Paul might also have heard of Jesus’ controversies with the Pharisees over his cures on the Sabbath and his personal claim that his authority came from God himself. What made matters worse was the claim of Jesus’ followers that Jesus was the Messiah whom God raised from the dead. For Paul, it was so ridiculous to maintain that God had intervened to raise from the dead a false teacher whose blasphemous claim to be the Messiah went hand in hand with his subversion of the authority of the Law. This was utterly intolerable, and Paul sought to destroy the new movement before it could undermine and destroy authentic Judaism.
Then Paul encounters Christ in what we call “the Damascus event.” It is a direct experience which completely transforms Paul’s life and value system.
