Paul of Tarsus
- James Collazo
- Jun 5, 2019
- 8 min read
Updated: Nov 14
Introduction
Paul of Tarsus (Hebrew: Shaul ha-Tarsi / Greek: Paulos tou Tarsou) was born around AD 6 in the Roman province of Cilicia. In his letter to the church in Philippi, he described his background: "[I was] circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless" (Phil. 3:5–6). In short, Paul was Jewish by birth and identity in every way—ethnically, nationally, religiously, and socially. If anyone questioned whether being a Jew meant ethnicity or religion, Paul embodied both.
Paul described himself this way because of his diverse background. He was Jewish, but he also came from Tarsus, a well-known center of Greek philosophy, rhetoric, and higher learning. His father, a Roman citizen, passed that privilege on to Paul at birth. His parents were probably Hellenistic Jews, blending Greek culture with their Jewish traditions. Paul grew up in Tarsus but later moved to Jerusalem to study theology. He joined the Pharisee school and learned under the highly respected rabbi Gamaliel (c. AD 1–49) (Acts 22:3), whose grandfather was the renowned rabbi Hillel (c. 30 BC–AD 10). As a Pharisee, Paul studied the Written Torah and the Oral Torah (later compiled in the Talmud, c. AD 300–350), practiced rhetorical debate, gained wisdom, and learned the ascetic life.
Road to Damascus
Many Christians assume that God changed the apostle's name from "Saul" to "Paul" when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Such name changes appear in Scripture—Jacob became Israel in the Old Testament, and Simon became Peter in the New Testament. However, Jesus still called him "Saul" when asking about his persecution of the church (Acts 9:4). Even after his conversion, other Jewish Christians continued to call him Saul (Acts 9:17, 13:2, 7).
Luke, who wrote Acts of the Apostles as a sequel to his namesake gospel, clarified: "Saul, who was also called Paul" (Acts 13:9). Paul had both a Roman and a Jewish name. In Tarsus and Jerusalem, his family and fellow rabbis used Saul (Hebrew: Shaul, H7586). When he traveled across the Mediterranean, he used his Roman name, Paul (Latin: Paulus / Greek: Paulos, G3972). Although a Greek form of Saul existed (Saulos, G4569), he avoided it because saulos carried slang connotations of a prostitute's erotic swagger.
Paul's conversion did not mean he abandoned Judaism for Christianity. Instead, God corrected his misplaced zeal and misguided views. His transformation went beyond religious rituals or convictions; an existential crisis led Paul to encounter the living God. During a three-year sabbatical in Arabia, he learned how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah (Gal. 1:17–18). Even after his conversion, Paul never stopped being a Jew, and he often worried about his people's spiritual condition (Rom. 2:29, 11; 1 Cor. 9:20). He wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament, all letters to congregations across the Mediterranean. Yet the Paul known to Christian Gentiles sharply contrasted with Saul, who once terrified Jewish Christians.
As a Pharisee, Paul prided himself on his education under Gamaliel, which gave him opportunities for advancement. He likely believed God favored him over other Jewish scholars. His pride drove him to defend the faith aggressively, even using force if necessary. By today's standards, commentators might describe him as a radical Jewish fundamentalist, whose zeal could lead him to assault or even murder. Ultimately, God did favor Paul—but not because Paul assumed it at the start of his religious career. God transformed him from a zealous persecutor who cheered the stoning of Stephen, a young deacon (Acts 6–7), into a messenger to the Gentiles, political leaders, and the people of Israel (Acts 9:15).
Paul: A Missionary for the Mediterranean
Much of the Acts of the Apostles reads like an epic Greco-Roman travel story, and Paul's journey fits that style perfectly. His odyssey began on the road to Damascus, where he met the risen Jesus and lost his sight. After his baptism and the restoration of his vision, Paul traveled to Arabia to study Jesus' life and teachings. He later attended the Council of Jerusalem around AD 50, where he debated with Peter over his ministry to the Gentiles (Acts 15:1–21; Gal. 1:18–19).
Paul endured five lashings, three beatings with rods, a stoning, three shipwrecks, imprisonments, and even a venomous snakebite (Acts 28:3–6; 2 Cor. 11:23–25). Yet Luke portrayed Paul as a sorrowful man, not a Greco-Roman hero. He served as a messenger of the gospel across the Roman Empire—a central theme in Luke's account. Jesus chose Paul to spread the church to the people of the "inhabited world" (Greek: oikoumenē, G3625) throughout the Mediterranean. God also used Paul to bring the gospel of Christ to the emperor's household, from which the Jesus movement spread worldwide (Greek: kosmos, G2889)—far beyond Rome's influence and legacy.
Paul completed three missionary journeys. After finishing his third tour in AD 57, he returned to Jerusalem, where he stayed for two years before heading to Rome. He went back to Jerusalem to deliver a monetary offering he had collected in Macedonia, knowing that the Jewish Christians were poorer than their Gentile counterparts (Rom. 15:26). Paul briefly stayed with Philip in Caesarea Maritima, where the prophet Agabus warned him, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles'" (Acts 21:10–11). Later, the Romans would detain Paul in this same city, Caesarea Maritima, until his trial.
Within seven days of returning to Jerusalem, Paul angered some Jews from the Roman province of Asia. They accused him of defiling the temple by allowing his Gentile companions to enter areas reserved only for Jews. James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, and other elders warned Paul that he already had a reputation for disregarding the Law of Moses. Paul followed James' advice and completed the Jewish rite of purification, immersing himself in the temple's ritual bath (Hebrew: mikveh, H4723) and shaving his head. Despite this, some fundamentalist Jews organized a mob to attack him. They seized Paul, slammed the temple doors, and intended to kill him. Roman soldiers intervened, stopped the attack, and arrested Paul in chains. They brought him to the Antonia Fortress, a Roman military barracks overlooking the Second Temple, for processing, and then sent him to Caesarea Maritima, the principal seaport out of Judea (Acts 21).
All Roads Lead to Rome
From the moment Jesus confronted him near Damascus, he intended Paul to take the gospel to Rome (Acts 9:15–16). Paul probably did not realize that invoking his Roman citizenship and appealing to the emperor would set his death in motion. The Romans rarely allowed Jews this privilege, and Jesus never had the option. Both Festus (r. AD 58–60), the procurator of Judea, and Herod Agrippa II (r. AD 48–100) wanted to release Paul, but neither could overrule his appeal to the emperor (Acts 25:10–12, 26:32).
Agrippa was only one of the kings Paul would preach to; the other was the infamous Nero (r. AD 54–68), who in July AD 64 burned most of the Palatine Hill to build his "Golden House" (Latin: Domus Aurea). Nero also used the Great Fire of Rome to persecute Christians and likely executed Paul after two years of imprisonment.
When Paul sailed for Jerusalem for the last time, he originally planned to continue to Rome and eventually Spain (Rom. 15:24, 28). The New Testament does not mention Paul's martyrdom under Nero. However, Clement of Rome (c. AD 30–100) first recorded it (1 Clem. 5). This Clement may be the same one Paul mentioned in his letter to the Philippians (Phil. 4:3). Luke knew about Paul's martyrdom, yet he chose to focus on the gospel's arrival in Rome. He emphasized how Jesus' message spread from Jerusalem to Samaria and throughout the Roman Empire (Acts 1:8).
Conclusion
Paul was a complex and influential figure in history. He grew up in a mix of cultures, religions, and philosophies that shaped his identity and sense of purpose. He grew up in Tarsus, a city where Greek and Jewish traditions blended, and later studied under the famous teacher Gamaliel in Jerusalem. Paul described himself as a "Hebrew of Hebrews" and a Pharisee, passionate about following Jewish law. Everything changed after he had a powerful encounter with the risen Christ, which led him to devote his life entirely to spreading the gospel with energy, courage, and commitment.
Paul played a key role in the early Christian movement through his letters and travels, connecting Jewish tradition with the growing Gentile churches. He shaped Christian beliefs, ethics, and mission, and his writings continue to guide and challenge believers today. Paul's life shows the power of personal change, the value of learning from different cultures, and the lasting importance of his message about grace, reconciliation, and love.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth. You chose Paul, once an enemy of the church, to be a bold messenger of the gospel. Open our eyes to your Son's glory, fill us with your Spirit, and help us live in faith, hope, and love. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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