Three accounts of Paul's conversion: towards harmonization

Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint Lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

29 December 2010

One of the most difficult things to do for a scholar influenced by Rationalism, Enlightenment, neo-Orthodoxy of a Bultmanian kind, is to harmonize detail in doublets in the Scripture, since they are working with the undercurrents of the cancer called "suspicion". Their methodology is the hermeneutics of suspicion and they are always trying to hang out the so-called dirty washing, in their view. However, closer inspection of the data reveals that the washing is not dirty to start off with and a hanging out is no problem provided you are willing to work with an hermeneutics of affirmation. They are willing to be authentic to destruction but not authentic to harmonization.

One can find the conversion report of Paul in three chapters in the book of Acts: 9, 22 and 26. Scholars have compared the three chapters and concluded that they differ with each other and that they are three different sources of which some confused the data. They prefer to talk about discrepancies in the accounts. It would not be too much to look closer into the three accounts and come up with a total different view than these pessimistic scholars.

9 is through the eyes of Luke, 22 is through the eyes of Paul and 26 is through the eyes Paul.

9 is Luke's own report, 22 is Paul's own words, and 26 is also Paul's own words.

9 is Luke's report through his own research of the historicity of the event. 22 is Paul's report with Jews as an audience and in the temple in Jerusalem. 26 is Paul's report to Festus and Agrippa in Caesarea.

9 is characteristic simple and perceptive. 22 is enlarging the situation and 26 is minimizing the situation.

In all three, 9, 22 and 26 there are certain constant factors involved: light from heaven, voice of Jesus, Saul's answer, instruction and command of the high priest.

Differences are apparent in the following ways:

In 9 it is one high priest as well as in 22 but in 26 the authority to go to Damascus was given by many high priests.

In 9 it is men and women and in 22 it is men and women and in 26 "sanctuary".

In 9 the prisoners were brought in bondages. In 26 some were killed.

In 9 the light fell only on Paul and in 26 it fell on Paul and his co-travelers.

In 9 only Paul fell on the ground, and in 22 only Paul fell to the ground but in 26 all fell to the ground.

In 9:7 the people with Paul could not see but heard the voice. In 22:9 the people with Paul could see but did not hear. In 26 the people could not see but could hear.

Chapter 9 is in the third person while 22 and 26 is in the first person.

In 9 the people stood speechless and in 22 all fell down.

In 9 Paul said that he acted due to Ananias's command but in 22 and 26 Paul said nothing about Ananias.

Wrapping it up:

There were three groups of people around Paul, those very close to him and those very far from him. Paul was blind but he could hear. Then there was a group near him who could hear but not see. Another group further could hear and see and a still further group could see but not hear.

The other variant factor in the three conversion accounts is the fact that it came from the eyes and perception of two different individuals, Luke and Paul.

The audience witnesses’ reports will be different since each one of them may find themselves in one of the zones remote from Paul.

Paul shortened his own report to fit his audience. What he says in front of the Jews is not as short as what he says in front of Agrippa and Festus.

What Paul elaborated in Jerusalem he shortened in Caesarea.

What happened is that Paul dictated his story to a scribe or he wrote it himself in the form of a diary and these sources were brought together by Luke resulting in three accounts for the conversion of Paul.

There is thus no inconsistency in these three accounts and their records with the added material are as natural as one can expect in a CNN report on the same event by two or three people.