Today Hurtado wrote “Focus, Focus, Focus!”
(not necessarily in the following order):
OK, let‘s focus on the claims Hurtado makes about Paul’s letters.
Hurtado: “… a near contemporary …”
Response: There is no clear-cut evidence in Paul’s letters that Paul considered his Jesus Christ as a near contemporary. Not that Hurtado mentioned it here, but certainly 1 Corinthians 9:1 is not even close to being enough in that regard with Paul’s own admission of revelations and the metaphorical use of the term Paul used there as mental sight, seeing with the mind’s eye, or seeing visions.
Hurtado: “Paul ascribes to Jesus a human birth …”
Response: OK
Hurtado: “… a ministry among fellow Jews …”
Response: I’m not sure where that comes from, but not a problem.
Hurtado: “… an execution specifically by Roman crucifixion …”
Response: No, Paul does not specify a Roman-style execution.
Hurtado: “… named/known siblings …”
Response: I’m not interested in debating this sticky and well-worn issue. “The Lord's brother” in Galatians 1:19 certainly could be a gloss, a marginal note that found its way into the text. But if we assume it original, there are reasonable arguments on both sides of the ‘biological brother/or not’ debate. Similar arguments can be made for 1 Corinthians 9:5. I would acknowledge a tie on debate points, but not nearly enough in the context of Paul’s letters to swing this investigator to think these references are to biological brothers.
Hurtado: “… other named individuals who were Jesus’ original companions (e.g., Kephas/Peter, John Zebedee)."
Response: Paul did not name these individuals as companions of Jesus. And Paul did not identify his single mention of a “John” as “John Zebedee”.
Hurtado has overplayed his hand with some inaccurate and exaggerated claims.
Hurtado: "Indeed, in Paul’s view, it was essential that Jesus is a real human, for the resurrected Jesus is Paul’s model and proto-type of the final redemption that Paul believes God will bestow on all who align themselves with Jesus. In Paul’s view, what God did to/for Jesus is what God will do for Paul and others who respond to the gospel."
Response: In human form, yes, I agree with Hurtado that much here. In Paul’s system, the salvific benefit for humans provided by his Jesus Christ was made significantly more relevant with the heavenly benefactor having taken on human form to suffer and die.