Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide

Exploring the profound differences in their teachings and roles in early Christianity.

Course cover

Did the two most influential figures in early Christianity actually share the same faith?

Course Overview

Did Paul and Jesus Have the Same Religion?

This course addresses one of the most controversial issues of early Christianity: Did Paul and Jesus have the same religion? Should they be considered the “co-founders” of Christianity? Or were the teachings of Paul at odds with the proclamations of Jesus, making Paul himself the founder of the new faith? Few questions can be more significant for understanding the origin of the Christian faith, and the answers are by no means simple.

Virtually everyone can agree that Jesus’ life and teaching stand at the foundation of the Christian faith. No Jesus, no Christianity. But Paul hardly ever mentions Jesus’ words and deeds. For him, the entire point of Jesus’ life was his death and resurrection. And so was Paul a follower of Jesus’ own teachings? And, conversely, should Jesus even be considered a Christian? In short, is it right to say that Paul transformed the Jewish religion OF Jesus to the Christian religion ABOUT Jesus? Or is it more complicated than that...

Key Issues Explored in This Course

  • How can scholars know what Jesus really said and did if all we have are later accounts written about him, decades after his life, by people who didn’t know him and who described his words and deeds in light of their own beliefs?
  • What did Paul, writing before the Gospels, actually know about Jesus’ life, about his words, deeds, and experiences? Why did he say so little about it? Did he assume his readers already knew all about it? Did he think that Jesus’ life and teachings didn’t matter for salvation? Did he think they were irrelevant for the problems Christians were facing?
  • Was Paul’s view of Christ as a pre-existent divine being the same as Jesus’ own view of himself and his mission?
  • Jesus preached an apocalyptic message that God would soon destroy all who were opposed to him and bring a new, blessed kingdom to earth. How did that affect his understanding of salvation? Is Jesus’ call for repentance and a return to God the same as Paul’s gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
  • Jesus instructed his followers to keep the Law and to live for others in order to enter the kingdom. How does that compare with Paul’s view that a person is made right with God apart from the law?
  • If Jesus was right, that a person could enter the kingdom by behaving the ways God demanded, why would he have to die? If Paul was right, that only belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection could bring salvation, why wasn’t that the focus of Jesus’ own teachings?
  • Since Paul claimed that a person could be saved apart from keeping the law, does that mean he advocated “lawless” behavior? How can he insist on ethical behavior? Does God care if a person keeps the Law?

Your Instructor

Bart Ehrman

James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies Emeritus · University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Bart Ehrman
Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he taught from 1988 until his retirement in 2025. Recognized internationally for his scholarship on the New Testament and early Christianity, Professor Ehrman has written or edited thirty-five books, including six New York Times bestsellers. His college-level textbook The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings has remained the best-selling text in the field for more than twenty-five years. His scholarly works have been published by Oxford, Harvard, Yale, and other premier academic presses, and his books have been translated into twenty-seven languages, reaching millions of readers worldwide.

BONUSES!

Included With Enrollment

Registration includes lifetime access to the 8-Lesson Online Course complete with a comprehensive library of resources and exclusive bonuses.

Bonus #1

A Core Teaching of Jesus. And Why His Followers Abandoned It

Get a free lecture from Bart: A Core Teaching of Jesus. And Why His Followers Abandoned It, a powerful exploration of how Jesus’ original teaching was transformed after his death. Discover why Jesus proclaimed that God’s forgiveness required no payment or sacrifice, and how early Christians later reversed this central idea. In this eye-opening session, Bart Ehrman reveals what this shift tells us about the evolution of Christian theology and how one of Jesus’ most radical messages was lost and reinterpreted by the church that followed him.

Bonus #2

Self-Assessment Quiz

Challenge yourself after completing your course with a customized quiz to the materials found in your "Paul and Jesus" course. Turn passive learning into active learning and turn short-term memory into long-term memory with our multiple choice, self-assessment quiz.

Core Content

8 Lectures by Dr. Bart Ehrman with Q&A

Lifetime access to eight 30-40 minute lectures by Dr. Bart Ehrman, complete with engaging Q&A sessions.

Resource

PDF Lesson Guides

Printable guides to accompany each lesson.

Resource

Questions for Reflection

Engaging questions to deepen your understanding and encourage critical thinking.

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Additional Reading List

A curated list of resources for further study.

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Audio Downloads

Listen to the course lectures anywhere, anytime with downloadable audio.

Course Enrollment $79.95

Enroll in "Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide" today. For $79.95, you receive lifetime access to all 8 lectures with Dr. Ehrman and all companion bonus resources.

Unlock the Profound Insights on Paul and Jesus

8 lectures, the Q&A recordings, audio downloads, and 7 bonus resources. Lifetime access.

Frequently Asked

Questions & Answers

Is this a LIVE course?

This course was recorded live on May 27-28, 2023. If you purchase this course after these dates you will have access to the recorded version of the course, including the Q & A sessions.

What is the Special Price?

Our normal price for eight individual lectures with Dr. Ehrman is $199.60*. However, you can enjoy the "Jesus and Paul: The Great Divide" course including lifetime access to ALL eight lectures, Q&A, and bonus materials for the special price of $26.97 in the month of November.

Are any other discounts available?

Yes, if you have purchased another course in the "How Scholars Read the Bible" series like "In the Beginning" or "Finding Moses," you should have received an email sent to you with a significant discount to purchase the course.

Do you offer a money-back guarantee?

Absolutely! If you don't love the seminar, send us an email and we will refund 100% of your investment. You will have 30 days from the date of your purchase.

Alternatively, this course is available through The Biblical Studies Academy (BSA), our premium membership and training community.

Backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee · Lifetime access to all course materials

$1 from your purchase is donated to charity: water.