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The story and legacy of St. Paul loom so large, both in the New Testament and in the history of the church, that we can sometimes lose sight of the man in the midst of the story. Even Paul’s most famous moment—his sudden conversion to Christianity—is wrapped in mystery. Writing about it himself, Paul simply says:
I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But …[God] who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles. (Galatians 1:13-16)
Luke describes Paul’s conversion three times (Acts 9:1-19; 22:3-16; and 26:2-18), but is vague about some of the details: What, for example, was seen or heard, and by whom (compare Acts 9:7 with 22:9)? Paul emphasizes the certainty of his conversion, and Luke emphasizes its suddenness. Perhaps we may conjecture that as Paul was making the 150-mile journey from Jerusalem to Damascus on his donkey, he was coming to grips with the difference between the simplicity, honesty, and courage of the Christians, and the narrow-minded hardness of himself. Could it be that Paul was on the wrong side? And what about the view of the revered Gamaliel, that if the Christian movement came from God, no one could stop it?
However it happened, Jesus’ sudden appearance to him, of which Paul is utterly certain (1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:3-8), was an overwhelming experience that changed his life forever. The fierce persecutor of the Christians was now one of its most zealous preachers, an irony that both Luke (Acts 9:20-22) and even Paul himself (Galatians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 15:9-10) noticed. That event set Paul on a path that would take him through much of the civilized world, embroil him in theological and even political debates, and place him in harm’s way on a seemingly regular basis. But through it all, Paul remained unswervingly committed to Christ, the one who appeared to him in glory on the Damascus road.
Paul the Pharisee. What had driven Paul to try almost single-handedly to destroy this new Christian movement? Part of the motivation must have been his feeling that it was undermining his beloved Jewish faith. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul had described himself as “a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee … as to righteousness under the law blameless” (Philippians 3:5-6).
“Blameless!” Paul had wanted to carry out the prescriptions of the Torah perfectly. That was why he had joined the Pharisaic movement. The Pharisees were laymen who had banded together sometime after the Exile into havurot, or groups of “table fellowship,” in order to keep the precepts of the law totally by mutual support. In their observance, they went beyond the precepts of the laws, setting a “fence” around it in order to avoid the very possibility of breaking a rule. Love for God and fidelity to his law was their ideal. Unfortunately, such concern for perfect observance could lead to pride, disdain for others, and focus on externals. It took Paul some extraordinary experiences to learn this lesson. But his love for God never diminished.
It is not clear whether Paul ever met the earthly Jesus. The Second Letter to the Corinthians (5:16) hints that he did, but did not appreciate who Jesus really was. As a Pharisee, Paul would have been bitterly opposed to the abrogations of the Torah that characterized Jesus’ teaching: consorting with outcasts and sinners, relativizing the importance of purity laws and of the Sabbath, overturning Moses’ commands concerning divorce and taking oaths. Paul’s wrath was all the greater against the first Christians, since they were damaging the unity of the Jewish community by their divergent teachings and by the high place which they accorded to Jesus as Messiah, Son of God, and risen Lord. Paul took the initiative against them in Jerusalem, assisted in the stoning of the deacon Stephen (Acts 7:58–8:3), and asked the high priest for authorization to persecute Christians even as far as Damascus (9:1-2).
Paul the Roman Citizen. Yet there was another side to Paul. He was not only Jewish; he was also Greek. It’s not true that after his conversion he changed his name from Saul to Paul so as to be more acceptable to the Gentiles to whom he would preach. He grew up with two names—the Hebrew “Saul,” and the Greek “Paul”—as did many other Jews in the Diaspora of that time.
Paul was born about 10 a.d. in Cilicia, Asia Minor, the farthest eastern corner of the Roman Empire (eastern Turkey today), in the port city of Tarsus. Alexander the Great had conquered it in 334 b.c. and made it a Hellenistic city. Cicero had been governor there in 51 b.c., and Antony had declared Tarsus a “free city” around 42 b.c., with power to mint its own coins and be exempt from export-import taxes.
Paul was justly proud of his city and of his Roman citizenship (Acts 21:39; 22:25-29). He probably went to a Greek-speaking school in Tarsus during his early years. His knowledge of the Greek language and culture enabled him to travel the whole Mediterranean basin with ease and to address thousands of Gentiles with great success. In his writings Paul often quotes the Old Testament from memory in its Greek translation, the Septuagint, but he also knows the Hebrew text, which he sometimes prefers to the Greek. Clearly, he was well versed in both languages and could live in both the Hebrew and the Greek world with no problem (22:2).
Paul the Christian Neophyte. Upon his dramatic conversion, Paul was baptized in Damascus and immediately began preaching his new faith there, that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 9:18-22). Luke writes that “when many days had passed,” the Jews in Damascus conspired to kill Paul, but he was lowered over the wall at night in a basket and escaped to Jerusalem (9:23-25). Paul remembers the incident well, and even notes that it was the governor of Damascus under King Aretas who was seeking his capture (2 Corinthians 11:32-33). This would have happened around 38 or 39 a.d., since King Aretas died in 39 or 40 a.d., “three years” after Paul’s conversion, which would have taken place around 35 or 36 a.d. (Galatians 1:17-18).
Paul went to Jerusalem, where he debated the Hellenistic Jews—probably his former comrades. He so incensed them, however, that they tried to kill him as an apostate (Acts 9:24-29). Paul escaped again, this time to the port of Caesarea on the Mediterranean, and returned by ship to his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:30; Galatians 1:21). He remained there for five or six years (38 or 39-44 a.d.).
Luke is silent on how Paul spent his time in Tarsus, but Paul himself tells us that he was preaching “in the regions of Syria and Cilicia” (Galatians 1:21). We may suppose he was growing daily in the faith and in knowledge about the mystery of Jesus. This Galilean rabbi really was the crucified but risen Messiah, the Son of God sent by the Father to bring salvation not only to the Jews, but also to Gentiles. What’s more, Jesus would return soon to judge the whole world on the Day of the Lord. Above all, Paul learned that salvation is a free gift of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. All we need to do is accept it with a faith “active in good works” (1 Thessalonians 1:3; Galatians 5:6). These are major themes that appear again and again, beginning with Paul’s earliest extant epistle, the First Letter to the Thessalonians (51 a.d.). In his zeal Paul needed to share his faith with everyone around him, gaining new insights in the very process of debate.
These were happy years that led to profound depths of prayer. Much later, around 57 a.d., Paul still remembers fondly this period of “visions and revelations of the Lord.” He says, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago [around 43 a.d., during this time of quiet preparation for his ministry] was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). That mystical experience of Christ remained constantly with Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20); “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
The Journeys Begin. Around 44 a.d. the apostle Barnabas came to Tarsus to invite Paul to join him in Syrian Antioch, an important Greco-Roman city where Christians were gathering in great numbers. Paul remained there at least a year (Acts 11:26), after which he began what Luke describes as his “first missionary journey.” After going to Judea in order to bring famine relief to the elders there (11:27-30), Paul and Barnabas went on about a three-year tour to preach the gospel (46-49 a.d.). They evangelized the island of Cyprus, then continued by boat to the southern coast of Asia Minor, where they spent most of the next two years. Paul usually began by preaching Christ in the synagogue of a particular city. But when rebuffed, he turned to the Gentiles, who were often more receptive. According to Luke’s account of his sermon in Antioch of Pisidia (13:13-43), Paul began his preaching with a brief history of the major stages of the Old Testament, focused on the messianic promises made by the prophets, and showed how they were fulfilled in Jesus, who was put to death but raised by God and appeared to many, bringing them forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life.
After their return to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas set out again, this time for the famous Council of Jerusalem (49 a.d.), to decide whether or not potential Christians must first be circumcised and be held to observation of the laws of Judaism. Paul tells us how he argued against the need for circumcision and won the day. He was asked only to care for the poor, which he was happy to do (Galatians 2:1-10). Luke also mentions some further obligations, such as abstaining from blood, strangled meat or meat offered to idols, and fornication (Acts 15:29). Paul found out about these additions later when he visited James in Jerusalem (21:25). Apparently Paul had left for Antioch before the council was concluded.
The Second Missionary Journey Into Greece. In all these travels, Paul had not yet entered Greece, but his “second missionary journey” (Acts 15:40–18:22) was to change that. During the years 50-52 a.d., Paul and Silas (also known as Silvanus) preached throughout Syria and central Asia Minor, where they met Timothy, who joined them. These friendships were very important to Paul, and he mentions them in the opening of several of his letters (1 and 2 Thessalonians; 2 Corinthians; Philippians; and Philemon). At the port city of Troas on the western coast of Asia Minor, Luke joined them, and at the urging of the Holy Spirit all four crossed the Aegean Sea and headed into Europe (Acts 16:9-12). They came eventually to Philippi, a Roman colony in northern Greece, where a wealthy woman named Lydia took them into her home. Because of Jewish opposition in Philippi, Paul and Silas were imprisoned there, but they were delivered through an earthquake and continued overland to another Macedonian port, Thessalonica. As usual, Paul taught in the synagogue that Jesus the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again (17:3). Along with Philippi, Thessalonica always remained dear to Paul’s heart. He exhorted the believers there to be faithful, for “you are our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians 2:20), just as he reminded the Philippians that they were his “joy and crown” (Philippians 4:1).
At Athens, Paul’s next major stop, he saw statues and altars to many gods, even one “to the unknown god.” Paul used the occasion to preach his famous sermon “On the Unknown God” (Acts 17:22-31). Quoting Greek authors, he told how the Greeks themselves admitted that God was not far away but near, for “in him we live and move and are” (Epimenides of Knossos), and indeed, “we too are his offspring” (Aratus of Soli; Acts 17:28). He then explained how God was now calling for repentance in preparation for the divine judgment on the last day. This was the very reason why God had raised Jesus from the dead, Paul explained. When they heard about the resurrection, many of the Athenians scoffed. They believed in the immortality of the soul, but could not see that a resurrected body would be of any use in the next world. Still, some did believe and accept baptism.
From Athens, Paul continued on to Corinth. There he met fellow tentmakers, Aquila and his wife Priscilla, both of whom had been expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius around 40 a.d., and who became Paul’s close friends and coworkers. Their ministry in Corinth was so successful that Paul remained one-and-a-half years (Acts 18:11), and wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians from there (1 Thessalonians 3:1,6). He also had opponents, and was brought by some of them to the tribunal of the proconsul Gallio in 52 a.d. Gallio, however, refused to accept the case and let Paul go free (Acts 18:12-17). Paul next sailed for Ephesus with Aquila and Priscilla, left them there (18:19) and continued home to Antioch (18:22).
The Third Missionary Journey and the Voyage Home. During his “third missionary journey” (Acts 18:23–21:17), between the years 54-58 a.d., Paul spent three months in Ephesus. Again, trouble erupted when the silversmiths there rioted against him. Evidently, they were losing a lot of business because the demand for their statues of Artemis, the “Queen of the Ephesians,” had diminished as so many people abandoned the gods of the Greeks and embraced Jesus instead.
Paul was spared any violence when the riot was broken up, and he next moved on to Greece, where he spent about half a year strengthening the communities there before beginning his journey home. This would be his last trip, and his stops along the way were tinged with the sadness of parting but also with the beauty of friendship, of eucharistic meals, and of final exhortations (Acts 20:6-12).
Paul was anxious to return to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost there, but the trip became increasingly poignant and ominous. When he arrived at Tyre, friends warned him not to go on to Jerusalem. Then at Caesarea four daughters of a deacon named Philip warned him about the dangers of Jerusalem, and Agabus, a respected elder in the church with the gift of prophecy, foretold trouble and even captivity for Paul. Still, he persisted, saying, “I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).
The Final Years: Captivity, Rome, and Martyrdom. When Paul arrived at Jerusalem, he was received warmly by his friends, but some Jews recognized him in the temple, seized him, and tried to kill him. The Roman commander arrested Paul and gave him a chance to confront his accusers before the Jewish council. Paul told them that he was on trial because he was a Pharisee and because of the resurrection from the dead. This threw the group into a turmoil, for the Pharisees believed in resurrection from the dead, but the Sadducees—who made up most of the council—did not (Acts 21:17–23:10).
For his own safety, Paul was transferred to a Roman prison in Caesarea. A week later Ananias, the high priest, came to testify against him before Felix, the Roman governor. Felix, however, simply left Paul in prison for two years (58-60 a.d.), until his term as governor expired (Acts 24:27). His successor, Porcius Festus, tried to resolve the issue, but rather than return to Jerusalem, Paul took advantage of his Roman citizenship by appealing to Caesar (25:11). Instead of Jerusalem, he would go to Rome.
In the fall of 60 a.d. Paul embarked for Rome, but even this trip would prove to be adventurous. His ship was caught in a fierce storm, and the passengers and crew were shipwrecked on the island of Malta. While Paul spent three winter months there waiting for another ship, he took advantage of the situation to preach the gospel among the Maltese (Acts 26:32–28:11). In early 61 a.d. he reached Puteoli, near Naples, then traveled overland to Rome (28:11-16). Paul spent about two years there under house arrest (61-63 a.d.). Even so, he was able to proclaim “the kingdom of God” and to teach “about the Lord Jesus Christ” (28:31).
Luke ends his story at this point, for he was writing not a biography of Paul, but the history of the word of God preached from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), of which Rome was the symbol. However, Eusebius and some other ancient writers claimed that Paul was released from prison, went west—possibly as far as Spain—and was imprisoned a second time in Rome, after which he was beheaded under Nero around 67 a.d.
Scholars are not so sure about this last part of the timeline, however. The Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy; Titus) have been invoked as indications of Pauline activity after his imprisonment in Rome, but most exegetes feel that because of their language, style, and developed state of church organization, they were not written by Paul but by his disciples. It seems probable, then, that Paul was kept under house arrest in Rome until he was beheaded at the beginning of Nero’s persecution of the Christians in 64 a.d. However he met his end, one thing is certain: As he had done for thirty years, even at the end Paul poured out his life for Jesus, who had so graciously called him and blessed him.
A Life of Love. In the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul lists his sufferings, both external and internal: “Five times I have received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked … apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:24-25,28). Paul’s missionary zeal for God and care for his flock never slackened. He led an intense and heroic life of dedication both to God and to his brothers and sisters. It was his way of embracing Christ who first embraced him (Philippians 3:12), of living a life of love.