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.

The Legendary tradition

From the mid-2nd century, orally transmitted legends that had grown up about the figure of Paul were embodied in written narratives, that applied contemporary literary conventions of realism and authenticity in order to give weight to this legendary oral core. Their tradition has been characterized (MacDonald 1983) as being in competition with the Pauline pastoral epistles. The pastoral epistles were accepted into the canon, as it developed in the 3rd century, while the legends continued their parallel, apocryphal career. The oral tradition was transmitted above all among women, MacDonald has asserted, and women appear more centrally in the legend than in the epistles, where they are relegated to the periphery.

Related Topics:
2nd century - Pastoral epistles - 3rd century - Apocrypha

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:Main article: Acts of Paul and Thecla.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The main vehicle for the Pauline legend-cycle is the Acts of Paul and Thecla, which Origen mildly approved, but which attracted Tertullian's attention at the end of the 2nd century; he complained that the example of Thecla was being employed to legitimize women teaching and baptizing. According to the writing, she had been commissioned to do so by Paul himself. The simple folk who were endorsing such material were not reading it from a text, but transmitting oral traditions that seem to originate in the eastern Mediterranean (MacDonald). The literary version of these traditions was so despised by the Church, that only in the 20th century has a coherent text been pieced together from surviving fragments.

Related Topics:
Acts of Paul and Thecla - Origen - Tertullian - Thecla - Mediterranean

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

MacDonald suggests that the context of the Pastoral Epistles associated with the name of Paul -- emphasizing order within conventional family formulas and the social legitimacy of the Church -- should be seen as counter to the radical preaching and story-telling of roaming celibate women, represented in the legends. (MacDonald, 1983).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~