Saint Paul is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the history of the Western world. Famously converted on the road to Damascus, he travelled tens of thousands of miles around the Mediterranean spreading the word of Jesus.
Paul
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Introduction
Saint Paul ©
Saint Paul is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the history of the Western world. Just a quick look at the headlines of his life are enough to understand his impact; his works are some of the earliest Christian documents that we have, 13 of the 27 books of the bible are written by him, and he's the hero of another, Acts of the Apostles.
Famously converted on the road to Damascus, he travelled tens of thousands of miles around the Mediterranean spreading the word of Jesus and it was Paul who came up with the doctrine that would turn Christianity from a small sect of Judaism into a worldwide faith that was open to all.
What we know about Paul comes from two extraordinary sources. The first is the Acts of the Apostles, written after Paul's death, almost certainly by the same author who wrote St Luke's gospel. There is evidence that Acts was written to pass on the Christian message, but behind the theology lie clues about Paul's life. The author of Acts claims that he knew Paul and even accompanied him on many of his journeys. The second source is Paul's own letters. They represent Paul's own version of events, and it seems reasonable to accept them as the more reliable account.
The one thing most people do know about St Paul is that he underwent a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. Precisely what happened has been hard to determine as the accounts in Acts and the letters differ on the details. For example, when St Paul talks about his conversion he makes no mention of a journey from Jerusalem to Damascus.
But behind the paradoxes and the puzzles, there are fascinating glimpses of the man. Reading Paul's letters and Acts of the Apostles we learn that Paul was born in Tarsus, in modern day Eastern Turkey, he was a tent maker by trade, was an avid student under the top Jewish teacher in Jerusalem and was also a Roman citizen. Here is a man who worked with his hands but wrote with the grace of a Greek philosopher; a Jewish zealot who nevertheless enjoyed the rights of citizenship in the world's greatest empire.
In his letters, we also discover the Paul who writes warmly of his friends, both men and women, the Paul who frets about how the members of his churches are coping without him and who defends their status as true converts and the Paul who appeals for the freedom of a slave. But like all great and charismatic figures there is another side; the Paul who berates his followers for backsliding and doubting; the Paul who tells women to keep silent and condemns homosexuality and the Paul who'll stand up to the Apostle Peter, one of the most senior people in the early church and call him a hypocrite to his face.
Academics are trying to piece together these scraps of information with a new technique that's rather like a combination of sociology and forensic anthropology. They've come up with a picture of Paul who'd be a man of his time and place; a hot headed Mediterranean who'd be quick to defend his honour and the honour of his followers, but who'd demand loyalty in return.
Paul wrote some of the most beautiful and important passages in the whole of the Bible, but his works have also been used, among other things, to justify homophobia, slavery and anti-Semitism. He has also been accused of being anti-feminist, although many modern scholars would argue that in fact he championed the cause of women church leaders. In the final analysis, Paul was the first great Christian theologian, establishing some of the building blocks of the faith that we now take for granted, though there are those who argue that in laying out these ground rules, Paul has obscured and separated us from the true teachings of Jesus. But perhaps the true sign of Paul's importance is that even nearly 2000 years after his death he still inspires passion; whatever you feel, it's hard to feel neutral about Paul.
Paul in scripture
In this section Dr Mark Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of Birmingham, explores the biblical references to Paul.
Map of the locations in Paul's story
However one explains the phenomenon, there is little doubt that the events of the first Easter, sometime in the early 30s of the first century, made a powerful impact on the first followers of Jesus. Yet the utterly bizarre nature of the claims that they were making is easy to miss after two thousand years of familiarity with Christianity. Let us pause to consider for a moment what it was that they were saying.
God has acted decisively, once for all, by sending his beloved Son to his own people, Israel. This Jesus, whom some acknowledged as Christ, was subjected to an appalling and humiliating death. Everyone in the Roman Empire knew about crucifixion and the fact that Jesus died in this way was not something one would expect anyone to have been proud of. That God's Anointed One could have been so publicly humiliated seemed outrageous. But for these early Jesus people, the public humiliation was conquered through resurrection, God's vindication of Jesus, and this convinced them that Jesus was not a criminal who had died for his own sins; he had died for the sins of others.
Paul the persecutor
At this stage, it is incorrect to talk about Christianity. These earliest followers of Jesus were devout Jews who continued to offer sacrifice at the Temple and to observe the whole Jewish Law. Essentially, they were a small sect within Judaism. So how would such a sect have been viewed by other Jews who were not members of it? Thankfully, we have a pretty clear answer to this question because one of the most famous converts to the new Messianic sect was a Jew named Paul and before his conversion he was so horrified by the claims of this new movement that, he tells us, he persecuted it violently.
So why did people like Paul persecute Jesus' followers? The problem seems to have focused around the cross. It was simply intolerable to zealous Jews like Paul that God's special envoy could have died a criminal's death. He describes it as a "stumbling block" to Jews (1 Corinthians 1.23), using the Greek word skandalon from which we derive our word "scandal". It was unthinkable that the Messiah could have suffered in this way. The problem would have been sharply focused for someone like Paul. He was not from Israel but was born in Tarsus, in modern Turkey. Jews like Paul, who lived outside the Jewish homeland, were called diaspora Jews. Since they lived among pagans, they were particularly conscious of how their religion might appear to those around them. Jews were called to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42.6); this story of a crucified Messiah might have the opposite effect. It could hold Judaism up to ridicule.
So Paul attempted to snuff out this fledgling movement before it could do too much damage.
Damascus road
The importance of Paul's conversion, his turn-around from persecuting Jesus to preaching Jesus, cannot be underestimated. Paul himself finds it difficult to describe what had happened and in a fascinating passage in one of his letters he explains this as a resurrection appearance of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15.8-10)
Paul the missionary
The Damascus Road experience was both a conversion and a call. It was a conversion away from his previous life as a zealous persecutor of Jesus' followers and it was a call to a new life advancing the cause of the new movement with even more vigour than he had shown before. Now, with boundless energy, Paul preached the gospel of the Christ crucified for the sins of all people far and wide, beginning at Jerusalem and continuing all the way to Rome. His achievement was a matter of some pride for him:
Luke tells us of three enormous missionary journeys, charting [Paul's] progress from Antioch in Syria and moving westwards through (modern day) Turkey and Greece and finally back to Jerusalem again. For Paul this was a particularly punishing business. Unlike other early Christian missionaries, Paul earned his own living wherever he went. Luke says that he was a tentmaker (Acts 18.3) and Paul often talks about how he combined his preaching of the gospel with working with his hands (see 1 Corinthians 9).
Paul's life was remarkable and there is little doubt that it changed the course of Christianity. He made an impact as apostle, as theologian, and as letter-writer. Paul the apostle had expanded the church far and wide, flinging open the doors to Gentiles, strenuously fighting for his conviction that the gospel was for all people and that no barriers should be put in the way of Gentiles. Paul the theologian was the first to work through many of the intriguing questions that Jesus' life, death and resurrection had thrown up. And Paul the letter-writer gave us not only some of the profoundest pieces of early Christian theological reflection, but also some of the finest, most poignant writing in history.
Revelation
At the end of the Bible, though, lies not Paul but Revelation, a book that at first sight looks like the black sheep in the New Testament family. With its fantastic visions of heaven, its gory stories of the future, its impenetrable signs and symbols, many a reader has given up in exasperation in the attempt to fathom out its mysteries.
Some Christians have struggled with Revelation; Luther wished it was not in the New Testament at all. Yet at heart, Revelation is a profoundly Christian book. Its central message is that in spite of any appearance to the contrary, God is still Lord and King over the universe. It is a vision of God's kingdom, his judgement but most importantly his sovereignty over everything. Where there is injustice in the world, this will be rectified. Where there is sin, sickness, disease and the devil, these will be eradicated. John, [its author] is a seer and has been given a revelation of what is going on in heaven. He is able to see God's perspective. And the message he hears there is that after all, God is indeed in control, through Jesus his Son, who has conquered death through his own victory over death.
Questions about Paul
What was Paul's background?
Paul was born in Tarsu (now in the south east of Turkey) to a Jewish family. He had a dual identity as lots of Jews did in antiquity. He had a Jewish education, a Jewish way of life and abided by the Law of Moses. But was brought up outside of the homeland and was also at home in Greek culture, fluent in Greek, and had at least some understanding of the Greek or Roman cultural traditions.
He was a Pharisee, one of a group of Jews who policed the boundary of the law and made sure that they and others were faithful to the law of Moses. Paul was an extremely passionate Jew and he often uses the word 'zeal' of himself. One of the most fascinating stories about Paul is his incredible transformation on the Damascus road but one thing that doesn't change in this transformation is his passion. He just becomes passionate for a different cause.
Professor John Barclay, Professor in New Testament and Christian Origins, University of Divinity
The Damascus road experience
Paul gives us a brief description of what happens after his experience on the Damascus road. He says that he didn't go to Jerusalem immediately but that he went off to Arabia. Arabia would be quite close to the northern part of Damascus, so he could have gone to reflect on what had happened.
When he goes to Jerusalem, it appears that he is accepted and is instructed in the basics of Christianity. He stays with Peter for two weeks and presumably learns a little about Jesus from him. Paul then disappears for a period and later reemerges in Antioch. Antioch in Syria which was the third biggest city in the Roman empire and becomes the center of the movement to expand this new Christian sect - this sect of Jesus the Nazarene.
Professor Jimmy Dunn, former professor of New Testament, University of Durham
Dr Mark Goodacre ©
What happened when Paul was called back to Jerusalem?
There are many different accounts of what happened when Paul was called back to Jerusalem. But it seems that there was a very strong movement amongt the followers of Jesus to convert Gentiles [non-Jews] into Jews. Following Christ was a Jewish movement; he was a Jewish Messiah. But Paul believed that the Gentiles were alive with the new life of forgiveness, acceptance and transformation and that that they didn't need to be circumcised. So he brought this idea to the leaders in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem council agreed that Gentiles could become Christians without becoming Jews first.
Dr Mark Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in New Testament, University of Birmingham and Professor John Barclay, Professor in New Testament and Christian Origins, University of Divinity
A passionate man
You can get some idea of Paul's passion when you read the letter in Galatians. A group of his converts had decided that they want to be circumcised and Paul is absolutely furious about this because he feels it compromises their very nature as Christians. You can almost feel him banging on the table or pacing round the room as he dictates the letter. At one stage right towards the end of the letter he grabs the pen out of the scribe's hand and he says 'see with what large letters I am writing in my own hand'. He's really frustrated. Paul never shied away from conflict.
Dr Mark Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in New Testament, University of Birmingham
Paul was a tough cookie. He could take all kinds of controversy and suffering. He has, in one or two of his letters, long lists of the things that he has endured. He writes about the number of times he's been beaten, the number of times he's been put in prison, the number of shipwrecks he's endured and he seems proud of them. He was physically quite weak but he always attributed his staying power to the grace of God or the power of God. He had a strong sense of experiencing the power of God through suffering.
Professor John Barclay, Professor in New Testament and Christian Origins, University of Divinity
Should we see Paul as anti-women?
The tradition is that women were submissive but at the end of Romans a letter of Paul's tells a different story. The letter is to be delivered by Phoebe, the first deacon we know of in the Christian church. She is also a benefactor or patron and very significant figure.
Paul also talks about Aquilla and Priscilla. Priscilla is usually named first when he mentions the couple which implies that she is the head of the household. He also talks about Andronicus and Juniar, one of whom may have been a female apostle.
In fact we may have a situation where the apostle, the church founder, perhaps even the founder of the church of Rome, included a woman and the main leadership in Rome was by women.
Professor Jimmy Dunn, former professor of New Testament, University of Durham
St Paul's Day
Damascus, Syria ©
Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus is believed to have happened in 36 AD. Anglicans and Roman Catholics celebrate the event as the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul on the 25th January each year.
St Paul's Day is not a major feast day. The Catholic Encyclopaedia describes it as of comparatively recent origin and notes that it may have been observed originally to mark the transfer of his remains to their resting place in Rome.
Paul's martyrdom in or around 67 AD is commemorated by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Eastern Orthodoxy on the 29th June each year. It is celebrated alongside the martyrdom of St and is one of the oldest saints days in the Christian calendar.
The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul.
In mediaeval times, people believed the weather on this day (like that on ) to be an indicator of their fortune in the months to come.
If Saint Paul's day be fair and clear,
It doth betide a happy year;
If blustering winds do blow aloft,
Then wars will trouble our realm full oft,
If clouds or mist do dark the sky,
Great store of birds and beasts shall die;
And if by chance to snow or rain,
Then will be dear all sorts of grain.
Further reading
The Cambridge Companion to St Paul, James D G Dunn (Editor), Cambridge University Press (2003)
Past event & Present Salvation, Paul S Fiddes, Darton, Longman & Todd (1989)
"Dictionary of Paul and his letters, Gerald F Hawthorne (Ed), Ralph P Martin (Ed), Daniel G Reid (Ed), Inter-Varsity Press (1993)
The first urban Christians: the social world of the apostle Paul, Wayne A Meeks, Yale Univesrity Press (1984)
In the steps of St Paul, H V Morton, Methuen (2002)
What Saint Paul really said: Was Paul of Tarsus the real founder of Christianity?, Tom Wright, Lion Publishing (1997)
Paul: The mind of the apostle, A N Wilson, W W Norton (1998)
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