i wonder what paul's wife did when he was away.
i wonder what she was thinking when, one day, after a few good months (or years) hunting down these new jesus people, her husband comes home and says, 'Don't call me Saul. I'm Paul and, by the way, I'm going to be leaving for a while. Some guy in another town is going to teach me some things. And hey! I used to be blind besause this big light thing happened and now I'm not blind, and oh, this is so cool. I wish I could tell you, but I can't. I'll be in touch.' and then he takes his cloak, his tent making tools, shuts the door behind him and goes away.
i wonder what happened to her. did she follow him? i can't recall any mention of her being with him. if she did follow him - fellowship to fellowship, town to town - i wonder what she thought. i wonder if she thought, 'you know, i never liked our old neighborhood anyway. now i get to see the world and take notes for Saul, i mean Paul, all the time. i don't have to sit in the back anymore. i just have to sit quietly. shhh.' i wonder if she thought that.
or i wonder if she thought, 'this sucks.'
9 comments:
Was there a Mrs. Paul? I had the impression from all of the "it would be best if you just didn't have sex, like me, but if you must..." verses that he was never married. But if he was I'm sure I know what she was thinking....
i, too, wonder if he was married. and ya NEVER know what his wife was like. maybe she was one of those types on the christian dating sites that would find a man like paul an absolute fox. yeah. maybe.
i'm wondering if i'm getting him mixed up with peter.
i remember from my sunday school lessons that paul had a wife...
I liked this post :) Fun to wonder about what was going on that isn't written about.
Paul never had a wife. He received the grace of singleness to pursue the call of the gospel.
but if he was on the sanhedrin council, didn't he have to be married?
that was always what i was taught...(and jesus chick reminded me of that point)
hm.
however, if he was single, it sure makes me look at his advice to married women aslant...
Some say that Paul must have been married because he was a Pharisee, or because he was a rabbi, or because he was on the Sanhedrin. There is no evidence that he was on the Sanhedrin, which is like being in Congress -- though he was up and coming, possibly being groomed for such a position later. There was no "office" of Rabbi until later -- remember that Jesus was called Rabbi just because he taught people. The rabbinic teaching on the office of Rabbi was written no earlier than A.D. 200. All we know about the Pharisees comes from Josephus, the New Testament, and late rabbinic sources.
As a single male minister, I am acutely aware that there is a prejudice against single ministers in many churches. Many people just do not respect them. They assume that Paul must have been married to be so wise.
and their suspicion and distrust all seem to revolve around the issue of sexuality. (at least in my experience with very parochial congregations.)
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