St. Paul the Apostle

St. Paul was originally named “Saul of Tarsus.”  Jewish from birth, he was born around 6-4 BC in the Roman province of Tarsus which is now Cilicia in present day Turkey. Paul was educated in the Jewish Faith, had a Greek education and was a Greek speaking Jew. He was also a Roman Citizen.

Although an Apostle (Bishop) of the early church, Paul was not one of the original Twelve Apostles who walked with Jesus before the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

We first find Paul in the early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles as written by Saint Luke.  Paul is mentioned by his roman name “Saul.” It was at his feet where the coats of the mob were laid as they picked up stones to stone Saint Stephen to death. It is in this early chapter where Paul (Saul) seeing himself as a righteous Jew, sets out persecute the Christians. He sets out with permission from the Jewish authorities to go and round up all the Christians.

Paul was a Pharisee, a religious party that emerged during the later Second Temple period. The little which is known about Paul the Pharisee reflects the character of the Pharisaic movement. The Pharisees believed in life after death. Paul held to this belief with deepest of convictions. The Pharisees accepted non-biblical “traditions” as being about as important as the written Bible; Paul refers to his expertise in “traditions” (Galatians 1:14).

As a Jewish Pharisee, Paul was very good at knowing and understanding the Scriptures. Thinking he knew it all, he therefore; being a good Pharisee, set out with letters of authority from Jerusalem to Damascus to round up some Christians. It was while on the road to Damascus, Paul encounters a mystical vision of Jesus.  It is from this point where Paul converts to Christianity.

Paul becomes a very influential leader and missionary in the early Church so much so that he is given authority as an Apostle.

Of the 27 Books found in the New Testament, 13 are attributed to St. Paul, and approximately half of another. These are the letters or what are referred to as Epistles. Acts of the Apostles, deals with much of Paul’s life and works. Thus, about half of the New Testament stems from Paul and the people whom he influenced.

There are seven undoubted letters which constitute the best source of information on Paul’s life and especially his thought; in the order in which they appear in the New Testament, they are Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon.

During his missionary life with the early church, St. Paul traveled through Asia minor (Modern day Syria and Turkey), Macedonia, Greek, Crete, Cyprus and Rome.

Paul would later be imprisoned and sent to Rome where he waited for some time for his trial. Paul was eventually martyred for the Faith. Being a roman citizen, the choice of death was beheading.

Much of the spread of early Christianity along with the tenets of the Christian Faith and its spirituality as conveyed in the early Church is credited to St. Paul’s unswerving zeal to serve Jesus.