Paul's background and training
Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ and the author of thirteen New Testament letters. He carried two names: Saul, his Jewish name, and Paul, his Roman one. Scripture introduces him as Saul, and Acts 13:9 names him as Paul ("Saul, who was also called Paul"). From that verse on, he is Paul.
He was born a Jew in Tarsus, in the Roman province of Cilicia, and he was born a Roman citizen (Acts 22:3; Acts 22:28). That combination mattered. Citizenship was not a small thing to inherit in the provinces, and it would later keep him from a scourging and put him on a ship to Rome.
Of his family we know almost nothing: he was from the tribe of Benjamin, and Acts 23:16 mentions a sister and a nephew who saved his life. Beyond that, silence.
Paul trained in Jerusalem as a Pharisee under Gamaliel, the ranking rabbi of the day (Acts 22:3; Phil 3:4-6), the equivalent of studying under the most respected scholar of his generation. He also learned a trade, as Jewish men of his time commonly did: tent-making (Acts 18:3), a craft associated with his native Cilicia. The trade was not a fallback. It funded his ministry for decades and kept him from being anyone's dependent.
He used that training against the church. With the backing of the Sanhedrin, Paul imprisoned believers, men and women alike, and he was standing there at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58; Acts 8:3; Acts 26:10-11; Gal 1:13). He never softened the account. Writing to Timothy years later, he still called himself a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent aggressor (1 Tim 1:13).
He met the risen Lord on the road to Damascus while carrying letters authorizing him to arrest Jewish Christians (Acts 9:1-18). Jesus' commission came with the conversion: Paul would be the messenger to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Acts 26:15-18; Gal 1:11-16).
What followed was thirty years of work. He spent time in Arabia first, likely taught by the risen Lord himself (Gal 1:15-17), before Barnabas brought him to Antioch to help the new church there (Acts 11:25-26). Three missionary journeys followed, and out of them came Gentile converts and churches across the empire. He was imprisoned in Rome twice. The first imprisonment ended in release, around AD 63. The second ended in his execution, around AD 66.
Quick Reference
- Paul (Hebrew name: Saul) was an apostle of Jesus Christ and the author of 13 of the New Testament.
- His Roman name is Paul and his Jewish name was Saul. When we first meet him in Scripture, he is referred to as Saul. Acts 13:9 describes the apostle as “Saul, who was also called Paul.” From then on, Saul is referred to as Paul.
- Paul was a Jew born in Tarsus in the Roman province of Cilicia (Acts 22:3).
- Paul was a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 22:28).
- We know nothing of his parents, but Scripture mentions Paul's sister and his sister's son (Acts 23:16).
- He was from the tribe of Benjamin.
- Paul trained as a Pharisee in Jerusalem under the ranking rabbi of the time Gamaliel (Phil 3:4-6; Acts 22:3).
- Like all young Jewish men, he learned a trade: tent-making (Acts 18:3), a trade which was common in Tarsus.
- With the support of the Sanhedrin, Paul persecuted Christians, imprisoning men and women alike (Acts 8:3; Acts 9:1-2; Acts 26:10-11; Galatians 1:13; 1 Timothy 1:13).
- Paul was present at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58).
- As Paul traveled from Jerusalem to Damascus to hunt down Jewish Christians, he met the risen Lord and converted to Christianity (Acts 9).
- At Paul’s conversion, Jesus told Paul he would be the messenger to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Acts 26:15-18; Galatians 1:11-16).
- After his conversion Paul spent some time in Arabia, probably being taught by the risen Lord Jesus (Gal 1:15-21).
- Eventually Barnabas brought Paul to Antioch (Acts 11:19-29) to help with the newly formed church there.
- Paul made three missionary journeys in which in he converted many Gentiles and started many churches.
- Paul was imprisoned twice in Rome. The first time he was released (approximately 63 AD). The second ended with his execution (approximately 66 AD).
Chronology of Paul
Paul’s Missionary Journeys
3 Accounts of Paul’s conversion
- Acts 9:1-18 – as it occurred
- Acts 22:6-16 – reviewed before the mob at Jerusalem
- Acts 26:12-19 – reviewed before King Agrippa
Paul’s recorded sermons
- Acts 13:16-41 – First recorded sermon at Antioch in Pisidia
- Acts 17:22-34 – Sermon at Mars Hill in Athens, Greece
- Acts 20:18-35 – Address to Ephesian Elders at Miletus
- Acts 21:37-22:29 – Stairway address in Jerusalem
- Acts 24:1-23 – Defense before Felix at Caesarea
- Acts 24:24-27 – Address before Felix & Drusilla at Caesarea
- Acts 26:1-28 – Address before Festus, King Agrippa & Bernice at Caesarea
Sufferings of Paul
Soon after his conversion, the Lord told Paul he would suffer for the sake of the gospel (Acts 9:15-16).
- Acts 9:23 – His life was threatened in Damascus.
- Acts 9:29 – life threatened in Jerusalem
- Acts 13:50 – persecuted and run out of Antioch in Pisida
- Acts 14:5 – faced stoning at Iconium
- Acts 14:19 – stoned and left for dead in Lystra
- Acts 16:23 – beaten with rods and imprisoned at Philippi
- Acts 17:5-10 – life threatened in Thessalonica
- Acts 17:13-14 – forced out of Berea
- Acts 17:18 – mocked in Athens
- Acts 18:12 – taken before the judgment seat in Corinth
- Acts 19:23-41 – opposed by silversmiths in Ephesus
- Acts 20:3 - Jews plot against him in Greece
- Acts 21:27-30 – mob in Jerusalem seeks to kill him
- Acts 22:24-29 – arrested by the Romans and barely escapes being scourged
- Acts 23:7-11 – rescued from the mob
- Acts 23:12-22 – plot to assassinate him
- Acts 23:33-27:2 – imprisonment in Caesarea
- Acts 27:39-28:1 – shipwreck on Melita
- Acts 28:3-5 – suffered a snake bite
- Acts 28:16 – First Roman imprisonment begins
- Paul’s record of his sufferings: 1Cor 15:30-32; 2Cor 4:7-18; 2Cor 6:3-10; 2Cor 11:23-28; 2Cor 12:5-10; Gal 5:11; Gal 6:17; 2Tim 3:10-11;
Paul's visits to Jerusalem
- First visit - After he left Damascus and stayed with Peter 15 days (Acts 9:26-30: Galatians 1:18-20).
- Second visit - To bring famine relief to Jerusalem (Acts 11:27-30; Galatians 2:1-10).
- Third visit - To attend the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1-29).
- Fourth visit - at the end of his second missionary journey (Acts 18:22).
- Fifth visit - His final visit resulted in his arrest and put in prison in Caesara (Acts 21:15 to Acts 23:35).
Paul as Apostle
How do we know Paul was an apostle apart from his own words?
- Peter vouched for him (2 Peter 3:15-16).
- Luke tells us God vouched for him (Acts 9:11-16).
- Barnabas vouched for him (Acts 9:26-27).
- The church at Antioch vouched for him (Acts 13:1).
- The Church at Jerusalem vouched for him (Acts 15:22).
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Paul
Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary: Paul the Apostle
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary: Paul
Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Paul
Fausset Bible Dictionary: Paul
Holman Bible Dictionary: Paul
Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible: Paul the Apostle
Kitto’s Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature: Paul
Morrish Bible Dictionary: Paul
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Paul, the Apostle
McClintock and Strong: Paul
The Nuttall Encyclopedia: Paul
The Jewish Encyclopedia:
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