Paul the Apostle, often known as Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle (but not one of the original Twelve Apostles) who disseminated Jesus’ teachings throughout the first century. From the mid-40s through the mid-50s AD, he built multiple Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe, earning him a reputation as one of the most influential figures of the Apostolic Age.
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What did Paul of Tarsus do, and who is he?
St. Paul is frequently regarded as the most influential figure in Christian history after Jesus. His letters (epistles) had a huge impact on Christian theology, particularly on the relationship between God the Father and Jesus, as well as the mystical human contact with the divine. St. Paul was a pivotal figure in the evolution of Christianity away from its Jewish roots, in addition to his significant doctrinal contributions. Although he believed that both Jews and Gentiles were called to be turned into one new humanity in Christ, his missions were primarily geared at Gentile conversion, and Christianity would eventually become a mostly Gentile religion.
What was Saul of Tarsus’s crime?
Paul (born Saul of Tarsus; c. 5 c. 64/65 AD) was a Christian apostle (but not one of the original Twelve Apostles) who preached Jesus’ teachings throughout the first century.
What is the significance of Paul of Tarsus?
Accomplishments. When Saul of Tarsus, who was later renamed Paul, saw the resurrected Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road, Saul converted to Christianity. He went on three extended missionary travels around the Roman Empire, building churches, proclaiming the gospel, and providing early Christians strength and support.
What part did Paul play in the Bible?
Regardless of how one explains the phenomena, the events of the first Easter, which occurred sometime in the early 30s of the first century, had a profound influence on Jesus’ initial disciples.
However, after two thousand years of experience with Christianity, the absolutely odd character of the assertions they were making is easy to overlook.
Allow us to pause for a moment to contemplate what they were saying.
God has taken decisive action by sending his loving Son to his own people, Israel, once and for all.
This Jesus, whom some referred to as Christ, died a horrific and humiliating death.
Everyone in the Roman Empire was aware of the crucifixion, and the fact that Jesus died in this manner was not something to be proud of.
It was absurd that God’s Anointed One could have been publicly degraded.
However, for these early followers of Jesus, the public humiliation was overcome by the resurrection, God’s vindication of Jesus, which convinced them that Jesus was not a criminal who died for his own sins, but for the sins of others.
Paul the persecutor
It is inappropriate to discuss Christianity at this time. These were pious Jews who continued to offer sacrifices at the Temple and obey the entire Jewish Law. They were essentially a tiny sect within Judaism. So, how would other Jews have seen such a cult if they weren’t members? Thankfully, we have a fairly clear answer to this question because one of the most prominent recruits to the new Messianic group was a Jew named Paul, who was so terrified by the claims of this new movement before his conversion that, according to him, he fiercely persecuted it.
So, why were Jesus’ followers persecuted by people like Paul?
The issue appears to have centered on the cross.
To ardent Jews like Paul, the idea that God’s unique envoy could have died a criminal’s death was simply unbearable.
He uses the Greek term skandalon, from which we get the word “scandal,” to describe it as a “stumbling obstacle” for Jews (1 Corinthians 1.23).
It was unimaginable that the Messiah would be put through such ordeals.
For someone like Paul, the problem would have been laser-focused.
He was not an Israelite; instead, he was born in Tarsus, modern-day Turkey.
Jews who resided outside of the Jewish country, such as Paul, were known as diaspora Jews.
They were especially mindful of how their faith would appear to people around them because they lived amid pagans.
The Jews were commanded to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42.6); but, the myth of a crucified Messiah may have the opposite effect.
It has the potential to bring Judaism into disrepute.
As a result, Paul endeavored to put a stop to this nascent movement before it could cause too much harm.
Damascus road
The significance of Paul’s conversion, his transformation from persecutor to preacher, cannot be overstated. Paul himself struggles to understand what has occurred, and in an interesting paragraph from one of his letters, he presents it as Jesus’ resurrection appearance (1 Corinthians 15.8-10)
Paul the missionary
The Damascus Road encounter was both a call and a conversion. It was a conversion from his prior life as an ardent persecutor of Jesus’ disciples to a new life dedicated to furthering the cause of the new movement with even greater zeal than he had previously demonstrated. Paul began preaching the gospel of the crucified Christ for the sins of all people all over the world, beginning in Jerusalem and continuing all the way to Rome, with limitless zeal. For him, his success was a source of pride:
Luke describes three massive missionary travels, beginning in Antioch, Syria, and continuing west into (modern-day) Turkey and Greece before returning to Jerusalem.
This was a very arduous task for Paul.
Paul, unlike other early Christian missionaries, worked to support himself wherever he went.
Luke describes him as a tentmaker (Acts 18.3), and Paul frequently discusses how he blended preaching the gospel with manual labor (see 1 Corinthians 9).
Paul’s life was extraordinary, and there is no doubt that it influenced the development of Christianity.
As an apostle, theologian, and letter writer, he made an impression.
Paul the apostle had spread the gospel far and wide, throwing open the doors to Gentiles and fighting valiantly for his conviction that the gospel was for everyone and that no barriers should be placed in the way of Gentiles.
Paul the theologian was the first to address many of the perplexing issues raised by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
And Paul the letter-writer left us not only with some of the most profound early Christian theological reflections, but also with some of history’s greatest and most poignant writing.
Revelation
But it is Revelation, not Paul, who lies at the conclusion of the Bible, a book that at first glance appears to be the New Testament’s black sheep. Many a reader has given up in frustration trying to decipher its riddles, with its amazing visions of heaven, gruesome future stories, and opaque signs and symbols.
Revelation has been a source of contention for certain Christians; Luther wished it were not included in the New Testament at all.
Revelation, however, is fundamentally a Christian text.
Its core message is that God is still Lord and King of the universe, despite appearances to the contrary.
It’s a vision of God’s kingdom, judgment, and, most importantly, control over all things.
Wherever there is inequity in the world, it will be addressed.
Sin, sickness, disease, and the devil will be removed wherever they exist.
John is a seer who has been given insight into what is happening in heaven.
He has the ability to see things from God’s point of view.
And the message he hears there is that, after all, God is in charge, thanks to his Son, Jesus, who has defeated death by his own victory over death.
Who appointed Paul as an apostle?
- There was essentially no Christian religion for him to convert to at the time.
- When it comes to knowing what Paul would have considered himself, he is equivocal.
“When among the gentiles, I acted like a gentile, and when among the Jews, I acted as a Jew; I was all things to all men,” he claims, but this doesn’t help us solve the problem. When discussing what happened to Paul, it is probably more accurate to state that he was called by God, as was the case with the prophets of ancient Israel.
Paul said in Galatians that he saw the resurrected Jesus, who commissioned him to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. In terms of Paul’s authority, this was critical. Everyone knew he was never a member of the inner circle, therefore Paul used a direct order from Jesus to claim that he had equal authority to the other Apostles. This is also key in deciphering Paul’s ideas on the Law of Moses when it comes to his recruitment area, and it is something that should constantly be kept in mind while analyzing his views.
Paul’s invitation to be the Apostle to the Gentiles was unexpected, given that he had previously persecuted the church of God, as he readily admits. What a tense phrase! The majority of academics are divided on what this signifies. The first issue concerns the word ‘persecuted.’ This can refer to anything from heckling to throwing eggs to physical violence in Greek. He never really explains why he did it, and he never really explains why he did it. According to Luke, he used to vote in the Sanhedrin for the death penalty for Christians, and then he received arrest warrants from the high priest to arrest Christians in Damascus (where he had his revelation). Luke is exaggerating; at the time, the high priest had no such authority, especially in another region.
Who was the one who anointed Saul?
Saul’s rise to the throne of Israel is depicted in three different ways in the Hebrew Bible. Saul is anointed as king by the judge Samuel in one, and Saul’s noteworthy height is a selling point. In another, when the Israelites are looking for a leader to unite the tribes and face foreign dangers, they choose Saul by lot. The third account connects Saul’s selection to his rescue of Jabesh-Gilead from the Ammonites’ siege.
What was Paul’s life like before he encountered Jesus?
The Apostle Paul was well-versed in all aspects of human nature, including the good, evil, and ugly. Perhaps it was because he had lived the life of a domineering narcissist and remembered what it was like to be without gratitude.
Paul (or, more accurately, Saul, as he was called at the time) was huge, powerful, and in command of his universe until meeting the risen Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. He was plainly the boss, and he had little patience for anyone who tried to overshadow his opulent persona. However, this man, who pretended to be devout and moral, was nothing more than a narcissistic jerk who desired attention, sought power, and lived in a world filled with venomous judgment.
That was, of course, before he encountered Jesus Christ, whose love for God’s son transformed his life significantly. This same guy who previously persecuted the church with impunity afterwards became one of its most faithful servants.
Paul transformed himself from a guy who sought wealth and power to a man who lived by faith. He transformed from a man who despised anything and everyone he couldn’t control to one who willingly gave control in the name of God. He went from being a shame to God to becoming one of the most well-known and effective evangelists in the world.
In Philippians 4:12, Paul writes that he has mastered one of life’s most important secrets: the ability to accept life in both good and bad circumstances. He recognizes the need of focusing one’s heart and thoughts on Christ rather than on worldly possessions such as money, power, control, fame, and wealth.
This secret of happiness and blessing, according to Paul, was plainly the outcome of living a life in Jesus Christ, but it goes deeper than merely confessing faith. Paul lived a life of prayerful thanks and appreciation. Paul tells believers in 1 Thessalonians 16-18 to “rejoice continually, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; because this is God’s wish in Christ Jesus for you.” This is the secret Paul is referring about.
Accepting Christ is merely the first stage in the Christian life for Christians. Acceptance of Jesus Christ, like Paul’s, must be accompanied with a desire to live a life that reflects Christ. This is, in many respects, living a life that is based on joy, prayer, and gratitude. As Paul so clearly states, this is God’s will for those who call upon God’s name.
The reality is that, especially in today’s environment, we Christians regularly fall short of this ideal. Politics, cultural divisions, religious conflicts, and popular culture’s general vitriol promote anything but a really Christian way of life. Many people behave in the same way that Saul did, rather than living lives of spiritual blessing and sacred service in Christ’s name. Control, power, dominance, and material gain are more appealing to us than service, sacrifice, and love. Grace is replaced by punitive judgment. Disregard for differences has supplanted love. Partisanship takes precedence above loyal service.
Paul also understood what it meant to be grateful when things didn’t go his way. Beatings, incarceration, and disturbance of his routine were not responded with rage or outbursts of hatred directed at the forces working against his will. Paul sought the larger good, a loyal path of resistance, and a prayerful response to the horrible and devastating political and social issues of his time. Perhaps as Christians, we should strive to be more like Paul and less like Saul, his predecessor.
In the Bible, who is Tarsus?
St. Paul was born in Tarsus, an ancient city on the alluvial plain of ancient Cilicia (Acts of the Apostles 22:3). Excavations at Gzlkule, on the southern outskirts of the contemporary town, by American archaeologist Hetty Goldman before and shortly after World War II reveal that settlements occurred there from Neolithic through Islamic times, with intermittent breaks. Tarsus’ prosperity throughout the fifth and sixth centuries