Paul: Church founder

I seem to have stumbled upon the idea of founding, as in founding a church.

On page 2 of Thomas Leishman’s The Continuity of the Bible: Paul the Missionary Apostle, my interest was jogged when I read about Peter and Paul’s influence on the beginning of the Christian church.

Much has been made of Jesus exchange with Peter about his Christliness. Peter said of Jesus, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus replied, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:13-18, cf. Mark 8:27-29, Luke 9:12-20).

Leishman tells us,

In the circumstances, one might expect Peter to have the chief part in the growth of the Christian Church; but if, as Jesus implied, the truth Peter proclaimed was the rock on which his church was to be built, the actual building on that foundation was largely left to Paul, who likewise received a great promise: “He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15).

Now, Mrs. Eddy is stated to be the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. I find no place where the words “Discoverer and Founder” are used in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, but there are many in her Prose Works (other than Science and Health).

I searched in JSH-Online for some information on this matter. Robert Peel, noted historian of Christian Science, has written an article called “The Role of Founder” (see Christian Science Sentinel September 1, 2013). It was originally published in the 1977 pamphlet titled “Mary Baker Eddy: Discoverer, Founder, Leader”.

Inevitably, I suppose, Peel relates Eddy’s work as Founder to that of Paul and Luther: Paul for the infant Christian church; Luther for the Protestant off-shoot.

Peel writes:

It was a Christian truth she discovered, a Christian church she founded.

But her first major step in founding Christian Science in general public thought was the publication of Science and Health in 1875.

Her new understanding of the infinitude of good as pure Spirit had now taken visible form, as the earlier Mary's remarkable vision of God's spiritual fatherhood had taken form in the child born in a stable. But for Mrs. Eddy to have left her book to make its own way in the world would have been like leaving the infant Jesus alone in his manger to fend for himself against the brutal exigencies of mortal existence. Endowed though he was by his divine origin and through the preparation of thought by prophecy, he still needed the care and tending which would enable him to grow "in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." 4  

The Apostle Paul, who played so important a role in the formation of the primitive Christian Church, had written, "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

I am reminded of a book about Alexander Hamilton. Of brilliant mind and organisational ability, Hamilton was the one who went about founding the United States of America under the laws of the Constitution written by the Founding Fathers. Maybe he could be said to have worked out the By-laws. He did not sign the Constitution, but neither did George Washington and a couple of others.

I wondered about one of my heroes, Benjamin Franklin. He moved the motion that the Constitution be signed. (He didn’t think it was perfect.) This site is an interesting read: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/today-the-constitution-was-signed-in-philadelphia.

Hamilton organised—made it work! Read about him in the book, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Or perhaps you have seen the movie/musical?

One could certainly go through Leishman’s book and get an approximate list of “churches” founded by Paul. He not only started the “groups”, but he perceived their spiritual needs and wrote letters of encouragement and enlightenment, and sometimes, admonitions.

One can find sites on the Internet which give possible lists of churches. For example, in ChurchPlanting.com, Neil Cole (“follower of Jesus, father of three, husband of one, church planter, author and coach”) writes:

He probably started close to 20 churches himself, with many more born out of those by his apprentice leaders. 

In Asia alone, the New Testament mentions Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Colossae, and Hieropolis.

Cole refers to the many “daughters, grand-daughters and great-grand-daughters … birthed from those.” What a cute way of acknowledging the off-shoot principle!

“Apprentice leaders”? Can we find them in our book? A quick scan, perhaps?

• ·       Barnabas (a disciple named Joses)
• ·       Titus
• ·       Mark (also known as John)
• ·       Simeon (Gentile name Niger)
• ·       Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen.
• ·       Sergius Paulus (Gentile convert)
• ·       Timothy (from Lystra)
• ·       Timothy’s mother Eunice
• ·       Timothy’s grandmother Lois
• ·       Judas called Barsabas
• ·       Silas (sometimes called Silvanus)
• ·       Luke (the author of Acts)
• ·       Lydia (first convert in Europe)
• ·       Aquila (fellow tent-maker with Paul)
• ·       Priscilla (Aquila’s wife)
• ·       Crispus (synagogue official at Corinth)
• ·       Justus (Corinthian)
• ·       Apollos (a Jew from Alexandria)
• ·       Gaius
• ·       Aristarchus
• ·       Tychicus
• ·       Onesimus (a runaway slave)

What a list.

Paul. Founder indeed!