There is more evidence of Pauline ideas than of Pauline letters.
The Pauline letters, which were written before the Christian gospels, also shed light on the chronology of Jesus.
The Pauline letters were not intended to provide a narrative of the life of Jesus, but were written as expositions of Christian teachings.
The death of Jesus forms a central element of the Pauline letters.
The Pauline letters thus contain Christian creed elements of pre-Pauline origin.
They reject the Pauline letters, and 'they reject the apostle Paul, calling him an apostate from the Law'.
Specific imagery of resurrection into immortal form is found in the Pauline letters:
The Pauline letters at times refer to creeds, or confessions of faith, that predate their writings.
Most scholars view the Pauline letters as essential elements in the study of the historical Jesus.
Myth theorist G. A. Wells has criticized the infrequency of the reference to Jesus in the Pauline letters.