St. Paul

The Saint of the Month is a regular feature, contributed by a member of our church.

Paul the Apostle

Hebrew Name: Saul of Tarsus

Feast Day: June 29 honored along with Saint Peter, also honored on other days throughout the year; January 25 for his conversion; February 16, for his shipwreck, and Nov. 18 for the dedication of his Basilica.

Patron: of Theologians, Gentile Christians, missionaries, evangelists, writers, journalists, authors, public workers, rope and saddle makers, and tent makers

Birth: Between 5 BC and 5 AD

Death: 67 AD

Considered the most famous, intelligent and influential of all the apostles, Paul was not commissioned during the life of Jesus, but claimed a special commission from the post-ascension Jesus as "the Apostle of the Gentiles" to spread the gospel message after his conversion.

Early Life:

Saul, which is Paul’s given name, was born into a Jewish family in Tarsus (now in Turkey) between 5 BC and 5 AD. He was also a Roman citizen and could claim citizenship from Tarsus and from Rome. This dual citizenship was a useful tool, later employed by St. Paul when he defended himself before the authorities as a Christian "troublemaker". He learned Hebrew and Greek, was a tentmaker by trade, but was most noted for his hatred of Christians. He believed the teachings of Jesus violated Mosaic Law and zealously harassed, and jailed anyone who followed those teachings.

The first scriptural mention of Saul is found in Acts 7:58, as a bystander watching his fellow Jews stone St. Stephen to death. An aggressive persecutor of Christians in Jerusalem, Saul sought and received permission from the high priest to proceed to Damascus for the purpose of imprisoning more followers of Christ.

Conversion on the Road to Damascus

Paul’s conversion to Christianity is one of the most decisive landmarks in history. Acts 9:1-9 records this monumental event during the Apostle’s travel to Damascus. St. Paul heard the actual voice of the Lord Jesus Christ; an encounter with a lasting influence. The Savior’s words concerning His relationship to the Church, recorded in Acts 9:4 ("why do you persecute Me?"), is a theme St. Paul would expound in the future: the doctrine of the "Mystical Body of Christ" (1 Cor. 12:4-30).

The Latin name Paul, meaning small, was not a result of his conversion but a second name for use in communicating with a Greco-Roman audience. The author of Acts - Luke, indicates that the names were interchangeable: "Saul, who also is called Paul."

Paul’s Mission

Paul brought the gospel message much further into the land of the Gentiles of the Middle East. Paul was indeed set aside by God himself (Acts 13:2) to travel and preach to the Gentiles - but not necessarily to “pagans”. Paul always preached in synagogues because he very much wanted to teach his fellow Jews about the good news of Jesus as the Messiah. When Jews rejected his message, he turned elsewhere “that is “God-fearing” Gentiles/Greeks. These were Greeks who liked the Jewish faith and its worship but would not enter into the covenant because of circumcision and dietary restrictions.

At the Council of Jerusalem, in the year 49, Paul successfully argued ‘against’ the widespread belief that non-Jews seeking to become Christians would first have to convert to Judaism, which means comply with Mosaic Law, be circumcised and observe all Jewish dietary customs. Because of Paul’s persuasion, Christianity became even more widespread.

With faith, courage and inflamed by the Holy Spirit, Paul would spend the rest of his life going from country to country and town to town proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, organizing and encouraging Christians to be resolute followers of Jesus, and nonbelievers to open their hearts to Christ, repent and be baptized.

Thorn in the Flesh

St. Paul makes reference to “a thorn in the flesh” that was given to him and that he asked the Lord three times, might be removed from him. The Lord's reply: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” makes Paul proclaim later, “I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:7-10). St. Paul was struggling with something that caused him to suffer which is not revealed in the Bible.

Often in trouble, Paul was confronted, jailed (though angels rescued him), physically abused and repeatedly endangered and harassed for preaching the message he previously attacked. Despite all the dangers he encountered, Paul never faltered or failed in his mission. In the end, he was taken to Rome as a prisoner and beheaded for his teachings.

What Is an Epistle?

There were issues within the various churches that Paul had founded. People wrote to Paul and Paul wrote back to them. His various letters were kept and exchanged among the communities. These are the letters that ultimately made it into the New Testament. Because so many Gentiles were in fact coming into the Church, there would necessarily be more issues at the outset because they did not come from a Jewish background and so Paul had to respond to several concerns.

The word “epistle” is derived from the Greek word epistle, which translates to “letter” or “message. Of the 27 books that make up the New Testament, 21 are epistles written by the early apostles, each inspired by the Holy Spirit. Some were written to address specific doctrinal concerns or spiritual malpractices that had arisen in local churches. Others were written to commend or encourage followers of Christ and church leaders in their faith.

The Apostle Paul is generally considered the author of 13 epistles. Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

Among the many companions Paul had, Luke was considered one such companion who recounts the many works of Peter and Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. At one point in Acts, Luke inserts himself into the narrative, including himself among Paul’s companions.

Deposit of Faith

“The faith is the legacy of the Apostles”

Saint Pope Paul VI to commemorate the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul on the 19th centenary proclaimed the Year of the Faith in 1967, marking the 1,900th anniversary of the martyrdom of Peter and Paul in Rome, to attest to unshakable fidelity to the Deposit of faith. Public revelation ended with the death of the last apostle, St. John in the Bible.

The deposit of faith, that is the body of revealed truth, is a "sacred deposit" that refers to the teachings of the Catholic Church that are believed to be handed down since the time of the Apostles - namely 'sacred scripture' and 'sacred tradition'. St. Paul uses the Greek word paratheke ("deposit") meaning something precious entrusted to a depositary for safekeeping, when he says, in 1 Timothy 6:20 "O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you." and again in 2 Timothy 1:14 "Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us." The concept of a priceless divine deposit entrusted to the Church is one of the themes found in the New Testament.

Was St. Paul strongly prejudiced against women?

Some use Paul’s comments on women as justification for rejecting the Bible and the Christian faith. In his Epistles, Paul was not picking on women. In fact, he and Peter were harder on men, to be like Jesus! He in fact supported women.

Having women in the group in those times was considered extraordinary. During the time of Jesus, there were many factions within Judaism: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots to name the four major ones. None of them allowed women to join. But this new sect (Christianity was just another sect within Judaism even at the time of Paul) allowed women to join! As always, Baptism is the great equalizer.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).

To understand his instructions in the right perspective and context, I encourage you to read the section - Was St. Paul a Misogynist, at the link: https://catholicexchange.com/beginning-understand-st-paul
Also, for more information check out this website: https://www.bible-bridge.com/pauls-view-of-women/