A Portrait of Paul

Session 5

The Light Project

Images of Paul

Niccolo dell Abbatte (1509-1571)Rembrandt, self-portrait as Paul

Carvaggio, The Conversion of St Paul

“What manner of man was St. Paul? For many people the ‘apostle to the Gentiles’ is a mystery and an enigma defying all definition. In the popular imagination he is a negative figure whose writings forbid many of the good things of life. In scholarly circles he is notoriously difficult to understand, and remarkably different accounts of his life and theology have been written.

Since his own time, Paul has been interpreted and reinterpreted by admirers and critics alike, and from the second century onwards some of the greatest theologians of the Christian church have radically misinterpreted him. And there are those today who claim that Paul is the real founder of Christianity.”

(Need, Paul Today, 5).

“By nature, Paul was a fanatic—or at least a man of extremes—possessing tremendous energy, enthusiasm, and zeal…Wherever he went, Paul seemed to stir up new trouble. The disciples living in Jerusalem had never previously encountered such difficulties. Consequently, he must have been more than an embarrassment to them, probably endangering all their lives by his fanatical zeal, his argumentative nature and his desire to convert everybody. Moreover, he seems to have targeted those who were most likely to be hostile to him, particularly the Jewish priestly hierarchy, whom he only seems to have succeeded in angering and alienating.”

(Davidson, The Gospel of Jesus, 142, 144).

Biographic Information• Where was Paul born?• What were the formative influences

upon his life? • What difference did his famous

‘Damascus Road’ experience make?• Are the following accounts true:

– His 3 missionary journeys?– His activity as a tent-maker?– His study with Gamaliel in Jerusalem?

2 Major Problems

1. His letters actually give us very little biographical detail, and

2. What we do know about his life comes largely from Acts, which was written later than his letters and by a different person (Luke).

3 Aspects Concerning Paul

1. What can we know about Paul the man?

2. What is the best way to go about finding this out?

3. What would a responsible portrait of Paul look like?

Nature & Date of Sources1. The letters of Paul himself (with sparse

biographical detail) and

2. The book of Acts.

Potential Problems:

• Which of the two sources is the more reliable?

• Which source do we believe when there appears to be a conflict between them?

2 Possible Approaches

Acts(Primary)

Epistles(Secondary)

Acts(Secondary)

Epistles(Primary)

Paul in Acts

1. First Appearance (Acts 7:58)

2. Initial Activities:a. 9.1

b. 9.2; (repeated in 22.3-5; 26.10-11)

c. 9.3a; (repeated in 22.19-20; 26.10-11)

3. Birthplace (9.11; 21.39 and 22.3)

4. Education (5.34; 22.3)

5. Pharisee? (23.6; 26.5)

6. Roman Citizenship (23.6; 26.5)

7. Conversion/Call (9.1-19; repeated in 22.1-16 and 26.12-18)

What accounts for both the similarities and differences between these three accounts?

8. 3 Missionary Journeys– Journey 1: 13-14– Journey 2: 15.40-18.22– Journey 3: 18.23-21.17

Potential Problems: Acts & Epistles

• The ‘Paul of Acts’ never writes a single letter. • Luke never refers to Paul as one of the

apostles (a title claimed many times by Paul himself).

• The ‘Paul of Acts’ appears as a persuasive public speaker on many occasions; but Paul in 1 Cor. 2.1-5, 2 Cor. 10.10 and 11.5-6 claims he was not a powerful, trained speaker who did not use ‘persuasive words of human wisdom.’

Paul in the Epistles

1. Biographical details given by Paul himself

2. Paul’s accounts of his Damascus road experience

3. Paul as a missionary and letter-writer

4. Paul the Pastor

Circumcised on the 8th dayOf the people of IsraelOf the tribe of BenjaminA Hebrew of Hebrews

As to the law a PhariseeAs to zeal a persecutor of the churchAs to righteousness under the law,

blameless(Phil. 3.5-6)

Tarsus (ca. 4.5-17 AD)

Jerusalem (ca. 17-34 AD)

Conclusions1. Sources—Acts contains more

biographical details about Paul but:– Was written possibly several decades after

Paul’s life– Is a narrative account (perhaps) heavily

influenced by Luke’s theological perspectives– Thus we need to approach Acts with some

caution (but not discount it entirely).– Paul’s letters contain some biographical

details but need to be read against the accounts in Acts.

2. Profile—given the information, what can we responsibly say about Paul?

– Birthplace—in Tarsus in Cilicia– Education—in 3 cultures: Greek (Hellenistic), Hebrew

and Roman; spoke Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew– Educated in Torah and was a Pharisee (studying

under Gamaliel in Jerusalem)– Vocational work most likely with leather and/or goat

hair– Roman citizen (possibly inherited from his father’s

status)– Persecutor of Christians in the early days of the

church– Dramatic experience at Damascus changed his life

(a radical reorientation, conversion or call)– Missionary—the zeal with which he formerly

persecuted the church was now channelled into missionary and church-planting efforts (first among the Jews but ultimately to the Gentiles).

– Pastor—Paul took on the role of pastor or spiritual overseer of the many churches he helped to plant.

– Letter-writing—Paul undertook correspondence with his many churches.