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“The “Paul Tarsus” character, as presented in the NT, could not have been a Pharisee. ”
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Any Jew could be a Pharisee. The Pharisees comprised a philosophical movement. Being a Pharisee was essentially not more difficult than for an American to consider himself to be a Democrat or Republican.

As a young man, Paul received his religious education from a Pharisee.

Paul’s teachings as they appear in the New Testament differed significantly from Jewish teachings. He was a heretic. That doesn’t prove, though, that he was not born, raised and educated as a Jew.