Hello Gary, thanks for taking the time to respond.
You said:
"I have had great respect for Paul’s letters over the years; 1 Cor. 13 is one of many Paul passages that shine bright among the spiritual literature of the world. His letters have had a huge influence on my life."
Indeed, my friend! 1 Cor 13 is one of the highlights in all human literature. Poetic, powerful, poignant -- perfect.
You said:
"But if what you say is true, I would certainly think Paul would have quoted the sayings, parables, and acts of Jesus at length in his letters, rather than the few bits and pieces you quoted."
Remember that Jesus didn't start using parables until a year or so into His ministry.
The first year of Jesus' teaching is filled with direct statements like the Sermon on the Mount. Instead of parabolic language, it says directly: 'You have heard X, but I say Y.'
Jesus switched to parables once the leadership turned against Him.
Paul employs a teaching style more analogous to Jesus' first year of ministry.
You said:
"The heart of Jesus's message is the Kingdom of God, conveyed in parables and paradoxical sayings. Paul doesn't even mention any of these things."
Paul does, in fact!
Irenaeus records that "Luke, the companion of Paul, put down in a book the Gospel preached by him."
Which means that when you read the Gospel of Luke, you're reading the stories and teachings of Jesus that Paul knew and preached in all the churches He planted.
Remember that Paul's letters are written to church communities that already exist, that already have the teachings of Jesus. Paul often refers to the teachings of Jesus without expounding on them, trusting that his audience knows what he means.
For example, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul refers to the Scripture that prophecies that Jesus will be buried for three days, then rise again.
Paul doesn't clarify where it is. He trusts his audience to know, already.
But that prophecy only exists in Matthew and Mark. Jesus says it Himself, by applying the story of Jonah to His own life -- that just as Jonah was in the whale three days, so Jesus will be in the earth three days.
Paul could have stopped and told the story, but he didn't need to. His audience knows it, so he can simply reference it and move on. He knows they know what he's talking about.
You said:
"From where I stand after 50 years of being a Christian, and a good bit of Spirit-led deconstruction and reconstruction, Paul seems to be guilty of what he condemned: preaching a different Jesus. If someone has a good explanation for why Paul almost never quoted Jesus, I’ll listen."
My friend, Paul's Jesus is exactly the same as the Gospel Jesus.
It's quite simple to prove it.
Try to find some example of the Jesus Paul preaches that's different than the Gospels Jesus. If you give me the verses from Paul, I'll present you comparable verses from the Gospels that line right up with them.
