Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle
One of the most important testimonies for Christianity is the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, one of the fiercest enemies of Christianity, into the apostle Paul. Saul was a zealous Hebrew, a religious leader. Being born in Tarsus gave him access to the most advanced knowledge of the time. Tars was a university town known for its stoic philosophers and culture. The Greek geographer Strabo praised Tarsus for its great interest in science and philosophy.
Saul, like his father, was a Roman citizen, which was a great privilege. It seems that he knew Hellenistic culture and philosophy very well. He spoke Greek perfectly and showed dialectical abilities. He quoted unknown and known poets and philosophers.
Saul's education was Jewish, within the strict doctrines of the Pharisees. At about age 14, he was sent to study with Gamaliel, one of the greatest rabbis of the time, Hillel's grandson. Paul assured that he was not only a Pharisee but also a son of Pharisees (cf. Acts 23: 6). He could boast: "In my zeal for Judaism, I surpassed many of my contemporaries in my nation ... I was especially enthusiastic in upholding the traditions of my ancestors" (cf. Gal 1:14).
If we want to understand Saul's conversion, we must first understand why he adopted such a radically anti-Christian attitude; the reason was his devotion to the Jewish Law, which made him deeply hostile to Christ and the early Church. The new Jewish sect, calling itself Christians, struck at the very essence of Saul's Jewish education and rabbinical studies. He became obsessed with destroying this sect (cf. Gal 1:13). So, he began to work towards the extermination of the "Nazarene sect" (cf. Acts 26:9-11). He literally " was trying to destroy the church" (cf. Acts 8: 3). He set out for Damascus with documents giving him the right to apprehend Jesus' followers and bring them before the judges.
Then something happened to him. “On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” (cf. Acts 9:1-12)
Saul not only saw Jesus, but he saw him in an irresistible way. He preached the Gospel not by choice but by necessity. “If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it” (1 Cor 9:16). Notice that Saul's encounter with Jesus and the resulting conversion were sudden and unexpected: “suddenly around noon a great light from heaven surrounded me” (Acts 22: 6). Saul had no idea who this heavenly figure might have been. The announcement that he was Jesus of Nazareth made him tremble and surprised him immensely. We may not know all the details, chronologically or psychologicallyof what happened to Saul on the way to Damascus, but we do know that it had a radical impact on all spheres of his life.
The Apostle Paul is a prime example of cutting himself off from his bad past. He was one of those dangerous idealists who commit their crimes in good faith. He was too young and was not allowed to contribute actively to the murder of the first martyr, Stephen, but, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, he wholeheartedly supported the stoners. It is quite likely that he was the mainspring of the first-ever persecution of the Church. Only him the author of the Acts mentions him by name: " Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment. (cf. Acts 8:3) The description of his conversion begins with the information that " Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord." (cf. Acts 9:1)
He himself, after many years of hard service in the Church, wrote about himself: " For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God"(1Cor 15:9). Paul did not hide his biography at all. "You have heard," he wrote in another letter, " my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it”. (cf. Gal 1:13) And in yet another letter: " I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief." (cf. 1 Timothy 1:13)
Probably because he did not hide his bad past, others did not reproach him. Even during the Council of Jerusalem, when Paul was heavily involved on one side of the dispute, the other side did not try to use his past against him. The only Christian doubt recorded in the New Testament about the sincerity of his conversion was three days after the event at Damascus. Only Ananias who had received the command to prepare Paul for baptism, argued with the Risen Christ: " Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy onesin Jerusalem." (cf. Acts 9:13)
Well, let us first note that Paul did not convert at a time when good winds were blowing for Christianity. On the contrary, for him, accepting faith in Christ meant turning from a persecutor to a persecuted. Suffice it to recall the famous passage in the Second Corinthians: " Five times at the hands of the Jews I received forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day on the deep”, etc. (cf. 2 Cor 11: 24-29)
For Paul, his conversion was literally connected with self-denial. After all, when he entered the Church, he canceled his entire biography. Of course, he did not proceed to proclaim the Gospel on his own, arbitrarily, but he was authorized to do so (it is worth to know that only three years after his conversion, after the appropriate spiritual preparation for it).
He himself writes about it in an extremely interesting passage in the Letter to the Galatians: "Immediately [after conversion], I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days. (As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying.) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” So, they glorified God because of me. Then after fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.” (Gal 1:17 – 2:1)
Yes, that was a complete transformation." All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?" (cf. Acts 9:21). Historian Philip Schaff states: “Paul's conversion not only marks a turning point in his personal history, but also marks an important stage in the history of the apostolic Church and, consequently, in the history of mankind. It was the most fruitful event since the miracle of Pentecost and gave Christianity a universal victory. "
Elias Andrews, in his book “The meaning of Christ for Paul” comments: "Many found in the radical transformation of this" Pharisee of the Pharisees "the most compelling evidence for the truth and power of the religion to which he had converted, and for the supreme worth and position of the person of Christ." Archibald MacBride, professor at the University of Aberdeen, writes of Paul: "With his achievements ... the achievements of Alexander the Great and Napoleon are vanishing."
Clement says that Paul "wore chains seven times; preached the Gospel in the East and West; he reached the farthest regions of the West; and died a martyr's death”. Paul said many times that the living, risen Jesus changed his life. He was so sure of Christ's resurrection that he also confirmed his conviction with a martyr's death.
Two Oxford professors, Gilbert West and Lord Lyttleton once set out to overturn the foundations of the Christian faith. West was going to show that the resurrection was a fraud, and Lyttleton was going to prove that Saul of Tarsus had never converted to Christianity. Both gentlemen, however, reached the opposite conclusion and became ardent followers of Jesus.
Lord Lyttleton writes: "The very conversion and apostolate of St. Paul, duly considered, is already proof enough that Christianity is Divine Revelation. He concludes that if the twenty-five years of Paul's suffering and service to Christ were a reality, then his conversion was real, for everything he did began with that sudden change. Also, if his conversion was true, it means that Jesus Christ was risen, because everything that Paul did and everything that he became was a consequence of his encounter with the risen Christ”.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george