Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide

Exploring the Two Founders of Christianity and Their Radical Differences

For nearly two thousand years, the apostle Paul and Jesus of Nazareth have been seen as the two towering figures at the heart of Christianity. But were they teaching the same religion? Did Paul faithfully transmit Jesus’ message, or did he fundamentally transform it into something else?

In this compelling and accessible study, New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman walks readers through the historical Jesus’ own teachings and compares them to the theology of Paul, Christianity’s first and greatest interpreter. With clarity and careful argument, Ehrman shows where Jesus and Paul agreed—on apocalyptic expectations, on God's coming judgment, and the need for repentance—but also where they profoundly diverged.

Where Jesus preached a message of ethical living, repentance, and forgiveness to enter God's kingdom, Paul proclaimed salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ. Where Jesus saw himself as a human prophet preparing people for God's imminent rule, Paul exalted him as the divine Son of God whose sacrificial death was the only path to salvation.

Through vivid examples, including Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man and the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Ehrman demonstrates how these two foundational figures of the faith articulated strikingly different visions of how people are made right with God.

Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide challenges readers to reconsider long-held assumptions about the origins of Christianity and invites thoughtful reflection on the question: Are Paul and Jesus preaching the same religion?

-Bart Ehrman