Paul the persecutor

At this stage, it is incorrect to talk about 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 sect within Judaism.
So how would such a sect have been viewed by other Jews who were not
members of it? Thankfully, we have a pretty clear answer to this question
because 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 us, he persecuted it violently.

So why did people like Paul persecute Jesus' followers? The problem seems to
have focused around the cross. It was simply intolerable to zealous Jews like Paul
that God's special envoy could have died a criminal's death. He describes it as a
"stumbling block" to Jews (1 Corinthians 1.23), using the Greek
word skandalon from which we derive our word "scandal". It was unthinkable that
the Messiah could have suffered in this way. The problem would have 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 light to the nations (Isaiah 42.6); this story of a crucified Messiah
might have the opposite effect. It could hold Judaism up to ridicule.

So Paul attempted to snuff out this fledgling movement before it could do too
much damage.
Paul the missionary

The Damascus Road experience was both a conversion and a call. It 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. Now, with boundless energy, Paul
preached the gospel of the Christ crucified for the sins of all people far and wide,
beginning at Jerusalem and continuing all the way 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 again. For Paul this was a particularly
punishing business. Unlike other early Christian missionaries, Paul earned his own
living wherever he went. Luke says that he was a tentmaker (Acts 18.3) and Paul
often talks about how he combined his preaching of the gospel with working with
his hands (see 1 Corinthians 9).

Paul's life was remarkable and there is little doubt that it changed the course of
Christianity. He made an impact as apostle, as theologian, and as letter-writer.
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 first to work through many of the intriguing questions that Jesus' life, death
and resurrection had thrown up. And Paul the letter-writer gave us not only some
of the profoundest pieces of early Christian theological reflection, but also some
of the finest, most poignant writing in history.
Paul’s Scripture (Challenge)

Paul made a very clear message for Christians to follow. Let us pause to consider
for a moment what it was that they were saying.

God has acted decisively, once for all, by sending his beloved Son to his own
people, Israel. This Jesus, whom some acknowledged as Christ, was subjected to
an appalling and humiliating death.

Everyone in the Roman Empire knew about crucifixion and the fact that Jesus
died in this way was not something one would expect anyone to have been proud
of. That God's Anointed One could have been so publicly humiliated seemed
outrageous.

But for these early Jesus people, the public humiliation was conquered through
resurrection, God's 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.

1 Corinthians 9:16
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion;
for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

2 Corinthians 4:5
For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your
bond-servants for Jesus' sake.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of
the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of
Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

1 Corinthians 11:1
Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of
your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with
power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him,
according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Damascus road experience – Pauls Conversion

Paul gives us a brief description of what happens after his experience on

the Damascus road. He says that he didn't go to Jerusalem immediately
but that he went off to Arabia. Arabia would be quite close to the
northern part of Damascus, so 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 basics of Christianity. He stays with Peter for two weeks
and presumably learns a little about Jesus from him. Paul then
disappears for a period and later reemerges in Antioch. Antioch in Syria
which was the third 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

Saul’s Conversion
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s
disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues
in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether
men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared
Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He
fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you
persecute me?”
5 
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into
the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 
The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but
did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes
he could see nothing.So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days
he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a
vision,“Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 
The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a
man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man
named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 
“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all
the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here
with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 
But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to
proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I
will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he
said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you
were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the
Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he
could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he
regained his strength.
Historical Background

What was Paul's background?

Paul was born in Tarsu (now in the south east of Turkey) to a Jewish
family. He had a dual identity as lots of Jews did in antiquity. He had a
Jewish education, a Jewish way of life and abided by the Law of Moses.
But was brought up outside of the homeland and was also at home in
Greek culture, fluent in Greek, and had at least some understanding of
the Greek or Roman cultural traditions.
He was a Pharisee, one of a group of Jews who policed the boundary of
the law and made sure that they and others were faithful to the law of
Moses. Paul was an extremely passionate Jew and he often uses the
word 'zeal' of himself. One of the most fascinating stories about 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

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 about the number of times he's been beaten, the number of times he's
been put in prison, the number of shipwrecks he's endured and he seems proud
of them. He was physically quite weak but he always attributed his staying power
to the grace of God or the power of God. He had a strong sense of experiencing
the power of God through suffering.
Professor John Barclay, Professor in New Testament and Christian
Origins, University of Divinity
Paul the Martyr

Question: "How did the apostle Paul die?"

Answer: The Bible does not say how the apostle Paul died. Writing in 2
Timothy 4:6–8, Paul seems to be anticipating his soon demise: “For I am
already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure
has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept
the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to
me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

Second Timothy was written during Paul’s second Roman imprisonment in AD

64—67. There are a few different Christian traditions in regards to how Paul
died, but the most commonly accepted one comes from the writings of
Eusebius, an early church historian. Eusebius claimed that Paul was
beheaded at the order of the Roman emperor Nero or one of his subordinates.
Paul’s martyrdom occurred shortly after much of Rome burned in a fire—an
event that Nero blamed on the Christians.

It is possible that the apostle Peter was martyred around the same time,
during this period of early persecution of Christians. The tradition is that Peter
was crucified upside down and that Paul was beheaded due to the fact that
Paul was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:28), and Roman citizens were normally
exempt from crucifixion.

The accuracy of this tradition is impossible to gauge. Again, the Bible does
not record how Paul died, so there is no way to be certain regarding the
circumstances of his death. But, from all indications, he died for his faith. We
know he was ready to die for Christ (Acts 21:13), and Jesus had predicted
that Paul would suffer much for the name of Christ (Acts 9:16). Based on
what the Book of Acts records of Paul’s life, we can assume he died declaring
the gospel of Christ, spending his last breath as a witness to the truth that
sets men free (John 8:32).