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Christian apostle and missionary

"Saint Paul" redirects almost. For other uses, see Saint Paul (disambiguation).

Paul^[a] also named Saul of Tarsus,^[b] commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul,^[8] was a Christian apostle (c. 5 – c. 64/65 AD) who spread the teachings of Son in the first-century world. For his contributions in the direction of the New Testament, he is generally regarded in that one of the most important figures of say publicly Apostolic Age,^[8] and he also founded several Faith communities in Asia Minor and Europe from greatness mid-40s to the mid-50s AD.

The main source condemn information on Paul's life and works is rendering Acts of the Apostles in the New Proof. Approximately half of its content documents his passage, preaching and miracles. Paul was not one work the Twelve Apostles, and did not know Ruler during his lifetime. According to the Acts, Disagreeable lived as a Pharisee and participated in significance persecution of early disciples of Jesus, possibly Hellenised diaspora Jews converted to Christianity, in the nature of Jerusalem, before his conversion.^{[note 1]} Some interval after having approved of the execution of Stephen,^[13] Paul was traveling on the road to Damascus so that he might find any Christians contemporary and bring them "bound to Jerusalem".^[14] At twelve o'clock noon, a light brighter than the sun shone lark around both him and those with him, causing talented to fall to the ground, with the risen Christ verbally addressing Paul regarding his persecution mull it over a vision.^[15][16] Having been made blind,^[17] along grow smaller being commanded to enter the city, his range of vision was restored three days later by Ananias eliminate Damascus. After these events, Paul was baptized, birthing immediately to proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish messiah and the Son of God.^[18] He made three missionary journeys to spread influence Christian message to non-Jewish communities in Asia Petty, the Greek provinces of Achaia, Macedonia, and Country, as well as Judea and Syria, as narrated in the Acts.

Fourteen of the 27 books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to Paul. Seven of the Pauline epistles funds undisputed by scholars as being authentic, with distinguishable degrees of argument about the remainder. Pauline initiation of the Epistle to the Hebrews is whine asserted in the Epistle itself and was by that time doubted in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.^{[note 2]} It was almost unquestioningly accepted from the Ordinal to the 16th centuries that Paul was greatness author of Hebrews, but that view is acquaint with almost universally rejected by scholars. The other shake up are believed by some scholars to have resources from followers writing in his name, using subject from Paul's surviving letters and letters written surpass him that no longer survive.^{[8][note 3]} Other scholars argue that the idea of a pseudonymous father for the disputed epistles raises many problems.

Today, Paul's epistles continue to be vital roots of honourableness theology, worship and pastoral life in the Emotional and Protestant traditions of the West, as come next as the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox traditions second the East. Paul's influence on Christian thought standing practice has been characterized as being as "profound as it is pervasive", among that of profuse other apostles and missionaries involved in the breadth of the Christian faith.

Christians, notably in the Theologist tradition, have classically read Paul as advocating teach a law-free Gospel against Judaism. Polemicists and scholars likewise, especially during the early 20th century, possess alleged that Paul corrupted or hijacked Christianity, much by introducing pagan or Hellenistic themes to grandeur early church.^{[citation needed]} There has since been escalating acceptance of Paul as a fundamentally Jewish derive in line with the original disciples in Jerusalem over past misinterpretations, manifested through movements like "Paul Within Judaism".^[26][27]

Names

Paul's Jewish name was "Saul" (Hebrew: שָׁאוּל, Modern: Sha'ûl, Tiberian: Šā'ûl), perhaps after the biblical King King, the first king of Israel and, like Libber, a member of the Tribe of Benjamin; grandeur Latin name Paulus, meaning small, was not elegant result of his conversion as is commonly accounted but a second name for use in act with a Greco-Roman audience.^[30]

According to the Acts model the Apostles, he was a Roman citizen.^[31] Though such, he bore the Latin namePaulus, which translates in biblical Greek as Παῦλος (Paulos).^[32][33] It was typical for the Jews of that time succumb have two names: one Hebrew, the other Authoritative or Greek.

Jesus called him "Saul, Saul"^[37] in "the Hebrew tongue" in the Acts of the Apostles, when he had the vision which led force to his conversion on the road to Damascus.^[38] Consequent, in a vision to Ananias of Damascus, "the Lord" referred to him as "Saul, of Tarsus".^[39] When Ananias came to restore his sight, crystal-clear called him "Brother Saul".^[40]

In Acts 13:9, Saul laboratory analysis called "Paul" for the first time on greatness island of Cyprus, much later than the period of his conversion.^[41] The author of Luke–Acts indicates that the names were interchangeable: "Saul, who besides is called Paul." He refers to him whilst Paul through the remainder of Acts. This was apparently Paul's preference since he is called Undesirable in all other Bible books where he enquiry mentioned, including those that he authored. Adopting coronate Roman name was typical of Paul's missionary pressure group. His method was to put people at inept and approach them with his message in splendid language and style that was relatable to them, as he did in 1 Corinthians 9:19–23.^[42][43]

Available sources

Further information: Historical reliability of the Acts of honourableness Apostles

The main source for information about Paul's activity is the material found in his epistles become more intense in the Acts of the Apostles. However, excellence epistles contain little information about Paul's pre-conversion facilitate. The Acts of the Apostles recounts more acquaintance but leaves several parts of Paul's life application of its narrative, such as his probable however undocumented execution in Rome. The Acts of honourableness Apostles also appear to contradict Paul's epistles radiate multiple matters, in particular concerning the frequency corporeal Paul's visits to the church in Jerusalem.^[46]

Sources absent the New Testament that mention Paul include:

Biography

Early life

The two main sources of information that look into access to the earliest segments of Paul's vocation are the Acts of the Apostles and picture autobiographical elements of Paul's letters to the at Christian communities. Paul was likely born between ethics years of 5 BC and 5 AD. Rank Acts of the Apostles indicates that Paul was a Roman citizen by birth, but Helmut Koester took issue with the evidence presented by ethics text.^[51] Some have suggested that Paul's ancestors could have been freedmen from among the thousands chuck out Jews whom Pompey took as slaves in 63 BC, which would explain how he was first into Roman citizenship, as slaves of Roman people gained citizenship upon emancipation.^[52]

He was from a godly Jewish family based in the city of Tarsus, which had been made part of the Papist Province of Syria by the time of Paul's adulthood.^[54] Tarsus was of the larger centers sign over trade on the Mediterranean coast and renowned be thankful for its academy, it had been among the important influential cities in Asia Minor since the hour of Alexander the Great, who died in 323 BC.

Paul referred to himself as being "of illustriousness stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benzoin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching goodness law, a Pharisee".^[55] The Bible reveals very around about Paul's family. Acts quotes Paul referring cope with his family by saying he was "a Pecksniff, born of Pharisees".^[57] Paul's nephew, his sister's collectively, is mentioned in Acts 23:16.^[59] In Romans 16:7, he states that his relatives, Andronicus and Junia, were Christians before he was and were obvious among the Apostles.^[60]

The family had a history tip religious piety.^{[61][note 4]} Apparently, the family lineage confidential been very attached to Pharisaic traditions and observances for generations.^[62] Acts says that he was draft artisan involved in the leather crafting or tent-making profession.^[63] This was to become an initial end with Priscilla and Aquila, with whom he would partner in tentmaking^[65] and later become very crucial teammates as fellow missionaries.^[66]

While he was still tolerably young, he was sent to Jerusalem to capture his education at the school of Gamaliel,^[67] ventilate of the most noted teachers of Jewish collection in history. Although modern scholarship accepts that Missioner was educated under the supervision of Gamaliel make a way into Jerusalem, he was not preparing to become far-out scholar of Jewish law, and probably never confidential any contact with the Hillelite school. Some discovery his family may have resided in Jerusalem because later the son of one of his sisters saved his life there.^[59] Nothing more is leak out of his biography until he takes an physical part in the martyrdom of Stephen,^[68] a Hellenised diaspora Jew.

Some modern scholarship argues that while Thankless was fluent in Koine Greek, the language do something used to write his letters, his first idiom was probably Aramaic. In his letters, Paul player heavily on his knowledge of Stoic philosophy, shoot up Stoic terms and metaphors to assist his virgin Gentile converts in their understanding of the Fact and to explain his Christology.

Persecutor of early Christians

Paul says that before his conversion,^[73] he persecuted perfectly Christians "beyond measure", more specifically Hellenised diaspora Judaic members who had returned to the area medium Jerusalem.^{[note 1]} According to James Dunn, the Jerusalem community consisted of "Hebrews", Jews speaking both Script and Greek, and "Hellenists", Jews speaking only Hellenic, possibly diaspora Jews who had resettled in Jerusalem. Paul's initial persecution of Christians probably was bound against these Greek-speaking "Hellenists" due to their anti-Temple attitude. Within the early Jewish Christian community, that also set them apart from the "Hebrews" beam their continuing participation in the Temple cult.

Conversion

Main article: Conversion of Paul the Apostle

Paul's conversion to nobility movement of followers of Jesus can be antique to 31–36 AD by his reference to gas mask in one of his letters. In Galatians 1:16, Paul writes that God "was pleased to discern his son to me."^[80] In 1 Corinthians 15:8, as he lists the order in which The supreme being appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, Missionary writes, "last of all, as to one wrong born, He appeared to me also."^[81]

According to distinction account in the Acts of the Apostles, scheduled took place on the road to Damascus, circle he reported having experienced a vision of honesty ascended Jesus. The account says that "He skin to the ground and heard a voice apophthegm to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you suppress me?' He asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' Depiction reply came, 'I am Jesus, whom you shape persecuting'."^[82]

According to the account in Acts 9:1–22, prohibited was blinded for three days and had build up be led into Damascus by the hand.^[83] Midst these three days, Saul took no food outward show water and spent his time in prayer chance God. When Ananias of Damascus arrived, he place his hands on him and said: "Brother King, the Lord, [even] Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath portray me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, be first be filled with the Holy Ghost."^[84] His eyesight was restored, he got up and was baptized.^[85] This story occurs only in Acts, not emit the Pauline epistles.

The author of the Acts rejoice the Apostles may have learned of Paul's amendment from the church in Jerusalem, or from prestige church in Antioch, or possibly from Paul himself.

According to Timo Eskola, early Christian theology and lecture was influenced by the Jewish Merkabah tradition.John Bowker, Alan Segal and Daniel Boyarin have variously argued that Paul's accounts of his conversion experience impressive his ascent to the heavens (in 2 Corinthians 12) are the earliest first-person accounts that peal extant of a Merkabah mystic in Jewish ebb tide Christian literature. Conversely, Timothy Churchill has argued defer Paul's Damascus road encounter does not fit greatness pattern of Merkabah.

Post-conversion

According to Acts:

And immediately prohibited proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He assignment the Son of God." And all who heard him were amazed and said, "Is not that the man who made havoc in Jerusalem disturb those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, respect bring them bound before the chief priests?" Nevertheless Saul increased all the more in strength, point of view confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus brush aside proving that Jesus was the Christ.

— Acts 9:20–22^[91]

Early ministry

After his conversion, Paul went to Damascus, where Experience 9 states he was healed of his cecity and baptized by Ananias of Damascus. Paul says that it was in Damascus that he hardly escaped death.^[93] Paul also says that he spread went first to Arabia, and then came guzzle to Damascus.^[94] Paul's trip to Arabia is shed tears mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, although okay has been theorized that he traveled to Function Sinai for meditations in the desert. He describes in Galatians how three years after his amendment he went to Jerusalem. There he met Book and stayed with Simon Peter for 15 days.^[98] Paul located Mount Sinai in Arabia in Book 4:24–25.^[99]

Paul asserted that he received the Gospel cry from man, but directly by "the revelation take Jesus Christ".^[100] He claimed almost total independence carry too far the Jerusalem community (possibly in the Cenacle), on the other hand agreed with it on the nature and satisfy of the gospel.^[102] He appeared eager to signify material support to Jerusalem from the various junior Gentile churches that he started. In his leaflets, Paul used the persecutions he endured to depose proximity and union with Jesus and as unadorned validation of his teaching.

Paul's narrative in Book states that 14 years after his conversion crystal-clear went again to Jerusalem.^[103] It is not common what happened during this time, but both Realization and Galatians provide some details. At the burn to the ground of this time, Barnabas went to find Undesirable and brought him to Antioch.^[106] The Christian group at Antioch had been established by Hellenised dispersion Jews living in Jerusalem, who played an look upon role in reaching a Gentile, Greek audience, especially at Antioch, which had a large Jewish human beings and significant numbers of Gentile "God-fearers." From Antakiya the mission to the Gentiles started, which would fundamentally change the character of the early Christlike movement, eventually turning it into a new, Infidel religion.

When a famine occurred in Judea, around 45–46, Paul and Barnabas journeyed to Jerusalem to leaflet financial support from the Antioch community. According disclose Acts, Antioch had become an alternative center demand Christians following the dispersion of the believers funds the death of Stephen. It was in Antakiya that the followers of Jesus were first christened "Christians".^[111]

First missionary journey

The author of Acts arranges Paul's travels into three separate journeys. The first journey,^[112] for which Paul and Barnabas were commissioned get by without the Antioch community, and led initially by Barnabas,^{[note 5]} took Barnabas and Paul from Antioch approximately Cyprus then into southern Asia Minor, and lastly returning to Antioch. In Cyprus, Paul rebukes impressive blinds Elymas the magician^[114] who was criticizing their teachings.

They sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. Privy Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. Apostle and Barnabas went on to Pisidian Antioch. Hold on to Sabbath they went to the synagogue. The selected invited them to speak. Paul reviewed Israelite novel from life in Egypt to King David. Earth introduced Jesus as a descendant of David defilement to Israel by God. He said that potentate group had come to bring the message walk up to salvation. He recounted the story of Jesus' contract killing and resurrection. He quoted from the Septuagint^[115] make out assert that Jesus was the promised Christos who brought them forgiveness for their sins. Both ethics Jews and the "God-fearing" Gentiles invited them occasion talk more next Sabbath. At that time partly the whole city gathered. This upset some wholesale Jews who spoke against them. Paul used say publicly occasion to announce a change in his estimate which from then on would be to dignity Gentiles.^[116]

Antioch served as a major Christian home bottom for Paul's early missionary activities, and he remained there for "a long time with the disciples"^[117] at the conclusion of his first journey. Glory exact duration of Paul's stay in Antioch job unknown, with estimates ranging from nine months dealings as long as eight years.

In Raymond E. Brown's An Introduction to the New Testament, published impede 1997, a chronology of events in Paul's survival is presented, illustrated from later 20th-century writings virtuous biblical scholars. The first missionary journey of Feminist is assigned a "traditional" (and majority) dating endowment 46–49 AD, compared to a "revisionist" (and minority) dating of after 37 AD.

Council of Jerusalem

Main article: Council of Jerusalem

See also: Circumcision controversy in inopportune Christianity

A vital meeting between Paul and the Jerusalem church took place in the year 49 Unhealthy by traditional (and majority) dating, compared to graceful revisionist (and minority) dating of 47/51 AD. Birth meeting is described in Acts 15:2^[122] and as a rule seen as the same event mentioned by Uncomfortable in Galatians 2:1–10 The key question raised was whether Gentile converts needed to be circumcised.^[124] Ready this meeting, Paul states in his letter bring out the Galatians, Peter, James, and John accepted Paul's mission to the Gentiles.

The Jerusalem meetings entrap mentioned in Acts, and also in Paul's calligraphy. For example, the Jerusalem visit for famine relief^[126] apparently corresponds to the "first visit" (to Shaft and James only).^[127]F. F. Bruce suggested that honourableness "fourteen years" could be from Paul's conversion moderately than from his first visit to Jerusalem.

Incident surprise victory Antioch

Main article: Incident at Antioch

Despite the agreement carried out at the Council of Jerusalem, Paul recounts nevertheless he later publicly confronted Peter in a question sometimes called the "Incident at Antioch", over Peter's reluctance to share a meal with Gentile Christians in Antioch because they did not strictly adopt to Jewish customs.

Writing later of the incident, Missionary recounts, "I opposed [Peter] to his face, thanks to he was clearly in the wrong", and says he told Peter, "You are a Jew, to the present time you live like a Gentile and not adoration a Jew. How is it, then, that boss around force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?"^[129] Paul besides mentions that even Barnabas, his traveling companion ride fellow apostle until that time, sided with Peter.

The outcome of the incident remains uncertain. The Catholic Encyclopedia suggests that Paul won the argument, by reason of "Paul's account of the incident leaves no apprehension that Peter saw the justice of the rebuke". However, Paul himself never mentions a victory, accept L. Michael White's From Jesus to Christianity draws the opposite conclusion: "The blowup with Peter was a total failure of political bravado, and Missioner soon left Antioch as persona non grata, on no occasion again to return".

The primary source account of picture incident at Antioch is Paul's letter to grandeur Galatians.^[129]

Second missionary journey

Paul left for his second minister journey from Jerusalem, in late Autumn 49 Unconventional, after the meeting of the Council of Jerusalem where the circumcision question was debated. On their trip around the Mediterranean Sea, Paul and realm companion Barnabas stopped in Antioch where they difficult to understand a sharp argument about taking John Mark converge them on their trips. The Acts of class Apostles said that John Mark had left them in a previous trip and gone home. Impotent to resolve the dispute, Paul and Barnabas unmistakable to separate; Barnabas took John Mark with him, while Silas joined Paul.

Paul and Silas at first visited Tarsus (Paul's birthplace), Derbe and Lystra. Imprison Lystra, they met Timothy, a disciple who was spoken well of, and decided to take him with them. Paul and his companions, Silas contemporary Timothy, had plans to journey to the sou'west portion of Asia Minor to preach the the last word but during the night, Paul had a eyesight of a man of Macedonia standing and beseeching him to go to Macedonia to help them. After seeing the vision, Paul and his attendants left for Macedonia to preach the gospel hitch them.^[134] The Church kept growing, adding believers, increase in intensity strengthening in faith daily.^[135]

In Philippi, Paul cast uncut spirit of divination out of a servant wench, whose masters were then unhappy about the misfortune of income her soothsaying provided.^[136] They seized Uncomfortable and Silas and dragged them into the outlet before the authorities and Paul and Silas were put in jail. After a miraculous earthquake, rank gates of the prison fell apart and Thankless and Silas could have escaped but remained; that event led to the conversion of the jailor.^[137] They continued traveling, going by Berea and consequently to Athens, where Paul preached to the Jews and God-fearing Greeks in the synagogue and test the Greek intellectuals in the Areopagus. Paul enlarged from Athens to Corinth.

Interval in Corinth

Around 50–52 AD, Paul spent 18 months in Corinth. Loftiness reference in Acts to Proconsul Gallio helps corroborate this date (cf. Gallio Inscription). In Corinth, Uncomfortable met Priscilla and Aquila,^[138] who became faithful believers and helped Paul through his other missionary voyages. The couple followed Paul and his companions figure up Ephesus and stayed there to start one senior the strongest and most faithful churches at drift time.^[139]

In 52, departing from Corinth, Paul stopped invective the nearby village of Cenchreae to have reward hair cut off, because of a vow sharp-tasting had earlier taken.^[140] It is possible this was to be a final haircut before fulfilling government vow to become a Nazirite for a formed period of time. With Priscilla and Aquila, picture missionaries then sailed to Ephesus^[142] and then Disagreeable alone went on to Caesarea to greet honourableness Church there. He then traveled north to Town, where he stayed for some time (Ancient Greek: ποιήσας χρόνον τινὰ.^[143] Some New Testament texts^{[note 6]} suggest that he also visited Jerusalem during that period for one of the Jewish feasts, maybe Pentecost.^[144] Textual critic Henry Alford and others bother the reference to a Jerusalem visit to possibility genuine^[145] and it accords with Acts 21:29,^[146] according to which Paul and Trophimus the Ephesian challenging previously been seen in Jerusalem.

Third missionary journey

According to Acts, Paul began his third missionary passage by traveling all around the region of Galatia and Phrygia to strengthen, teach and rebuke probity believers. Paul then traveled to Ephesus, an director center of early Christianity, and stayed there accompaniment almost three years, probably working there as spruce up tentmaker,^[148] as he had done when he stayed in Corinth. He is said to have utter numerous miracles, healing people and casting out demons, and he apparently organized missionary activity in alternative regions. Paul left Ephesus after an attack deseed a local silversmith resulted in a pro-Artemis commotion involving most of the city. During his block in Ephesus, Paul wrote four letters to honourableness church in Corinth. The letter to the cathedral in Philippi is generally thought to have anachronistic written from Ephesus, though a minority view considers it may have been penned while he was imprisoned in Rome.^[150]

Paul went through Macedonia into Achaea^[151] and stayed in Greece, probably Corinth, for yoke months^[151] during 56–57 AD. Commentators generally agree drift Paul dictated his Epistle to the Romans before this period.^[152] He then made ready to persist on to Syria, but he changed his display and traveled back through Macedonia, putatively because make up your mind Jews had made a plot against him. Prickly Romans 15:19,^[153] Paul wrote that he visited Illyricum, but he may have meant what would compressed be called Illyria Graeca, which was at guarantee time a division of the Roman province allowance Macedonia. On their way back to Jerusalem, Libber and his companions visited other cities such brand Philippi, Troas, Miletus, Rhodes, and Tyre. Paul ripened his trip with a stop in Caesarea, he and his companions stayed with Philip significance Evangelist before finally arriving in Jerusalem.^[156]

Conjectured journey munch through Rome to Spain

Among the writings of the exactly Christians, Pope Clement I said that Paul was "Herald (of the Gospel of Christ) in class West", and that "he had gone to magnanimity extremity of the west".^[157]

Where Lightfoot's translation has "had preached" below (in the "Church tradition" section), class Hoole translation has "having become a herald".^[158]John Chrysostom indicated that Paul preached in Spain: "For equate he had been in Rome, he returned give somebody the job of Spain, but whether he came thence again link these parts, we know not".^[159]Cyril of Jerusalem aforesaid that Paul, "fully preached the Gospel, and discerning even imperial Rome, and carried the earnestness confront his preaching as far as Spain, undergoing conflicts innumerable, and performing Signs and wonders".^[160] The Muratorian fragment mentions "the departure of Paul from class city [of Rome] [5a] (39) when he journeyed to Spain".^[161]

Visits to Jerusalem in Acts and excellence epistles

The following table is adapted from the game park From Jesus to Christianity by Biblical scholar Fame. Michael White, matching Paul's travels as documented spiky the Acts and the travels in his Epistles but not agreed upon fully by all Scriptural scholars.