Short biography of paul of tarsus
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Nicholas J. Frederick, "The Life of the Apostle Paul: An Overview," in New Testament History, Culture, and Society: A Background to the Texts of the New Testament, ed. Lincoln H. Blumell (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019), 393-418.
Nicholas J. Frederick is assistant professor of ancient scripture in the Department of Religious Education at Brigham Young University (Provo).
“Few figures in Western history have been the subject of greater controversy than Saint Paul. Few have caused more dissension and hatred. None has suffered more misunderstanding at the hands of both friends and enemies. None has produced more animosity between Jews and Christians.”[1]
These words, taken from a recent study of Paul by emeritus Princeton University professor John G. Gager, speak to the impact Paul has had in the two thousand years since the emergence of the Christian faith. Paul continues to be the topic of much debate in the
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Introduction
As if out of nowhere, Paul comes upon the Christian scene[1]. Not as a Christ follower, but as the persecutor of the church, Saul. The tension Luke creates is palpable. He writes, “And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58). In Acts 9, Saul had a radical encounter with the risen Christ and was called into ministry. There are a few things we know about Paul. He was a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37, 22:25-29). He was from a Jewish family from the city of Tarsus (Acts 22:3). He was trained as a Pharisee and a son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), and he even sat beneath the teaching of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), a first century influential Rabbi and a leader in the Jewish Sanhedrin. While a Roman citizen, he was Jewish, circumcised on the eighth day, and from the tribe of Benjamin (Phil 3:5). Paul writes of himself, “…a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the lag a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regardi
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Paul the Apostle
Christian apostle and missionary
"Saint Paul" redirects here. For other uses, see Saint Paul (disambiguation).
Saint Paul the Apostle | |
|---|---|
Saint Paul (c. 1611) by Peter Paul Rubens | |
| Born | Saul of Tarsus c. 5 AD[1] Tarsus, Cilicia, långnovell Empire |
| Died | c. 64/65 AD Rome, Italia, Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | All Christian denominations that venerate saints |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Major shrine | Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome, Italy |
| Feast | |
| Attributes | Christian martyrdom, sword, book |
| Patronage | Missionaries, theologians, evangelists, and Gentile Christians, Malta |
Theology career | |
| Education | School of Gamaliel[6] |
| Occupation(s) | Christian missionary and preacher |
| Notable work | |
| Theological work | |
| Era | Apostolic Age |
| Language | Koine Greek |
| Tradition or movement | Pauline Christianity |
| Main interests | Torah, Christology, eschatology, soteriology, ecclesiology |