The Bible Undressed

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            The apostle Paul is the most influential figure in Christianity after Jesus, and some would even argue that because Paul was so effective in fleshing out Christian doctrine about Jesus and then spreading it into the pagan world that he was even more influential than Jesus himself.  But is it possible that Paul had a brain disorder which actually facilitated his singular position in the history of Christianity?  Let’s look at certain aspects of Paul’s life.

            Paul did a lot of writing, particularly to friends and churches, so that we have a number of his letters preserved for us (probably just a fraction of what he wrote).  There are thirteen letters in the New Testament credited to Paul, but six of those are thought to have been written by later Christians in his name (the three Pastoral Epistles, Ephesians, Colossians, and 2^nd Thessalonians).  We have other letters forged in Paul’s name, such as 3^rd Corinthians, the letter to the Laodiceans, and his correspondence with Seneca (you can find these online).  The fact that we have letters forged in Paul’s name suggests that he had a reputation for writing letters, and people took advantage of that to write letters in his name.  It is also likely that many more authentic letters were lost to posterity.  Doing a lot of writing is called “hypergraphia.” 

            To review Paul’s story, the book of Acts tells us that he originally was a devout Jew who persecuted Christians (confirmed by Paul in Philippians 3:5, 6).  Then (according to Acts) one day on the road to Damascus he was struck by a bright light, fell to the ground, and heard the voice of Jesus talking to him.  It has been suggested that this could be evidence of a temporal lobe seizure, which is often accompanied by visual and/or auditory aura.  See also his own description of such an event in 2^nd Corinthians 12:1-6.  Further, Paul then notes that he had some sort of disorder, which he calls his “thorn in the flesh,” given to keep him humble (v.7).  Was he referring to a seizure disorder of some type, associated with his heavenly visions?

Guido Reni (1575–1642), The Conversion of Saul (c 1615-1620),
oil on canvas, 238 x 179 cm, Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial, Spain.

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            Now, what does Paul say about sex?

Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.

Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. (Paul apparently was single, see 9:5)

But this I say, brothers, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none…

[about widows] But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

1^st Corinthians 7:1, 7, 29, 40

To be fair, Paul does say in that chapter that marriage is allowed and sexual relations in marriage are allowed, but he says that by way of concession (v.6); he clearly thinks the best course is to be single and not entangled by marriage.  As for his comment, “those who have wives should be as though they had none,” sorry, but he is not giving you license to play around!  He is saying it is best to live as if single without being tied down by marriage concerns because he believed “the time has been shortened,” i.e., the end is near.  Anyway, I think it is fair to say he shows an anti-marriage, anti-sex bent in this chapter. 

            I think Paul’s religious fervor is without question, his life speaks to that: he became the most influential evangelist of the early Christian period (some would say of all time, even rivalling the importance of Jesus himself).  Paul himself notes his excessive zeal:

I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

Galatians 1:14

Also consider his defense of his apostleship in 2^nd Corinthians 11, which includes statements like

Are they servants of Christ? – I am speaking as if insane – I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.

2^nd Corinthians 11:23

Kind of funny in the context of this article that even Paul admits that his zeal seems “insane.”  This may be called “hyperreligiosity.”

            Paul also appeared to have an edge to him.  He first took such exception to the Christian message that “I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13).  Then after his conversion he often had harsh words for those who disagreed with him, such as in v. 9 where he uses the strong word “anathema” for those who opposed him, and later in 5:12 he seems to hope that those preaching circumcision would emasculate themselves!  Paul could be an irascible (irritable?) character.

            Where am I going with all this?  There is a medical syndrome called Geschwind Syndrome (aka Gastaut-Geschwind), which is a behavioral syndrome frequently described in patients affected by temporal lobe epilepsy, which consists of the following features: hyperreligiosity, hypergraphia, hyposexuality, intensified mental life, irritability and of course seizures.  Paul was a religious zealot, had at least one recorded temporal lobe seizure, he wrote a lot, he minimized the importance of sex and marriage, clearly was a deep thinker, and both before and after his conversion vehemently opposed those who thought differently from himself, which might be a manifestation of his “irritability.” 

            Did Paul, the co-founder of Christianity, have a brain malfunction, a temporal lobe disorder like Geschwind Syndrome?  Further, did it actually help him become the most important person in Christianity?  His deep thinking and writing became most influential in the church.  His zeal led to extraordinary evangelism.  His “visions” (via seizures?) strengthened his faith and convinced him he was chosen by God.  His single-minded devotion to the cause without entanglement of romance or marriage gave him great focus.  For Paul’s purposes Geschwind Syndrome may have been a boon rather than a hindrance.

            I am reminded of the joke, “You don’t have to be crazy to work here – but it helps.”  You may not have to be “crazy” to be a great evangelist, but in Paul’s case maybe it helped!  So, do you think the co-founder of Christianity may have had a brain disorder, possibly one that actually contributed to his success?  You don’t discuss that in Sunday School very often, do you? 

(Be sure to leave comments and questions below.)

Thinking exercises:

1. Is there a fine line between religious zeal and mental illness? How do you determine if cult members are mentally ill, but members of your religion are simply enthusiastic and earnest? What beliefs or behaviors define “crazy” versus “zealous”?

2. People have a long history of doing extreme things in the name of religion, including self-flagellation (whipping oneself), self-castration, vows of celibacy and poverty, and sitting on poles for long periods (aka stylitism or column-sitting. The most famous example is St. Simeon Stylites the Elder, who allegedly lived on a small platform atop a pillar for 36 years.). At what point do you feel justified in saying, “That’s just crazy!”? Or should such people be praised and emulated?