Comparative Theology · Pauline Epistles & Early Church
Paul dismisses the pillars of the church
Handle with care. Do not overstate: Paul also records a handshake of fellowship in the same chapter. Mention it before they do.
In short
- 1.**Galatians 2:6** — as for those held in high esteem, whatever they were makes no difference to me.
- 2.**He calls them the so-called pillars** (Galatians 2:9), language that keeps them at arm's length.
- 3.**He rebuked Peter publicly** at Antioch (Galatians 2:11), the man Catholics call the first pope.
- 4.**Only Paul's side of the argument survives.** We have no letter from James or Peter answering him in kind.
The claim being examined
Paul treats James, Peter and John — the men who actually knew Jesus — as carrying no special weight over his own revelation.
The Islamic position
Respect for those who received knowledge directly is basic to any authentic tradition. Paul''s posture towards the disciples is the opposite of that.
Analysis
Tabor reads Galatians 1-2 as an extended defence of Paul''s independence, written under pressure from Jerusalem. The phrase οἱ δοκοῦντες, the ones who seem to be something, appears three times in a few verses and carries a faintly dismissive tone in Greek. Ehrman observes that we hear this dispute only from Paul, because the winning side preserved the winner''s mail. Whatever James wrote in reply, if anything, has not reached us. This asymmetry of sources is itself a finding: the New Testament canon is not a neutral archive of the first century, it is the library of one party in the dispute.
From the Qur'an
Qur'an 4:59
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
O you who believe, obey God, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you.
From the Bible
Galatians 2:6
ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναί τι … οὐδέν μοι διαφέρει
As for those who were held in high esteem, whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favouritism.
Read it in their BibleGalatians 2:9
οἱ δοκοῦντες στῦλοι εἶναι
James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars.
Read it in their BibleGalatians 2:11
κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῷ ἀντέστην
When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
Read it in their BibleSources
James D. Tabor, Paul and Jesus (2012), ch. 2 · Bart D. Ehrman, Peter, Paul and Mary Magdalene (2006) · Ali Ataie, lectures on early church history (Zaytuna College) · Galatians 1-2; Tabor, Paul and Jesus, ch. 2
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