Paul, Student of Gamaliel? "if it be of men, it will come to naught, but if it be of God, ye will not be able to overthrow it; lest perhaps ye be found even to fight against God".—Gamaliel the Elder The Apostle Paul's claim to having studied at the feet of Pharisaic Jewish Rabbi Gamaliel fails the test of common sense. Gamaliel was, during his lifetime, the most revered member and possibly Nasi of the Sanhedrin. On the other hand Paul was someone who used the Greek Septuagint and not the Hebrew scriptures as the source for his writings. Most important, however, is the fact that Jesus (Yeshai) was a student of Gamaliel's grandfather Hillel, which means that first, Rabbi Gamaliel would have known all about the crucifixion of Jesus, and secondly that he would have been familiar with both the teachings and the life story of Jesus and the crucifixion, facts which are totally absent from any of Paul's generic writings. While Apollonius was a member of the School of Gamaliel, it is not likely that he spent much time studying with him. Paul's Epistles show no knowledge of either the life of Jesus of Nazareth or of his teachings, this even though he had spent an extended period among the Apostles. Continued Table of Contents