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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 2nd Thessalonians). We have other letters forged in Paul’s name, such as 3rd 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 2nd 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.
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.
1st 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 2nd 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.
2nd 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?
3 responses to “46: Did Paul Have A Brain Disorder? (And did it help him?!)”
Another great post. Reminded me of having read “The God Gene” by Dean Hamer (2004). He specifically refers to temporal lobe epilepsy. I also have a copy of the Qur’an (English translation) so can follow along with your future articles if you go down that path. Thanks again!
Life has given me nearly ten years of therapeutic and diagnostic knowledge in various learning and developmental disorders. Based on my experience and the authentic Pauline epistles, I have come to the conclusion that the character of the Pauline family includes the fact, which is not mentioned anywhere, and is presumed to be true, that behind Paul’s peculiar habits of “quoting and interpreting texts” there is some kind of written language and/or language development disorder.
Paul usually (almost always) dictated his letters, and only at the end, wrote down the greeting in his own hand. An exception is the Epistle to Philemon, written in prison and consisting of only one chapter, effectively the shortest authentic Pauline Epistle. “I, Paul, write the greeting with my own hand, which is the hallmark of all my letters. That’s how I write.”(Tess 3:17)
Paul, on the other hand, had trouble not only with writing, but also with speaking: “even if I am uninitiated in speaking” (2 Corinthians 11:6), “for, it is said,… your presence is weak, and your speech is poor.”(2 Cor 10: 10). Paul may have had either a very strong articulation disorder (stuttering, flabbiness, etc.) or a speech disability (e.g. dysphasia) that made him difficult to express himself.
Because these disorders have the same neurological roots, they are usually associated with different disorders, so you may have had reading and comprehension problems.
Thanks for this interesting comment. I should look into whether a specialist in speech or thought disorders has ever done a formal analysis of Paul’s writings in this regard. Biblical scholars have dissected his writings in every other regard!