They Came Again St Pauls Religion

Introduction

Saint Paul ©

Saint Paul is undoubtedly one of the well-nigh important figures in the history of the Western world. But a quick wait at the headlines of his life are enough to sympathise his impact; his works are some of the primeval Christian documents that we take, 13 of the 27 books of the bible are written past him, and he's the hero of another, Acts of the Apostles.

Famously converted on the road to Damascus, he travelled tens of thousands of miles around the Mediterranean spreading the word of Jesus and information technology was Paul who came up with the doctrine that would plough Christianity from a modest sect of Judaism into a worldwide religion that was open up to all.

What nosotros know about Paul comes from two extraordinary sources. The first is the Acts of the Apostles, written subsequently Paul'south decease, most certainly past the same author who wrote St Luke's gospel. There is evidence that Acts was written to pass on the Christian message, but behind the theology lie clues about Paul'south life. The author of Acts claims that he knew Paul and even accompanied him on many of his journeys. The second source is Paul'due south ain letters. They represent Paul'due south own version of events, and it seems reasonable to accept them as the more reliable business relationship.

The i thing virtually people do know about St Paul is that he underwent a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. Precisely what happened has been hard to determine equally the accounts in Acts and the letters differ on the details. For example, when St Paul talks about his conversion he makes no mention of a journeying from Jerusalem to Damascus.

But behind the paradoxes and the puzzles, in that location are fascinating glimpses of the human. Reading Paul's messages and Acts of the Apostles nosotros larn that Paul was born in Tarsus, in modern solar day Eastern Turkey, he was a tent maker by trade, was an avid student under the top Jewish teacher in Jerusalem and was too a Roman denizen. Here is a homo who worked with his easily but wrote with the grace of a Greek philosopher; a Jewish zealot who however enjoyed the rights of citizenship in the globe'southward greatest empire.

In his letters, we too discover the Paul who writes warmly of his friends, both men and women, the Paul who frets about how the members of his churches are coping without him and who defends their status as true converts and the Paul who appeals for the freedom of a slave. But similar all corking and charismatic figures there is another side; the Paul who berates his followers for backsliding and doubting; the Paul who tells women to keep silent and condemns homosexuality and the Paul who'll stand up up to the Campaigner Peter, one of the about senior people in the early church and call him a hypocrite to his face.

Academics are trying to piece together these scraps of information with a new technique that's rather like a combination of sociology and forensic anthropology. They've come upward with a movie of Paul who'd be a man of his time and place; a hot headed Mediterranean who'd exist quick to defend his honour and the laurels of his followers, but who'd demand loyalty in return.

Paul wrote some of the most beautiful and of import passages in the whole of the Bible, just his works have also been used, among other things, to justify homophobia, slavery and anti-Semitism. He has also been accused of being anti-feminist, although many modernistic scholars would argue that in fact he championed the cause of women church leaders. In the final analysis, Paul was the outset cracking Christian theologian, establishing some of the edifice blocks of the faith that we now take for granted, though there are those who argue that in laying out these ground rules, Paul has obscured and separated us from the true teachings of Jesus. But perhaps the truthful sign of Paul'south importance is that fifty-fifty virtually 2000 years later his death he still inspires passion; whatever you lot experience, it's hard to feel neutral about Paul.

Paul in scripture

In this section Dr Mark Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in New Attestation at the Academy of Birmingham, explores the biblical references to Paul.

Map of the locations in Paul's story

However one explains the miracle, in that location is little doubt that the events of the first Easter, sometime in the early on 30s of the first century, made a powerful impact on the first followers of Jesus. All the same the utterly baroque nature of the claims that they were making is like shooting fish in a barrel to miss subsequently two thousand years of familiarity with Christianity. Let usa pause to consider for a moment what it was that they were saying.

God has acted decisively, in one case for all, by sending his love Son to his own people, Israel. This Jesus, whom some best-selling every bit Christ, was subjected to an appalling and humiliating expiry. Everyone in the Roman Empire knew almost crucifixion and the fact that Jesus died in this way was not something i would expect anyone to accept been proud of. That God'due south All-powerful Ane could have been then publicly humiliated seemed outrageous. But for these early Jesus people, the public humiliation was conquered through resurrection, God'southward vindication of Jesus, and this convinced them that Jesus was not a criminal who had died for his own sins; he had died for the sins of others.

Paul the persecutor

At this stage, it is incorrect to talk nearly Christianity. These earliest followers of Jesus were devout Jews who continued to offer sacrifice at the Temple and to observe the whole Jewish Law. Essentially, they were a small-scale sect within Judaism. So how would such a sect take been viewed past other Jews who were non members of it? Thankfully, nosotros take a pretty clear answer to this question considering one of the most famous converts to the new Messianic sect was a Jew named Paul and before his conversion he was so horrified by the claims of this new movement that, he tells united states of america, he persecuted it violently.

And then why did people like Paul persecute Jesus' followers? The problem seems to accept focused around the cross. Information technology was only intolerable to zealous Jews similar Paul that God's special envoy could have died a criminal's death. He describes it every bit a "stumbling cake" to Jews (1 Corinthians 1.23), using the Greek word skandalon from which nosotros derive our word "scandal". It was unthinkable that the Messiah could have suffered in this way. The problem would take been sharply focused for someone like Paul. He was not from Israel but was born in Tarsus, in modern Turkey. Jews like Paul, who lived outside the Jewish homeland, were called diaspora Jews. Since they lived among pagans, they were particularly conscious of how their religion might appear to those around them. Jews were called to be a lite to the nations (Isaiah 42.6); this story of a crucified Messiah might have the opposite effect. It could agree Judaism upward to ridicule.

So Paul attempted to snuff out this fledgling move before information technology could do too much impairment.

Damascus road

The importance of Paul'southward conversion, his turn-around from persecuting Jesus to preaching Jesus, cannot be underestimated. Paul himself finds information technology hard to describe what had happened and in a fascinating passage in ane of his letters he explains this as a resurrection appearance of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15.viii-10)

Paul the missionary

The Damascus Route experience was both a conversion and a call. Information technology was a conversion away from his previous life as a zealous persecutor of Jesus' followers and it was a call to a new life advancing the cause of the new movement with even more vigour than he had shown before. At present, with dizzying energy, Paul preached the gospel of the Christ crucified for the sins of all people far and wide, offset at Jerusalem and continuing all the style to Rome. His achievement was a matter of some pride for him:

Luke tells us of three enormous missionary journeys, charting [Paul's] progress from Antioch in Syria and moving westwards through (modern day) Turkey and Greece and finally back to Jerusalem once again. For Paul this was a specially punishing business. Dissimilar other early Christian missionaries, Paul earned his ain living wherever he went. Luke says that he was a tentmaker (Acts 18.iii) and Paul oft talks almost how he combined his preaching of the gospel with working with his hands (encounter 1 Corinthians nine).

Paul's life was remarkable and at that place is piddling doubt that it inverse the course of Christianity. He made an touch as apostle, as theologian, and every bit letter-author. Paul the apostle had expanded the church far and wide, flinging open the doors to Gentiles, strenuously fighting for his conviction that the gospel was for all people and that no barriers should be put in the way of Gentiles. Paul the theologian was the commencement to piece of work through many of the intriguing questions that Jesus' life, expiry and resurrection had thrown up. And Paul the letter-writer gave u.s. not only some of the profoundest pieces of early Christian theological reflection, but also some of the finest, about poignant writing in history.

Revelation

At the cease of the Bible, though, lies not Paul but Revelation, a book that at first sight looks like the blackness sheep in the New Testament family. With its fantastic visions of heaven, its gory stories of the futurity, its impenetrable signs and symbols, many a reader has given up in exasperation in the endeavour to fathom out its mysteries.

Some Christians have struggled with Revelation; Luther wished it was not in the New Testament at all. Yet at heart, Revelation is a profoundly Christian book. Its central message is that in spite of any appearance to the contrary, God is still Lord and King over the universe. It is a vision of God'due south kingdom, his sentence but most chiefly his sovereignty over everything. Where there is injustice in the world, this will be rectified. Where at that place is sin, sickness, affliction and the devil, these volition be eradicated. John, [its writer] is a seer and has been given a revelation of what is going on in heaven. He is able to encounter God'southward perspective. And the bulletin he hears at that place is that later on all, God is indeed in command, through Jesus his Son, who has conquered death through his ain victory over death.

Questions about Paul

What was Paul'due south background?

Paul was born in Tarsu (at present in the southward east of Turkey) to a Jewish family. He had a dual identity as lots of Jews did in artifact. He had a Jewish education, a Jewish way of life and abided by the Law of Moses. But was brought upwards outside of the homeland and was also at home in Greek civilization, fluent in Greek, and had at to the lowest degree some understanding of the Greek or Roman cultural traditions.

He was a Pharisee, one of a group of Jews who policed the purlieus of the police and fabricated sure that they and others were faithful to the police of Moses. Paul was an extremely passionate Jew and he oftentimes uses the discussion 'zeal' of himself. Ane of the well-nigh fascinating stories nigh Paul is his incredible transformation on the Damascus road but one thing that doesn't change in this transformation is his passion. He just becomes passionate for a different cause.

Professor John Barclay, Professor in New Testament and Christian Origins, University of Divinity

The Damascus road experience

Paul gives united states of america a brief description of what happens afterwards his experience on the Damascus road. He says that he didn't get to Jerusalem immediately but that he went off to Arabia. Arabia would be quite close to the northern office of Damascus, then he could have gone to reflect on what had happened.

When he goes to Jerusalem, it appears that he is accepted and is instructed in the nuts of Christianity. He stays with Peter for two weeks and presumably learns a niggling about Jesus from him. Paul and so disappears for a menstruation and after reemerges in Antioch. Antioch in Syrian arab republic which was the 3rd biggest city in the Roman empire and becomes the center of the movement to expand this new Christian sect - this sect of Jesus the Nazarene.

Professor Jimmy Dunn, former professor of New Testament, University of Durham

Dr Mark Goodacre ©

What happened when Paul was called back to Jerusalem?

At that place are many different accounts of what happened when Paul was called back to Jerusalem. But it seems that in that location was a very stiff movement amongt the followers of Jesus to catechumen Gentiles [non-Jews] into Jews. Post-obit Christ was a Jewish movement; he was a Jewish Messiah. Simply Paul believed that the Gentiles were live with the new life of forgiveness, acceptance and transformation and that that they didn't demand to be circumcised. So he brought this idea to the leaders in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem council agreed that Gentiles could become Christians without becoming Jews first.

Dr Mark Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in New Attestation, University of Birmingham and Professor John Barclay, Professor in New Testament and Christian Origins, University of Divinity

A passionate man

You can get some thought of Paul's passion when yous read the letter of the alphabet in Galatians. A group of his converts had decided that they want to be circumcised and Paul is admittedly furious about this because he feels it compromises their very nature as Christians. Y'all can almost feel him banging on the tabular array or pacing round the room every bit he dictates the letter. At one stage correct towards the end of the letter he grabs the pen out of the scribe'south hand and he says 'see with what large letters I am writing in my own hand'. He's really frustrated. Paul never shied away from conflict.

Dr Mark Goodacre, Senior Lecturer in New Testament, University of Birmingham

Paul was a tough cookie. He could take all kinds of controversy and suffering. He has, in one or two of his letters, long lists of the things that he has endured. He writes virtually the number of times he'southward been beaten, the number of times he's been put in prison, the number of shipwrecks he'south endured and he seems proud of them. He was physically quite weak only he always attributed his staying power to the grace of God or the power of God. He had a strong sense of experiencing the ability of God through suffering.

Professor John Barclay, Professor in New Testament and Christian Origins, University of Divinity

Should we see Paul every bit anti-women?

The tradition is that women were submissive but at the terminate of Romans a letter of Paul's tells a dissimilar story. The letter is to be delivered by Phoebe, the first deacon we know of in the Christian church. She is also a benefactor or patron and very significant figure.

Paul also talks about Aquilla and Priscilla. Priscilla is normally named first when he mentions the couple which implies that she is the head of the household. He also talks about Andronicus and Juniar, 1 of whom may have been a female campaigner.

In fact we may have a state of affairs where the apostle, the church founder, perhaps even the founder of the church of Rome, included a woman and the main leadership in Rome was by women.

Professor Jimmy Dunn, old professor of New Attestation, University of Durham

St Paul's Day

Damascus, Syria ©

Paul'due south conversion on the road to Damascus is believed to accept happened in 36 AD. Anglicans and Roman Catholics celebrate the event as the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul on the 25th Jan each year.

St Paul's Day is non a major banquet day. The Catholic Encyclopaedia describes it as of insufficiently contempo origin and notes that information technology may have been observed originally to mark the transfer of his remains to their resting identify in Rome.

Paul's martyrdom in or around 67 Ad is commemorated past Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Eastern Orthodoxy on the 29th June each year. It is celebrated aslope the martyrdom of St Peter and is one of the oldest saints days in the Christian agenda.

The annual Calendar week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul.

In mediaeval times, people believed the weather on this day (like that on St Swithin's 24-hour interval) to exist an indicator of their fortune in the months to come up.

If Saint Paul'due south solar day be fair and clear,
It doth betide a happy year;
If blustering winds do blow aloft,
And then wars will trouble our realm full oft,
If clouds or mist practice dark the sky,
Great store of birds and beasts shall die;
And if by adventure to snow or rain,
And then volition exist dearest all sorts of grain.

Further reading

The Cambridge Companion to St Paul, James D G Dunn (Editor), Cambridge University Press (2003)

Past upshot & Present Salvation, Paul S Fiddes, Darton, Longman & Todd (1989)

"Dictionary of Paul and his letters, Gerald F Hawthorne (Ed), Ralph P Martin (Ed), Daniel G Reid (Ed), Inter-Varsity Press (1993)

The commencement urban Christians: the social world of the apostle Paul, Wayne A Meeks, Yale Univesrity Press (1984)

In the steps of St Paul, H 5 Morton, Methuen (2002)

What Saint Paul really said: Was Paul of Tarsus the real founder of Christianity?, Tom Wright, Lion Publishing (1997)

Paul: The mind of the apostle, A N Wilson, Due west W Norton (1998)

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Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/history/paul_1.shtml

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