Saul of Tarsus

May 20, 2025

I am preparing to leave for Greece next week. Our travel agency, Imagine Tours, is taking us to see many of the locations where Paul preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So before we leave, I want to explore a little bit about this man, Paul. 

Who was he?

Where did he come from?

How did he come to believe that Christ was, indeed, the Messiah promised from God?

How did he spread the Gospel?

His original name was Saul. 

He was born in Tarsus, Turkey to a Jewish family from the tribe of Benjamin. 

He learned the Hebrew Law (in our Old Testament) while studying in Jerusalem under Rabbi Gamaliel, a highly respected legal scholar, Pharisee, and member of the Sanhedrin. (Acts 22:3)

As a young man, Saul was a Pharisee respected for his knowledge of the Law and his commitment to protecting it. He was the overseer in the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58) he removed Christ-followers from their homes and imprisoned them (Acts 8:3), and he asked for permission to flush out the Christian heretics in Damascus so as to bring them to trial for blasphemy. (Acts 9:1-2) He defended the Law. From his perspective, this man, Jesus, whom they called the Christ, was NOT the Messiah and all who proclaimed him as such must be punished severely. 

Here is his description of himself:

“circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Acts 9:13 indicates that Saul’s reputation for persecuting the church was well-known. He was feared among the believers. 

Of course the story does not end here. But it is important to understand Saul’s determination to expose the Christians. Because that will help us relate to their skepticism about him that we will look into tomorrow. 

LORD, Help us to relate to the humanity we will see in this man, Paul. Help us to understand the importance of his Hebrew upbringing as an instrument of your work. May we allow you to use us, as well.