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The most dynamic figure of the New Testament, the greatest missionary of Christianity and its first theologian. St. Paul was born to Jewish parents in Tarsus c. 3, being a diaspora - the dispersion of Jews into the Greco-Roman world and was circumcised on the eighth day by the Jewish tradition. His original name given to him was Saul after the Hebrew King. However, Saul took as his everyday name of Latin origin with a sound similar to that of his original Hebrew name. We understand from his letters, he had deep knowledge of Greek rhetoric which he learned in his youth in Tarsus. But also his philosophy reflects that he had received a formal training in the Jewish law, probably he was getting prepared for becoming a rabbi. St. Paul, in his early years, was a insistent persecutor of the Christians and even he was a supportive witness to the stoning of St. Stephen, the first of the Christian martyrs. Again, before his conversion, he accepted that Christianity was a Jewish sect and that wasn't true to the Jewish law and that therefore had to be destroyed. St. Paul's conversion occurred during his journey from Jerusalem to Damascus, after experiencing a vision of Christ. He clearly perceived the revelation of Jesus Christ to mark the end of all religions. St. Paul is well known from his three journeysas recorded in the book " Acts of Apostles ", which he traveled to spread the new born religion. From Acts, we know that he was arrested in Jerusalem after riots by Jewish opponents and that later he was taken to Rome. He talks about his own possible death in the Acts. He was probably martyred at Rome c. 62. The New Testament refers to 13 letters which St. Paul was author of, and 7 of the letters (first letter to Thessalonians, Letter to Galatians, first letter to Corinthians, Letter to Romans, Letter to Philippians, second letter to Timothy and Letter to Philemon) that bear his name were certainly written by St. Paul himself. These letters in which St. Paul speaks of his works, are the major source of information about his life. In his letters, he addressed to the major metropolitan centers of the ancient world, he also chose the synagogues to give his preaching in. Apparently he was the man of the road as he covered a considerable distance on his journeys. |
