprisoned them and was satisfied with their killing, so he was an enemy of "Jesus" peace be upon him, his belief, thought and opinions, and an enemy of the "followers of Christ" the followers of "Christianity" who believed in Jesus, son of Mary, as a prophet and messenger (3). As we explained in the first chapter of this research; Regarding Saul, when we follow his life, we find that since his childhood he was raised according to a certain doctrine, and he says: “4 From my earliest childhood ... 5 I have lived according to the narrowest doctrine of our religion ... a Pharisee” (Acts 26:4-5). His upbringing was of a certain pattern, and he speaks about himself by saying: “13 For you have heard of my manner of life in Judaism ... 14 And I was advancing in Judaism above many of my contemporaries in my nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. (Paul's Epistle to the Galatians; Chapter 1, 13, 14.) And he completes the picture and about his upbringing, he tells us: that he was raised to practice the Law of Moses and the statutes of the fathers in a precise practice, and according to the Jewish custom, and the Pharisaic education: (The Gospel Edition: Paul cried out: “I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee” (Acts 23/6) (4). And he specifies as a young man by whom he was raised, for in the “Annunciation Edition” the text is mentioned; when he speaks about his upbringing by the Jewish Rabbi Gamaliel (5), he says: “3For I... was instructed “subtly” at the feet of Gamaliel according to the law of our fathers; and I was zealous for God, as you all are this day” (Acts 22/3), and under his leadership - Gamaliel - he entered into the interpretive methods of the rabbis, and became a member of a sect The Pharisees: “5Concerning the law, I am a Pharisee” (Phil. 3:5), so he was concerned with practicing the law and the tradition of the fathers with precision “14And I was advancing in the Jewish religion above many of my contemporaries in my nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Gal. 1:14); “3I… was brought up… trained at the feet of Gamaliel(5) to fulfill the law of our fathers” (Acts 22:3).
What appears to us from the narration of the story is that he stayed for a long time with his teacher in order to be raised to practice the Law of Moses and to practice the duties of the fathers in a precise manner. By learning jurisprudence and philosophy, he would have acquired a sufficient amount of these sciences, and by mastering the Greek and Hebrew languages, he would have been able to read and understand the beliefs, ideas, opinions and concepts prevalent in that historical era. He was superior to his peers, as he says: “14... I was superior in Jewish religion to many of my peers in my nation” (Galatians 1:14, Gospel edition). Saul
was born of pure Hebrew origin, and most Christian historians agree that there was no Gentile origin in his ancestors at all, and that he was Roman by nationality and Jewish by religion.
We wanted this introduction to help the reader imagine the state of a person who was raised on a certain style of worship and practiced his fathers’ duties precisely, and was jealous as if he had been prepared to play a certain role in the future without knowing it, but in any case it was the upbringing that his father wanted for him and he excelled in it and surpassed his peers, so it is no wonder that he would do what he would do as a sacred duty dictated to him by his belief and carry out what he did as his religion dictated to him of following the followers of Jesus Christ and persecuting and imprisoning them and even agreeing to kill the righteous among them.
Let us begin the second chapter of the research on “The Founder of Christianity” with the evidence mentioned in the Holy Bible and the statements of scholars, and we will deliberately quote the texts as they were mentioned and refrain from writing what comes to our minds or expressing our opinion; the basis in this matter is to follow the evidence mentioned in the books considered by his people, and if the situation permits us, we will analyze a position to reach a truth that the understanding mind will accept.

Introduction to Chapter Two :

As a zealous disciple, he gained popularity among the religious leaders of Jerusalem, and became a leader among the most fundamentalist elements of his sect. His goal was to eliminate every trace of new thinking or corruption that might undermine the religious traditions of his people and their interpretation of the law.
At that time, the teachings of Jesus Christ were spreading throughout the region, and his words, the words of truth, were opposed to the hypocrisy and misleading teachings of the Jewish priests. Moreover, the people in general were impressed by the physical miracles of Jesus Christ.
As a result, they began to embrace his teachings, which, of course, angered the religious leaders; the Jews. The situation became worse in the absence of Jesus Christ. But with the presence of many followers of Christ, who became known as followers of the Way: “4.. the Way” - this greatly upset the Jewish priests.
The religious leaders (the Jews) intensified their efforts to eliminate this annoying problem, and they recruited one of their enthusiastic young men and assigned them to this role, and he was Saul.
At that time, Saul was raging with hatred for the followers of Christ, considering them enemies of Almighty God. Therefore, he considered it his religious duty to eradicate and eliminate them at any cost. Any means was justified as long as it was for the sake of God. This conviction added fuel to his enthusiasm.
Saul led a campaign to persecute the early Christians to eliminate the church in its infancy. (1 Corinthians 1:23, Gospel) He preached the temporary nature of the Mosaic law and Jewish worship, so he hated and persecuted anyone who violated the law of his fathers. Because of his excessive jealousy for the traditions of his fathers, he said about himself: “For I was exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:13-14) This pursuit, persecution, and warfare took place, and Saul imprisoned and killed the followers of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him.
This is what Saul/Paul explains to us in the following paragraphs. The first thing we mention about Saul is excerpts from what he wrote about himself, and this is the first part. As for the second, it is what his beloved disciple “Luke” wrote about him. With the two parts together, we coordinate (6) with them an introduction to him, and how he was in fighting the new religion.

The first aspect :
Resisting the belief and thought of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him :

Saul said, “I will resist the name of Jesus of Nazareth in every way.” (Acts 26:9)
He was hostile to Christianity and devoted himself to this profession in Tarsus (24-34 AD). During this time, the call of Christ arose in Palestine, and the foundations of the Church were laid in Jerusalem. He led a campaign to persecute the early followers in order to destroy the Church in its cradle.

The second side :
The persecutor of the church robs the churches: Saul "the thief"

The Book of Acts also tells of Paul’s persecution of the church. He was a thief who robbed churches and temples: “3But Saul was plundering the church. “(Acts 8/3, and Saul was robbing/wreaking havoc in the church. (Evangelical edition: The word here is robbing and there is robbing: Acts 8:3 “wreaking havoc.”
And he said about himself in persecuting the church of God, so it came in his letter to the Galatians 1:13-14, which says, “I was persecuting the church of God with excess and destroying it.” So he was the greatest persecutor of the church in Palestine with excess and destroying it. [Another translation says: “destroyed it,” and the meaning is close.]
And the Holy Bible, the New Testament, gives us an accurate description of him, as Saul said, “6Concerning zeal, a persecutor of the church; concerning the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3/ 6 See also the Annunciation edition.)

Persecution and persecution of followers of Jesus Christ and those who believe in his doctrine and the imprisonment of saints :

The followers of Jesus Christ became known as followers of the Way, and Saul persecuted them. He confirms this by saying: “I persecuted this Way” (Acts 22).

The third aspect :
Persecution of the followers of Jesus Christ and those who believe in his doctrine :
Persecution of them :

He tells us about this pursuit, saying: “I often forced them to blaspheme in all the synagogues, and because I was so angry with them, I pursued them even into foreign cities.” (Acts 26:11/4), and Saul pursued them from house to house, dragging them to prison, as mentioned in the Holy Bible. “3 But Saul ... entered into houses, and dragged away men and women, and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3, Gospel edition, and in another edition the wording is given as: “...entered into houses, and dragged away men and women, and committed them to prison.” And he did not content himself with imprisoning and jailing the followers, but also
imprisoned the saints: he tells us, saying: “... I myself have shut up many of the saints in prison” (Acts 26:10). These innocent victims were beaten severely. And he declares, beyond any doubt or suspicion, and confesses to the act—that is, the act of imprisoning the followers himself with the authorization and approval of the chief priests. He said, “I did this in Jerusalem, and I myself have put many of the saints in prison, after the authority was given to me by the chief priests.”

The followers fled to Damascus and were pursued :
The fourth aspect :
Beating the followers :

These innocent victims were beaten severely, as stated in the Gospel edition: “I have persecuted this sect (note the word way and the word sect between the two editions) even to the death.”
Saul was carrying out a general persecution, as stated in Acts 7:

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The fifth aspect :
Killing the followers of Christ :

“And I was among those who issued his opinion to kill them.” (Acts 26)
As for the sixth aspect of his actions against the new religion, it was the use of the method of threatening and killing the disciples of the Lord (7):
“As for Saul, while he was still slandering the disciples of the Lord with threats and killing” (Acts 9/1, Annunciation edition).
Some of them were killed on the accusation of apostasy. When the persecution spread, the followers of the way/sect fled from Jerusalem, and many fled to Damascus. But this did not curb Saul’s violent anger, so he took letters of recommendation from the priests in Jerusalem to present to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, authorizing him to arrest the apostates (!) and return them to Jerusalem for trial, so the Holy Book says; The New Testament says in his own words: “4And I persecuted this Way unto death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5as also the high priest and all the elders bear witness of me, from whom also I received letters to the brethren at Damascus, and went to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem to be punished” (Acts 22:4-5).
Persecution of the year 2 And devout men carried Stephen, and made great mourning for him. Paul was undoubtedly one of Stephen's fiercest opponents! Who is Stephen? The Bible says about him:
Stephen before the council: 8: But Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. Acts 6:9: Then some rose up from the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of freedmen, and of Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia, and questioned Stephen; (Acts: Acts 6:9) From here began his zeal with which he fought the Christian community (Acts 8:1 “But Saul was in agreement with the death of [Stephen]” Acts 22:20 “And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was present, supporting his killers and guarding their garments.” Therefore, he participated in the stoning of his companion Stephen, the first martyr. On that day, severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone was scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.)
The church responds to what Paul did to the followers by saying: “Saul/Paul did not begin his religious life as a dedicated follower, or As a disciple receiving from Christ the teachings of his heavenly religion; in fact, he began as a bitter enemy; hating Christianity with the utmost hatred (!), rolling up his sleeves in hostility to this new religion.” This is an explicit admission of the text of the Church’s statement (and the writer has no comment).

Imprisonment of followers :

He declares without a doubt or suspicion and his own confession of the act - that is, the act of imprisoning the followers himself - saying: “10And I did this in Jerusalem; and I myself imprisoned many of the saints in prisons, after I had been given authority by the chief priests; and I was one of those who gave his opinion to put them to death. 11And often in all the synagogues I forced them with violence to blaspheme; and because I was so angry with them, I pursued them even into foreign cities.” (Acts: 26-10-11.)

He took the letters from the high priest and his journey to Damascus, which was around the year 38 AD:

He was commissioned to pursue the followers of Jesus Christ in Damascus and bring them back to Jerusalem as captives. “4And I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5as the high priest and all the elders bear witness to me, from whom I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus. I went to bring those who were there bound to Jerusalem to be punished. “(Acts 22:4. As the text says: “Acts 22:5-16 Gospel Edition, Acts 22.4-5.” 4 And I persecuted this sect even to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders bear witness to me. Moreover, I received letters from them to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring those who were there [of this sect] bound to Jerusalem, that they might be punished.”)
Then he confirms what he did by saying that the high priest bears witness to this as stated in the Book of Acts. The Apostles, the Gospel Edition, said: “5 As the high priest and the whole council of elders bear witness to me; “But I received letters from them to the brothers” (Acts 22:5). “12And I have authority and commission from the chief priests” (Acts 26:12). “He enters into houses, and drags away men and women, and delivers them to prison.”
These testimonies differ in detail, but they agree on the essence. The inevitable result of what we have mentioned and narrated about this period of time in his life is that Saul/Paul was persecuting Christians. “9.. Saul, .. was .. slandering the disciples of the Lord, threatening and killing them,” (Acts 9). The New Testament also mentions, “4And I persecuted this man.” doctrine unto death (Acts 22:4)

And the rest of the research..

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Footnotes and references:
(1.) We apologize to the honorable reader when we use some words, terms and passages that appear in this research, and there is a difference in their use, it may happen - often - that the term church does not agree with the term of the Holy Quran - the revealed and preserved revelation - or the terms of the honorable prophetic Sunnah upon its owner, may the best prayers and peace be upon him - which is a revealed and directed revelation -.
(2.) Saul became, after the surprise that happened to him on the road to Damascus - and we will discuss it in detail -: Saint Paul; the apostle of the illiterate, one of the prophets who were sent - as we will see - by the Lord Christ!? to preach (preach) in his name in assemblies and gatherings.
(3.) We should know that the term "Christianity" as a term, if it is used, refers to a specific group that adheres to a religion that was not used at that time - the time of Paul's (Saul's) fight against the followers of the Lord Christ, but rather it is a term that came later.
(4.) See Dr. Ahmed Shalabi, Comparative Religions Series, 2- Christianity, p. 111, 10th Edition; 1998, Egyptian Renaissance Library, Cairo.
(5.) The honorable reader will notice when mentioning the name of this Jewish rabbi the oscillation between one letter and another that are close in terms of articulation, and this is up to the translator. It was only noted that the honorable translators from the Levant use the letter "ghayn" and the people of the Nile Valley use the letter "jim". There are rules for translation and the accuracy of converting the letters of the name from the original to the language of translation, so look at its place.
(6.) I have mentioned this division according to what is stated in the Holy Book "the Gospel", as these words are inspired by the paragraphs as they appear. I intended this accuracy in the division, as the issue is a research according to the Holy Book and not to accuse a person without providing correct evidence for what I say!
(7.) We use this word: "disciples of the Lord" (!!) as it appears in the chapter without change. (Acts 9-1), as the integrity of the research requires transferring the text as it appears in its source.