Les Feldick teaches that Paul was almost certainly married and had children, even though Scripture never explicitly states it.
Les bases this on Acts 26, where Paul wrote in the first person that he voted to have Jewish believers put to death. Les explains that such voting meant Paul belonged to the Sanhedrin, and Jewish law required Sanhedrin members to be husbands and fathers. Paul's comment in 1 Corinthians 7 that he wished all men were as he was does not rule out past marriage, Les says.
Acts 26:10 — Paul's own statement that he gave his voice against believers being put to death is the evidence Les uses to show Paul was in a voting position requiring Sanhedrin membership.
1 Corinthians 7:7 — Paul's statement that he wished all men were even as he was is the verse Les says throws a curve but does not prove Paul never married.
The Bible never explicitly tells us whether Paul was married or had children. The strongest indirect evidence is Acts 26:10, where Paul describes his earlier life before Agrippa: "Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them." This shows Paul held a position of authority in which he voted on the fate of believers. In 1 Corinthians 7:7, Paul writes, "For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that." He does not explain whether he had ever been married, and he does not say he was celibate from birth. Scripture gives no further detail about Paul's marital status or any wife or children.
Les Feldick teaches that Paul had almost certainly been married and had children, even though the Bible never says so directly. His key evidence is Acts 26, where Paul says he voted to have Jewish believers put to death. Les explains that in order to vote in that situation, Paul must have been a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. Under Jewish law, Les says, a Sanhedrin member had to be both a husband and a father, because otherwise how could he judge matters involving family relationships? Les also addresses Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 7: "I would that all men were even as I myself." He says this verse throws a curve at many people, but it does not mean Paul had never married. Paul was alone during his apostolic ministry, Les says, but his premise is that Paul had at one time been married and had children. What happened to Paul's wife and family, Les acknowledges, is unknown: "Scripture is silent."
Les uses Acts 26, where Paul says he voted against Jewish believers, as the starting point. He argues that Paul could not have voted unless he was a member of the Sanhedrin, and the Sanhedrin required its members to be husbands and fathers. Les says: "In order for him to vote, here in chapter 26, he must have been a member of the Sanhedrin. And in order to be a member of the Sanhedrin, what were one of the qualifications? You had to be a husband and a father." He also notes that Paul was a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, which fits Sanhedrin membership.
Paul wrote, "I would that all men were even as I myself," but Les says this does not mean Paul never married. He points out that once Paul began his apostolic ministry, all scriptural indications show he was alone, yet that alone does not rule out a previous marriage. Les says his whole premise is that Paul "had at one time been married, and had children." Every man has his own gift from God, and Paul was simply expressing a preference based on his current circumstances.
Les says the Bible does not tell us. After presenting the Sanhedrin evidence, he asks, "But what happened to his wife and family? Who knows? Scripture is silent." He makes the same point when comparing Paul to Peter: we know Peter had a wife because of his mother-in-law, yet Peter's wife is never mentioned directly. Similarly, Paul's family is simply not part of the biblical record.
Paul's Premise: Marriage and Children
Les states that although Paul was alone during his apostolic ministry, his premise is that Paul had at one time been married and had children, and that 1 Corinthians 7 does not prove celibacy.
Sanhedrin Qualification
Les explains that voting in Acts 26 requires Sanhedrin membership, and a Sanhedrin member had to be a husband and father to judge family matters intelligently.
Scripture's Silence on Paul's Family
Les notes that Paul wrote in the first person that he voted to put believers to death, and that Scripture is silent about what happened to Paul's wife and family.
Sanhedrin Voting and Paul's Married State
Les repeats that Paul could not have voted unless he was in the Sanhedrin, and that Sanhedrin membership required being a husband and father.
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In other words, the first thing Paul had to establish to whomever he wrote was the authority that was connected to his apostleship. Now as we come into the chapter a little more, probably in our next program we're going to see that one of the big problems the Corinthians had were divisions where some said, well, I'm a Paulist follower. I'm a follower of Paul.
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You never had that experience of being with Him day and night for three years. You've never even seen Him. But what does Paul say? Oh yes I did, I saw the resurrected Lord, and he's going to point it out more clearly in a coming verse. But he always was being accused of not being what he claimed to be, because he had not had that three years of experience that the Twelve had.
Acts 26:10: Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
Paul's first-person account of voting against believers is the key biblical evidence Les uses to infer Sanhedrin membership and, from that, marriage.
1 Corinthians 7:7: For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
Paul's comment about being as he was is the verse Les explains does not prove Paul was never married.
No. The Bible never explicitly states whether Paul was married. The evidence is indirect, coming from Acts 26:10 where Paul voted against believers. Les Feldick argues this implies Sanhedrin membership, which required being a husband and father.
Les Feldick believes Paul probably had children, because Sanhedrin members were required to be fathers. He also says Scripture is silent about what happened to Paul's wife and family.
Les said the verse throws a curve at many people because Paul says he wished all men were as he was. But Les's premise is that Paul had at one time been married and had children; the verse does not rule that out.
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