Apostolic Rivalries
Dearly beloved reader, within the textual evidence surrounding the earliest churches are hints that some leaders harboured unjust envy toward Paulus, a sentiment that would cast long shadows over the history passed down to us. Jealousy is poison that can corrode the soul if allowed to fester and become central, turning allies into adversaries and brothers into strangers. The suggestions are that jealous was the reason he met with so much contradiction regarding his teachings on what was best for Jews who converted to Christianity. Even the most devout are not immune to the pangs of envy, but this was allowed to get in the way of the greater plan.
Why Paulus? What was it about our zealous apostle that sparked such ire? Was it his fiery passion, his uncompromising theology, or perhaps the sheer force of his personality? Was it his productivity and endless energy for the spirit? The answers are long buried and whitewashed it seems, though the foundations of the contentions lived on through the centuries and yet we can still grasp at the hints and fill in where we know something of their personalities.
Peter was a man of impetuous spirit and an ability to speak to the masses, yet had fledgling courage which caught off his loyalty and his own will got in the way of God’s. His jealousy toward Paulus was not born of malice but of a deep-seated insecurity, a fear that Paulus would eclipse his own apostolic standing in the church of which he was commissioned to build on the rock of faith. To see Paulus preaching a gospel to the wider nations that both challenged and complemented his own must have stirred within him a storm of conflicting emotions, perhaps some parts amazement but then others jealousy.
And James? Any jealousy on his part, too, was also rooted in a complex web of loyalty and pride. As a pillar of the Jerusalem church, he held sway over that community, guiding its doctrinal development with a firm hand. To have Paulus, an outsider with Hellenic education, injecting new ideas and challenging established practices, would naturally provoke resistance. Paulus was so very active in his travels, writings, and activities, eager for the spirit and definitely inspired, it is easy to see how one could be jealous of these gifts.
If anything could be worthy of jealousy, it would be in the spirit, but regardless it is God’s to grant and not ours. Envy is a manifestation of our own insecurities and imperfections. None of these men were perfect and were merely inspired, which did not make everything they did perfect but only either: more or less aligned with God. In jealousy, we are made less. In inspiration toward good and God’s plans, we are made more.
God bless you and yours.