Saint Paul - St Paul Weymouth

St Paul the Apostle
The Acts of the Apostles and St. Paul’s own letters provide us with a wealth of detail about the life of Paul - more than we have about any other apostle, perhaps with the exception of Peter. We know that Paul (his Jewish name was ‘Saul’) was from Tarsus, a large, multicultural city in what is now Turkey. Raised in the strict observance of the Jewish faith, he was in fact a Pharisee, one of those rigid and correct observers of the Law with whom Jesus so often found himself in conflict.

Paul persecuted Christians (the followers of “the Way”) until his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. A well-educated man, Paul spoke several languages and also knew the Hebrew scriptures well. We know that Paul was a working man, a tentmaker (Acts 18: 3). Even when he was travelling and preaching he continued to support himself by the work of his hands (1 Thessalonians 2: 9). In describing his own background, Paul showed his pride in his Jewish roots: “ … of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee, in zeal I persecuted the church, in righteousness based on the law I was blameless” (Philippians 3: 5).

The Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s letters also tell us much about Paul’s life after his conversion to Jesus Christ. Some people were at first suspicious of this persecutor-turned-apostle, but later Peter and the others came to acknowledge the genuineness of Paul’s call, especially his call to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Paul, in turn, acknowledged the special role of Peter, and visited Jerusalem to consult with him several times. But Paul did not hesitate to challenge Peter when he felt he was wrong, particularly on the status of Gentiles in the new faith.

Paul was constantly on the move, and both Acts and the letters provide detailed evidence of his missionary journeys, which took him from end to end of the ancient world, from Athens to Rome. Sometimes with other disciples, and sometimes alone, Paul preached the good news in small towns and large cities. In some places the message flourished; in others Paul endured sharp persecution for the faith. (For Paul’s own account of all he went through for the faith, see 2 Corinthians 11: 24-27.)

The Acts of the Apostles concludes with Paul awaiting sentence in Rome. Tradition tells us that he met his death there by beheading around AD62, during the reign of Nero. Over his remains one of the oldest Christian church was built, that of Saint Paul outside the Walls.

The window of Saint Paul

Created on 2004-12-01 10:43:40 by webmaster
Updated on 2009-05-23 15:53:26 by stpaul