Paul is the apostle who was sent by Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. So the Jews called and apparently continue to call all the people who believe in other Gods. Where can one get some information about this person today? Mostly from publications like this, as well as various books, dictionaries and encyclopedias of religious content. Readers should be aware that the apostle Paul is the author of most of the books of the New Testament .
The biography of this person can be based on his epistles and the book "Acts of the Apostles." By most scholars, the book dates from the seventies-first half of the eighties of the first century AD. It was written after the death of the apostle, and her authorship is attributed to the Evangelist Luke. You can find articles that state that some passages of the Acts of the Apostles are presented as if they were told by the apostle Paul himself.
This statement is argued by the fact that the narration is conducted in the first person, which means that these are the words of the apostle personally. In fact, such arguments are not just shaky, but even strange. The strange thing is that the author of the book of Acts does use the word “We,” but he writes: “We and Paul,” “Followed us and Paul,” and so on. Obviously, these are the words of one of his companions. The Apostle Paul in his epistles mentions that Luke continues to remain with him, calls him his associate and beloved physician.
So, the apostle Paul, who later became a teacher of the Gentiles, was born in the city of Tarsus. It was the capital in the south of Asia Minor. It is believed that his father is from the tribe of Benjamin. The future apostle allegedly received his first name Saul in honor of King Saul. His second name, respectively, is Paul. His parents had Roman citizenship, which subsequently served the apostle, saving him from scourging.
Saul was brought up in strict Pharisee traditions, although the above-mentioned citizenship of Rome, of course, implies frequent contacts with the pagan environment. Subsequently, Gamaliel became his teacher - the very famous and respected at that time Pharisee Patriarch, a teacher of the Law of God. The Apostle Paul in his epistles calls himself an ardent supporter of the Pharisee teaching. The book of Acts describes how, as a young man, he watched the Jews slaughter the deacon of the Christian Church, Stephen, to death.
Since then, Saul begins to zealously and even fanatically persecute Christians. Heading to Damascus, he was suddenly stopped by supernatural power and converted to Christianity. Moreover, the apostle himself always believed that he continued to serve the God of his ancestors, but recognized Jesus Christ as the true Savior promised in the scriptures of the ancient prophets. Now Saul is becoming an equally zealous preacher of Christ the Savior. For three years, the future apostle lives in the Arabian desert. There, according to Paul, Jesus appeared to him personally and taught him the true doctrine.
Then he tries to preach a new teaching in Damascus, but the Jews do not allow him. Then Paul goes to Jerusalem, where he met with such apostles of Jesus Christ as James, Peter, John. Subsequently, after several years of living in his native Tarsus, the Apostle Paul went to Antioch, where the Apostle Barnabas calls him . There in Antioch there was a real revival among the Gentiles. Barnabas believed in the conversion of Saul by Christ and that Jesus chose him as an apostle for the Gentiles.
Together they made their missionary journeys. Barnava’s nephew Mark was with them, and then Luke became the constant companion of Paul, who later became the evangelist and author of the book “Acts of the Apostles”. The Apostle Paul himself founded many Christian churches, including in Macedonia, Galatia, Corinth, Thessaloniki, and Philippi.
In addition to the purely gospel texts, many other books and traditions tell of the life and deeds of the apostle. According to the surviving legend, he was executed by decapitation during the persecution of Nero in Rome in 64. The Church celebrates the memory of the apostles Paul and Peter on June 29.