Saturday, May 22, 2010

Who is the Apostle Paul?

Before we start studying Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we need to do an overview of his letter to the church in Rome since it forms the foundation of Ephesians.

However, remember when we did our "How to study the Bible" study and I said that we need to be a good journalist and find the answers to these questions:

  1. Who - Who wrote it; to whom was it written; about whom was it written?
  2. What - What is the subject matter? What are the key words? What are the key verses?
  3. When - When was it written? What was going on in the rest of the world at the time that had an influence on this writing?
  4. Where - To where was it written? From where was it written?
  5. Why - Why was it written?

Right now, I want to briefly look at part of the "Who" - Who wrote Romans and Ephesians!

His name: Paul's Jewish name was Saul (Saulos) which means "desired" and his Latin name was Paulus or Paullus which means "small". He was called "Saul of Tarsus".

His background:

  • He was not only a Jew, but he was also a Roman citizen—a fact that afforded him a privileged social status with respect to laws, property, and governance.
  • He spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
  • Paul's own account of his background is found particularly in Galatians.
  • He was afflicted with an eye disease which is difficult to diagnose (2 Corinthians 12:7-9; Galatians 4:13-14).
  • Acts 23:6: Paul realized that some members of the high council were Sadducees and some were Pharisees, so he shouted, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!”
  • Philippians 3:5: I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.
  • Romans 11:1: ...I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
  • Acts 22:1-22 identifies Paul as from the Mediterranean city of Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia (in present-day south-central Turkey). Tarsus was also the seat of a famous university, higher in reputation even than the universities of Athens and Alexandria, the only others that then existed.
  • He was well respected by everyone and advancing in stature within Judaism's Jerusalem Temple leadership before his conversion.
  • Saul was sent, when about thirteen years of age probably, to the great Jewish school of sacred learning at Jerusalem as a student of the law. Here he became a pupil of the celebrated rabbi Gamaliel, and here he spent many years in an elaborate study of the Scriptures and of the many questions concerning them with which the rabbis exercised themselves.
  • Acts 7:57-59, 8:1: Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.
  • He was at this time probably a member of the great Sanhedrin, and became the active leader in the furious persecution by which the rulers then sought to exterminate Christianity.
  • Galatians 1:13: You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

His mission:

  • He called himself the "Apostle to the Gentiles".
  • Romans 15:16: I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles...

The Book of Acts contains an account of Paul's travels and deeds, his conflicts with Pagans and Jews, and his interactions with apostles. Acts leaves several parts of Paul's life out of its narrative, such as his execution in Rome. Peter is the focus of the first half of Acts and Paul is the focus of the second half.

His conversion:

  • Paul's conversion can be dated to 33 - 36 by his reference to it in one of his letters.
  • According to the Acts of the Apostles, his conversion took place on the road to Damascus where he experienced a vision of the resurrected Jesus after which he was temporarily blinded. [Acts 9:1-31], [Acts 22:1-22], [Acts 26:9-24].
  • After his conversion, Paul went to Damascus, where Acts states he was healed of his blindness and baptized by Ananias of Damascus.
  • Paul says that he then went first to Arabia, and then came back to Damascus. [Galatians 1:17].
  • He describes in Galatians how three years after his conversion he went to Jerusalem. There he met James and stayed with Simon Peter for 15 days. [Galatians 1:13–24]
  • Paul asserted that he received the Gospel not from any person, but by a personal revelation of Jesus Christ.[Galatians 1:11–16].

His writings:

  • Fourteen epistles, or letters, in the New Testament were written to Paul. about half of the New Testament stems from Paul and the people whom he influenced
  • Paul's influence on Christian thinking arguably has been more significant than any other New Testament author. In fact, I remember one Jewish scholar mistakenly saying that Jesus was not the founder of Christianity; Paul was.
  • Paul apparently dictated all his epistles through a secretary (or amanuensis). These epistles were circulated within the Christian community, where they were read aloud by members of the church. Paul's epistles were accepted early as scripture and later established as Canon of Scripture. Critical scholars regard Paul's epistles to be the earliest-written books of the New Testament. They are referenced as early as 96 AD by Clement of Rome.
  • Romans 1:1: This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.

Those whom he deeply influenced after his death: Augustine developed Paul's idea that salvation is based on faith and not works. Luther and his doctrine of sola fide were heavily influenced by Paul. Through his activity and writings, his beliefs eventually changed religious thought throughout the Mediterranean. This leadership, influence and legacy led to the formation of communities dominated by gentile groups that adhered to the Judaic "moral code" but relaxed or abandoned the "ritual" obligations of the Mosaic law on the basis of the life and works of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant.

His speaking ability: Paul was a fluent writer, but, self admittedly, not an eloquent public speaker.

Paul's travels:

  • Most scholars agree that a vital meeting between Paul and the Jerusalem church took place in year 49 or 50 described in Acts 15:2 and usually seen as the same event mentioned by Paul in Galatians 2:1. The key question raised was whether Gentile converts needed to be circumcised. At this meeting, Peter, James, and John accepted Paul's mission to the Gentiles.
  • Around 50-52, Paul spent 18 months in Corinth. The reference in Acts to proconsul Gallio helps ascertain this date. Here he worked with Silas and Timothy.
  • After Corinth, the next major center for Paul's activities was Ephesus. Ephesus was an important center for early Christianity from the year 50. From 52 to 54, Paul lived here, working with the congregation and apparently organizing missionary activity into the hinterlands. Paul's time here was marked by disturbances and possibly imprisonment. Finally, he was forced to leave.
  • Next, he traveled to Macedonia before going probably to Corinth for three months (56-57) before his final visit to Jerusalem.
  • Though Paul wrote that he visited Illyricum, he meant what would now be called Illyria Graeca that was part of the Roman province of Macedonia, which is now modern day Albania.

  • Paul arrived in Jerusalem in 57 with a collection of money for the congregation there. Acts reports that the church welcomed Paul gladly, but it was apparently a proposal of James that led to his arrest. Paul caused a stir when he appeared at the Temple, and he escaped being killed by the crowd by being taken into custody.
  • He was held as a prisoner for two years in Caesarea until a new governor reopened his case in 59. When accused of treason, he appealed to Caesar, claiming his right as a citizen of Rome to appear there before a proper court and to defend himself of the charges.
  • The Acts recounts that on the way to Rome he was shipwrecked on Malta [Acts 28:1] where he was met by Publius [Acts 28:7] and the islanders, who showed him "unusual kindness". [Acts 28:2]
  • He arrived in Rome about 60 and spent two years under house arrest. [Acts 28:16]
  • All told, during his ministry the Apostle Paul spent roughly 5 1/2 to 6 years as a prisoner or in prison.
  • Neither the Bible nor other history says how or when Paul died. Eusebius of Caesarea, who wrote in the fourth century, states that Paul was beheaded in the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. This event has been dated either to the year 64, when Rome was devastated by a fire, or a few years later, to 67 at Tre Fontane Abbey (Three Fountains Abbey) - three years before the destruction of the Temple. By comparison, tradition has Peter being crucified upside-down. Paul's Roman citizenship accorded him the more merciful death by beheading.

Paul's burial place:

  • In June 2009, Pope Benedict announced excavation results concerning the tomb of Saint Paul at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. The sarcophagus itself was not opened but was examined by means of a probe. It revealed pieces of incense and purple and blue linen as well as small bone fragments. The bone was radiocarbon dated to the 1st to 2nd century. According to the Vatican, this seems to confirm the tradition of the tomb being Saint Paul's. Of course, one must take with a grain of salt anything coming out of the Vatican.

On-Line Sources:

Off-Line Sources:

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About Me

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Bible studies are held in Oakbay subdivision in Noblesville, Indiana. In-person Sunday studies have been eliminated because of COVID-19 concerns. Wednesday studies at 7:00 pm led by Don Terry via Zoom - presently studying the Book of Acts from a dispensationalist viewpoint. Bi-monthly Wednesday’s women’s studies at 7:00 pm led by Carolyn Terry via Zoom - presently studying Paul’s second letter to Timothy - and his last writing. You can see several of our present and past studies but we covered many other subjects before starting this blog. The goal of these studies is to bring each of us to know Christ better (epignosis) and then to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” as mentioned by Paul in Philippians 3:14 and to hear Jesus’ “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”. Dedicated to the memory of Don & Carolyn Terry’s daughter, DJ (Dorothy Jean) Terry, who went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in 1999 at 20 years old.