Paul of Tarsus

Paul of Tarsus (originally Saul of Tarsus) or Paulus, also known as Saint Paul the Apostle, (ce. 3–67) is widely considered to be central to the early development and adoption of Christianity. Many Christians view him as an important interpreter of the teachings of Jesus. Paul is described in the New Testament as a Hellenized Jew and Roman citizen from Tarsus (present-day Turkey), and as a great persecutor of Christians prior to his "Road to Damascus" experience, which brought about Saul's conversion to the religion. He made the first great efforts through his Epistles to Gentile communities to show that the God of Abraham is for all people, rather than for Jews only, though he did not originate the idea; for example, see Isaiah 56:6-8 or proselyte.

Life

Early life

Paul described himself as an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin,

Related Topics:
Israelite - Tribe of Benjamin

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circumcised

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on the eighth day, a Pharisee (Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5), and of the "Jews' religion ... more exceedingly zealous of the traditions" (Gal. 1:14 KJV). He was born as Saul in Tarsus of Cilicia and received a Jewish education. Paul had at least one brother Pudens according to Romans 16:13. An ancient text Acts of SS. Pudentiana and Praxedis indicates that Pudens' mother (and therefore Pauls), may have been Priscilla mentioned in Romans 16:3. According to Acts 22:3, he studied in Jerusalem under Gamaliel; Thomas Robinson depicts Paul as coming to study in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, when Shammai became Nasi of the Sanhedrin, and during the rise to supremacy of the house of Shammai from AD 20. However, some scholars, such as Helmut Koester, have expressed their doubts that Paul either was in Jerusalem at this time or studied under this famous rabbi. Paul supported himself during his travels and while preaching -- a fact he alludes to a number of times (e.g., 1 Cor. 9:13–15); according to Acts 18:3, he worked as a tentmaker. According to Romans 16:2 he had a patroness (Greek prostatis) named Phoebe http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/missions.html.

Related Topics:
Pharisee - Zealous - Tarsus - Cilicia - Jewish - Pudens - Jerusalem - Gamaliel - Thomas Robinson - Shammai - Nasi - Sanhedrin - 20 - Helmut Koester - Rabbi - Patroness - Phoebe

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On marriage, 1 Cor 7:8-9(NRSV) states: "To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion."

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Acts 22:25 and 27–29 also state that Paul was a Roman citizen -- a privilege he used a number of times to defend his dignity, including appealing his conviction in Iudaea Province to Rome. Because Paul himself never mentions this privilege, some scholars have expressed skepticism as to whether Paul actually possessed citizenship; such an honor was uncommon during his lifetime. The Ebionites and Restorationists argue that Paul was a Roman who tried to convert to Judaism so he could marry or court a Jewish woman and that his conversion was denied. They state that citizenship would have required participation in the Imperial Cult, which would have been in conflict with Hebrew religious ideals. Furthermore, this view contends that Paul embraced ideas from esoteric mystery religions of the time, later superimposing them on the teachings of Jesus.

Related Topics:
Roman - Iudaea Province - Rome - Ebionites - Restorationist - Conversion - Mystery religion

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Conversion and early teachings

Paul himself admits that he at first persecuted Christians (Phil. 3:6) but later embraced the belief that he had fought against. Acts 9:1–9 memorably describes the vision Paul had of Jesus on the road to Damascus, a vision that led him to dramatically reverse his opinion. Paul himself offers no clear description of the event in any of his surviving letters; and this, along with the fact that the author of Acts describes Paul's conversion with subtle differences in two later passages, has led some scholars to question whether Paul's vision actually occurred. However, Paul did write that Jesus appeared to him "last of all, as to one untimely born" (1 Cor. 15:8 KJV), and frequently claimed that his authority as "Apostle to the Gentiles" came directly from God (Gal. 1:13–16). In addition, an adequate explanation for Paul's conversion is lacking in the absence of his vision.

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Following his conversion, Paul first went to live in the Nabataean kingdom (which he called "Arabia") for three years, then returned to Damascus (Gal. 1:17–20) until he was forced to flee from that city under the cover of night (Acts 9:23–25; 2 Cor. 11:32ff.). He traveled to Jerusalem, where he met Saint Peter and James the Just.

Related Topics:
Nabataea - Saint Peter - James the Just

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Following this visit to Jerusalem, Paul's own writings and Acts slightly differ on his next activities. Acts states he went to Antioch, whence he set out to travel through Cyprus and southern Asia Minor to preach of Christ -- a labor that has come to be known as his "First Missionary Journey" (13:13, 14:28). Paul merely mentions that he preached in Syria and Cilicia (Gal. 1:18–20); and though Acts states that Paul later "went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches" (Acts 15:41), it does not explicitly state that these were churches founded by Paul on a previous journey.

Related Topics:
Antioch - Cyprus - Asia Minor - Syria - Cilicia

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These missionary journeys are considered the defining actions of Paul. For these journeys, Paul usually chose one or more companions for his travels. Barnabas, Silas, Titus, Timothy, John, surnamed Mark, Aquila and Priscilla all accompanied him for some or all of these travels. He endured hardships on these journeys: he was imprisoned in Philippi, was lashed and stoned several times, and almost murdered once (2 Cor. 11:24–27).

Related Topics:
Barnabas - Silas - Titus - Timothy - John, surnamed Mark - Aquila - Priscilla - Philippi

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Consultations with the Apostles

About AD 49, after fourteen years of preaching, Paul travelled to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus to meet with the leaders of the Jerusalem church—namely James the Just, Saint Peter, and John the Apostle; an event commonly known as the Council of Jerusalem. Here the accounts of Acts 15 and Paul's Galatians 2:1-10 come at things from fairly different angles. Acts states that Paul was the head of a delegation from the Antiochene church that came to discuss whether new converts needed to be circumcised. Some interpret this to mean whether Christians should continue to observe all of the Mosaic Laws, the most important being considered the practice of circumcision and dietary laws. This was said to be the result of men coming to Antioch from Judea and "teaching the brothers: 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved'" (Acts 15:1 KJV) (see Legalism). Paul states that he had attended "in response to a revelation", to "lay before them the gospel ... preached among the Gentiles" (Gal. 2:2 KJV), "because of false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage" (Gal. 2:4 KJV). He stated (Gal. 2:2) that he wanted to make sure what he had been teaching to the Gentile believers in previous years was correct— one interpretation is that his teaching was that Christ's fulfillment of the Mosaic Law by death and resurrection had freed Christian believers from the need to obey Mosaic Law. (see Antinomianism). A rumor that Paul aimed to subvert the Law of Moses is cited in Acts 21:21, however, according to Acts, Paul followed James' instructions to show that he "kept and walked in the ways of the Law".

Related Topics:
49 - James the Just - Saint Peter - John the Apostle - Council of Jerusalem - Galatians - Antiochene - Circumcised - Mosaic Law - Dietary laws - Antioch - Judea - Legalism - Gospel - Gentiles - Antinomianism

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Returning to Acts 15, after much debate and discussion, Peter says that " made no distinction between us and them , but cleansed their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:9 KJV), and James the Just states that "we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who are turning to God" (Acts 15:19 KJV). They sent a letter accompanied by some leaders from the Jerusalem church back with Paul and his party to confirm that the Gentile believers should not be overburdened by Mosaic Law beyond abstaining from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. (Acts 15:29). The letter also refers to Barnabas and Paul as "beloved" (Acts 15:25 KJV); compare Paul's account "James, Cephas and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship" (Gal. 2:9 KJV).

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Despite the agreement they achieved at the Council as understood by Paul, Paul recounts how he later publicly berated Peter (accusing him of Judaizing) over his reluctance to share a meal with gentile Christians in the "Incident of Antioch" (Gal. 2:11–18). Acts recounts nothing of this, saying that "some time later", Paul decided to leave Antioch, (giving the impression he lost the argument with Peter) -- usually considered the beginning of his Second Missionary Journey -- with the object of visiting the believers in the towns where he and Barnabas had preached earlier. However, Paul and Barnabas then had a severe falling-out over whether they should take John, surnamed Mark (Barnabas' cousin) with them, and they went on separate journeys (Acts 15:36–41)—Barnabas with John Mark, and Paul with Silas. Later on, there is some reconciliation—Paul mentions that John Mark is in prison with him, and tells the church in Colossae to welcome him if he comes to them (Col. 4:10).

Related Topics:
Judaizing - John, surnamed Mark - Colossae

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Founding of churches

Paul spent the next few years traveling through western Asia Minor -- this time entering Macedonia -- and founded his first Christian church in Philippi, where he encountered harassment. Paul himself tersely describes his experience as "when we suffered and were shamefully treated" (1 Thess. 2:2 KJV); the author of Acts, perhaps drawing from a witness (this passage follows closely on one of the "we passages"), explains here that Paul exorcised a spirit from a female slave—ending her ability to tell fortunes, and reducing her value—an act the slave's owner claimed was theft, wherefore he had Paul briefly put in prison (Acts 16:22). Paul then traveled along the Via Egnatia to Thessalonica, where he stayed for some time, before departing for Greece. First he came to Athens, where he gave his legendary speech in Areios Pagos and said he was talking in the name of the Unknown God who was already worshipped there (17:16–34); then he traveled to Corinth, where he settled for three years, and wrote the earliest of his letters to survive, 1 Thessalonians.

Related Topics:
Asia Minor - Macedonia - Philippi - Exorcise - Tell fortunes - Via Egnatia - Thessalonica - Greece - Athens - Areios Pagos - Unknown God - Corinth - 1 Thessalonians

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Again he ran into legal trouble in Corinth: on the complaints of a group of Jews, he was brought before the proconsul Gallio, who decided that it was a minor matter not worth his attention and dismissed the charges (Acts 18:12–16). From an inscription in Delphi that mentions Gallio, we are able to securely date this hearing as having occurred in the year 52, providing a secure date for the chronology of Paul's life.

Related Topics:
Gallio - Delphi - 52

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Following this hearing, Paul continued his preaching (usually called his Third Missionary Journey), traveling again through Asia Minor and Macedonia, to Antioch and back. He caused a great uproar in the theatre in Ephesus, where local silversmiths feared loss of income due to Paul's activities. Their income relied on the sale of silver statues of the goddess Artemis, whom they worshipped, and the resulting mob almost killed him (19:21–41). As a result, when he later raised money for victims of a famine in Judea and his journey to Jerusalem took him through the province once again, he carefully sailed around Ephesus -- instead summoning his followers to meet him in Miletus (20:17–38).

Related Topics:
Ephesus - Artemis - Judea - Miletus

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Arrest, Rome, and later life

Upon Paul's arrival in Jerusalem with the relief funds requested at the Council of Jerusalem (Gal. 2:10), Ananias the High Priest made accusations against him that again resulted in his imprisonment (Acts 24:1–5). Paul claimed his right, as a Roman citizen, to be tried in Rome; but owing to the inaction of the governor Antonius Felix, Paul languished in confinement at Caesarea Palaestina for two years until a new governor, Porcius Festus, took office, held a hearing, and sent Paul by sea to Rome, where he spent another two years in detention (Acts 28:30).

Related Topics:
Ananias - High Priest - Antonius Felix - Caesarea Palaestina - Porcius Festus - Rome

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Acts describes Paul's journey from Caesarea to Rome in some detail. The centurion Julius had shipped Paul and his fellow prisoners aboard a merchant vessel, whereon Luke and Aristarchus were able to take passage. As the season was advanced, the voyage was slow and difficult. They skirted the coasts of Syria, Cilicia, and Pamphylia. At Myra in Lycia, the prisoners were transferred to an Alexandrian vessel transporting wheat bound for Italy, but the winds being persistently contrary, a place in Crete called Goodhavens was reached with great difficulty, and Paul advised that they should spend the winter there. His advice was not followed, and the vessel, driven by the tempest, drifted aimlessly for fourteen whole days, being finally wrecked on the coast of Malta. The three months when navigation was considered most dangerous were spent there, where Paul is said to have healed the father of the Roman Governor Publius from fever, and other people who where sick, and preached the gospel; but with the first days of spring, all haste was made to resume the voyage.

Related Topics:
Luke - Aristarchus - Syria - Cilicia - Pamphylia - Myra - Lycia - Crete - Malta - Gospel

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Acts only recounts Paul's life until he arrived in Rome, around 61; some argue Paul's own letters cease to furnish information about his activities long before then, although others (NIV Study Bibles, for example) date the last source of information being his 2nd letter to Timothy, describing him languishing in a "cold dungeon" and passages indicating he knew that his life was about to come to an end. While Paul's letters to the Ephesians and to Philemon may have been written while he was imprisoned in Rome (the traditional interpretation), they just as likely may have been written during his earlier imprisonments at Caesarea (first suggested in 1799), or at Ephesus (suggested in the early 20th century).

Related Topics:
61 - Ephesians - Philemon - 1799 - 20th century

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We are forced to turn to tradition for the details of Paul's final years. One tradition holds (attested as early as in 1 Clement 5:7, and in the Muratorian fragment) that Paul visited Spain; while this was his intention (Rom. 15:22–7), the evidence is inconclusive. Another tradition, that can also be traced to the first century, places his death in Rome. Eusebius of Caesarea states that Paul was beheaded in the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero; this event has been dated either to the year 64, when Rome was devastated by a fire, or a few years later, to 67. One Gaius, who wrote during the time of Pope Zephyrinus, mentions Paul's tomb as standing on the Via Ostensis. While there is little evidence to support any of these traditions, there is no evidence contradicting them either, nor any alternative tradition of Paul's eventual fate. It is commonly accepted that Paul died as a martyr in Rome.

Related Topics:
1 Clement - Muratorian fragment - Spain - First century - Eusebius of Caesarea - Roman Emperor - Nero - 64 - 67 - Pope Zephyrinus - Via Ostensis - Martyr - Rome

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