Nick & Aaron talk about this Man named Paul.

Paul

Born Saul in Tarsus which is located in modern day Turkey

Jew by birth

• The Apostle Paul, sometimes called Saint Paul or Saul of Tarsus, lived from about 5 BCE / 5 CE to about 67 CE
• Dad became a Roman citizen which gave Paul dual citizenship. Being roman had percs
  • Acts 16:37-39 37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” 38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.

Highly educated.

• Until about the midpoint of his life, Paul was a member of the Pharisees, a religious party that emerged during the later Second Temple period.
  • There were two main groups in the Jewish culture Pharisee and Sadducees
• Pharisee of Pharisee
• Student of Gamaliel. Was a very wise man.
  • Acts 22:3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
• Gamaliel later saves Paul from persecution Acts 5:34 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.
• Aaron’s fav part to the Gamaliel Rant which stands up to time
  • 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Paul was strict on the law and destined Christians for what he thought was heresy by going against it.

• Oversaw the first Christian killing of Steven
  • Acts 8:1-3
    • 1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
  • At this point Saul would not have believed that Jesus was the messiah.
  • He would not have believed in the resurrection of Jesus.
• This was probably important because it scattered people and they still proclaimed the name of Jesus everywhere they went. So the word spread even faster, God used the death of Steven to spread his news.

Paul's conversion

• Acts 9:1-6
  • Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I a