This time, we will look at "kerygma," which represents the preaching of the gospel of Christ, and the Zen koan(公案) of "Seven Defects and Eight Falls(七顛八倒)" or "Writhing in agony."

The high priest Caiaphas appears to have engaged James the Less, the leader of Nazirite, and Saul (later Paul), one of leaders of 'the Synagogue of the Freedmen-Jews,' as the two wheels of a cart and envisaged to set up a church organization mainly composed of Hebraists and is believed to have obtained the consent of the Sanhedrin, Roman Governor and Herod royal family.

The high priest Caiaphas' prophecy (John 11:49-52) came true. Jerusalem Church was established barely one and half month after the Crucifixion. However, conflicts between Hellenist (Mainly uncircumcised Gentile Jews whose common language was Greek) believers that had dominated the overwhelming majority and Hebraist (Jews who spoke Hebrew fluently) believers surfaced immediately.

In the wake of the Hellenist leader Stephen was stoned to death after being tried by the Sanhedrin, persecution spread to other Hellenist believers in the Jerusalem church. They were forced to withdraw from Jerusalem and Saul took command to execute these. (Acts 8:1-3)

Actually if the Hellenic believers had increased any more, the unification of the Jerusalem Church, which had founded incorporating with not only the Gentiles around the Mediterranean coast but also the Sadducees and Pharisees, could not have been maintained. Therefore, it seems that a habitat segregation for Hellenists and Hebraists was taken place in the wake of the martyrdom of Stephen and the Hellenic believers withdrew from Jerusalem and built new bases in Samaria, Damascus and even Antioch, etc.

Saul(Paul), who got a charter from the High Priest, immediately went to Damascus and started to his missionary work under the support of the Hellenic believers. Barnabas, who was expelled from Jerusalem after he had sold a field in Cyprus and had donated the money to the Church, served as an usher of Paul's missionary trip.

Luke, Author of the Acts, explained his sudden change, inserting the episode called "Paul's conversion", which even the most non Christians in Japan are also familiar with through the parable of "scales from the eyes". However, considering that he contacted the Hellenist group as soon as he arrived in Damascus and immediately started missionary work in the synagogues, Paul must have sought the approval of both the high priest Caiaphas and the Jerusalem Church and have prepared everything in advance.

Later, when Paul returned to Jerusalem with Barnabas and others, he stayed at Peter's house for 15 days (Galatians 1:18). According to "The Spirit of Wisdom" by Professor Emeritus Kisaichi Motohiro of Konan Women's University (representative of the Koinonia Society), Paul spoke with Peter about his faith in the atonement of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, and his own view of the law, and it seems that the core of the kerygma was formed at this time (The Spirit of Wisdom 146-147).

The Kerygma is the teaching about the resurrection of Jesus Christ that Paul preached in his letter to the Corinthians, and later developed into the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.

According to Professor Kisaichi Motohiro, Paul, who found the "Spirit of Wisdom" in "the forgiveness and redemption of sins through the cross of Christ," preached to "Jews," "Jewish Christians," "Gentile Christians," and "Gentiles" about Jesus Christ as the mediator who mediates reconciliation between God and man. Paul himself said that the "Spirit of Wisdom" gave him the secret to dealing with such complicated relationships (Philippians 4:12).

At the end of its explanation of the "Kerygma," the Japanese Wikipedia asks, "Using the kerygma, the confession of faith that 'Jesus is Lord' that runs through the New Testament, as a keyword, what circumstances and thoughts did Jesus' disciples have when they wrote down the Gospels?"

In the last two verses, Acts of the Apostles described Paul's daily life in Rome; For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

After two years of his arrival in Rome, Paul seems to have been martyred between AD 60-62. According to 'Acts of Paul,' because Crucifixion was adapted only to slaves or heavy criminal and Paul was a Roman citizen, so he was not crucified, but was beheaded after the trial.

But Peter seems to have been crucified around AD 64 in Rome. James the Less was also martyred in Jerusalem in AD 62 after worsening relationship with the high priest. He was sentenced to be stoned by the Sanhedrin presided by the High Priest Annas.

Thomas, who had returned to India again after his mission in China, was martyred in 68-75 C.E., and was buried in Mylapore (Chennai district of Tamil Nadu).

One day a monk asked Master DaoKuang (道匡), one of the Zen masters during the five dynasties and ten kingdoms period (五代十国907-979) in China, who served as the abbot of a temple called Zhaoqing Monastery (招慶院) in Qianzhou (泉州), "What is the great meaning of the Buddhist Teaching?" DaoKuang answered, "Writhing in agony (七顛八倒 Qidian Badao)." The monk said, "I'm dull and can't understand what you say." and asked, "Give me some hints." But DaoKuang relentlessly said, "I do not have such a grandmother's heart."

Later, another priest asked Master KeHong (可弘), the abbot of Daning Monastery (大寧院) in Wenzhou (温州), "What is the true path?" KeHong answered, "Writhing in agony," just like DaoKuang. Then the monk said, "If it's Buddhism, I have to find another way." KeHong said to him coldly, "Just choose your favorite way. I know that you will finally become a stray sheep." But the monk continued to ask, "If 'writhing in agony' is the answer to 'what the true path is,' then when it is clear and void, no holiness, what do you answer?" However, KeHong pushed him away saying, "Now I see the bottom of the story."

By the way, this koan (公案: subject which Zen-masters give each religious to learn and practice the doctrine of Buddhism) is said to be the origin of the Chinese idiom 'Qidian Badao (七顛八倒: to mean Seven Defects and Eight Falls).' According to the Chinese Institute of Buddhist Culture's (中国仏教文化研究所) "Slang Buddha Source (俗語仏源)." "Qidian Badao" is derived from Koans in the the twenty-sixth volume of the Jingde Chuandeng Lu(景徳伝灯録) and the eighth volume of the Wudeng Hui yuan (五灯会元), and is later frequently used as a slang term meaning "mess or disarray." And the Chinese-Japanese Dictionary, compiled by Aichi University explains that it mainly means messy and unorganized story. (Hensho: 2020-01-30)

Zhaoqing Monastery (招慶院)'s Master DaoKuang (道匡) was from Chaozhou (潮州). A monk asked, "What is the great meaning of Buddhism?" The teacher answered, "Qidian badao (七顛八倒: Seven rolls eight falls: Writhing in agony)" The monk said, "Very sorry, I am born stupid. Please give me a little hint" The teacher replied, "I do not have such an grandmother's heart."

A monk asked Wenzhou (温州) Daning Monastery (大寧院)'s Master KeHong (可弘), "What is the true path?" The teacher replied, "Qidian badao." The monk said, "If it's Buddhism, I have to find another way." The teacher replied, "Just choose your favorite way. I know that you will finally become a stray sheep." The monk asked, "When it is clear and void holiness, what do you answer?" The teacher said, "Now I see the bottom of the story."

According to the dialectic of the Gospel of John,

How then can a man possess eternal life?

When he said, "You are Huichao," Zen Master Fayan thrusted vivid Self in Huichao in front of his eyes.