A few years after Christ, Paul was born to a family of Jews in the City of Tarsus. His parents were both of Jewish lineage, resulting in his practicing of Judaism in his adolescence. During his schooling, Gamaliel, a Pharisee in Jerusalem, was Paul’s teacher. Paul spent his childhood learning to convert all followers of other faiths to Judaism using any means necessary. The occasional quotes from Greek poets in Paul’s writings allude that Paul also learned Greek and other languages from Gamaliel. By the end of his life, Paul could speak three main languages, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. He incorporated multilingualism into many of his letters.
Paul was a tent maker by trade, but he was also a persecutor of the Church. Paul believed that the law …show more content…
He was carrying a letter from the high priest of the temple in Jerusalem. This letter gave him authority to arrest any persons believing in Jesus Christ. After traveling for a while, a bright light shone on Paul, causing everyone but him to fall to the ground. The light then spoke to Paul. It asked him, “Why are you persecuting me?” in a way that only Paul understood. He immediately recognized It as God. As he was listening to God, he thought to himself, “I’m a dead man” (Acts 22). “Paul [then] understood the miraculous as something that could be either extraordinary or humanly possible, yet empowered by God, expressing or revealing his love for the benefit of others” (Twelftree). For Paul to be saved, he “had to be broken and condemn himself before inner healing could take place” (Santala). Paul’s conversion experience changed his life, as he mentions it three times, in Acts chapters nine, twenty-two, and twenty-six. After his empyrean experience, Paul traveled over ten thousand miles around the Mediterranean, beginning in Jerusalem and ending at Rome, spreading the word of Jesus. Paul’s letters give us a glimpse of his experiences during his missionary trips. His writings were used as an instrument to help spread Christianity all around the world. In his letters, Paul demands loyalty from his followers, and asks them to defend the
Paul was a tent maker by trade, but he was also a persecutor of the Church. Paul believed that the law …show more content…
He was carrying a letter from the high priest of the temple in Jerusalem. This letter gave him authority to arrest any persons believing in Jesus Christ. After traveling for a while, a bright light shone on Paul, causing everyone but him to fall to the ground. The light then spoke to Paul. It asked him, “Why are you persecuting me?” in a way that only Paul understood. He immediately recognized It as God. As he was listening to God, he thought to himself, “I’m a dead man” (Acts 22). “Paul [then] understood the miraculous as something that could be either extraordinary or humanly possible, yet empowered by God, expressing or revealing his love for the benefit of others” (Twelftree). For Paul to be saved, he “had to be broken and condemn himself before inner healing could take place” (Santala). Paul’s conversion experience changed his life, as he mentions it three times, in Acts chapters nine, twenty-two, and twenty-six. After his empyrean experience, Paul traveled over ten thousand miles around the Mediterranean, beginning in Jerusalem and ending at Rome, spreading the word of Jesus. Paul’s letters give us a glimpse of his experiences during his missionary trips. His writings were used as an instrument to help spread Christianity all around the world. In his letters, Paul demands loyalty from his followers, and asks them to defend the