The Bible and Wisdom II

Where does Paul draw his conviction about the true nature of Christ Jesus? Unlike others who were close to Christ Jesus, he does not draw it from direct instruction. As you all know, he draws it from the event in Damascus. He draws it from the fact that he could say: I have seen the one who lived and suffered and died in Palestine; I have seen him in his life. Paul means nothing other than that he has seen Christ in spirit and has gained the truth that Christ lives from his spiritual insight. He proclaims the Christ whom he has come to know in his spiritual vision. And he equates this apparition with the other apparitions, for he tells us clearly: After death, Christ appeared to various personalities, to the twelve disciples and others, and finally also to me, as one born out of time. By this he means that he really saw, in a higher vision, the one who had won the victory over death, and that since that time he has known that for those who rise up into the spiritual world, Christ lives.