A Comment on Paul's Background
Paul had been “a rabbi of Jerusalem. A Roman citizen, born in a Gentile city”.
(E.G. White, Education p.64)
Speaking of his own background, Paul says,
“I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of the law of the fathers...” (Acts 22:3)
Tarsus was a “Gentile city” in the Roman province of Cilicia. The old historian, Strabo, (writing in about 19AD, and quoted by Neander,) says that “the men from that city had so great a zeal for philosophy and the whole circle of arts and sciences, that they surpassed the people of Athens and Alexandria, and of any place that can be named...” (Neander, Planting & Training, p.81) This is quite a statement! Paul’s father (a devout Jew) was moved, I believe, to limit his son’s exposure to the powerful Gentile influences.
Tarsus was “a Gentile city”. Another describes the city in more specific terms -- “it was a Greek city, where the Greek language was spoken, and Greek literature studiously cultivated.” (Conybeare p.18)
Perhaps no man knows exactly how old Paul was when he left Tarsus to attend school in Jerusalem. Yet Paul explains that while he was born in Tarsus, he was later “brought up” in Jerusalem, in the school of the renowned Gamaliel.
Such details may help, I think, to gain a clearer view of the man who was “made all things to all men, that [he] might by all means save some.” (1Cor 9:22) Paul could be a Jew to the Jew, and a Greek to the Greek. God raised up this man for a very significant task. And indeed, Paul “persuaded the Jews and the Greeks” (Acts 18:4), and by many and varied means, he was instrumental in saving a multitude.
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Permalink Reply by Stewart on -
Then as now...
"God's workmen must labor to be many-sided men; that is, to have a breadth of character, not to be one-idea men, stereotyped in one manner of working, getting into a groove, and unable to see and sense that their words and their advocacy of truth must vary with the class of people they are among, and the circumstances that they have to meet."
(Evangelism p.106)
This does not mean, give a Pork eater Pork in your own home, nor does it mean give young people rock music in the house of God.
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Permalink Reply by Ray Phillips on -
Stewart
While you are correct that no one can tell just how old Paul was when he traveled to Jerusalem, we can make an educated guess. In the Jewish culture, a male did not become a "man" until he reached the age of 30. This is why it was at the age of 30 that Jesus started His ministry.
So, it is not illogical to beleive that Paul was somewhere close to, if not past the age of 30. He would have to have been that age in order to be part of the Sanhedrin. So, it was he was at least 30 years or older when Saul/Paul entered onto the scene of history.
Happy Sabbath!
Maranatha :)
Ray
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Permalink Reply by Rob on -
Nice thoughts Stewart
Ac 26:14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,Notice Jesus speaks to Saul in Hebrew, and makes a prophecy to protect Saul from his own people. WHy protect him ? Because Hebrew people (like Saul) are not allowed to speak Greek. Paul could speak Hebrew as well as Greek, that's why God chose him as a Gentile minister to Greek -Jews.
Paul also wrote all his letter in Hebrew and were translated by his friends in Greek. One of the things people do not see is the entire NT was originally written in Hebrew.
Ac 21:37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?
Ac 21:40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,
The centurian was suprised a Jew could speak Greek, for it was not tolerated by Jews. Paul could do both, and He spoke Hebrew to the Hebrew people in Acts 21.
SHalom
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Permalink Reply by Stewart on
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I think we are on slightly different lines of thought here Ray.
Acts 22:3 says that Paul was "born in Tarsus" . The verse goes on to say that he was "brought up" in Jerusalem, and attended the school of Gamaliel.
I understand that Paul came to Jerusalem as a boy, or a "youth".
Later (in Acts 26:4), Paul says that he was known in the city of Jerusalem from the days of his "youth".
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Permalink Reply by Ray Phillips on
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Stewart
You may be right, as I said, no one really can tell for a certainty when he came to Jerusalem. You choose to come to one conclusion, I to another and it is very possible that we are both wrong. However, I do believe that a "youth" in biblical terms was what we would call a man in his 20's. It may have been in his late 20's, that is intirely possible with the evidence that we both presented. OK?
Ray
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Permalink Reply by Stewart on
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The Time-Line of Galatians 1.
Perhaps some people will find interest in this.
In Galatians (1:16 - 2:1) Paul gives a brief outline of his experience after his meeting with Jesus on the road “near Damascus” (Acts 9:3).
Paul went into Damascus, met with Ananias, was baptized there, and remained “a certain number of days with the disciples which were at Damascus”. (Acts 9:19.) He was taught by the church at Damascus (AA 120,121), yet he did not confer “with flesh and blood” regarding his appointed work. (Gal 1:16.)
Paul labored in Damascus for a time, but “the opposition grew so fierce” there, that he was forced to leave the city. (AA 125.) The astonishment of the Jews had quickly turned to intense hatred.
He “went into Arabia” (Gal 1:17) -- into an area of “comparative solitude”, wishing “to be alone with God”. (SR 274-275.)It appears that Paul was in Arabia for a number of “months” (See Glad Tidings p.24). Few details are given about this time, but it was here that the “chief of sinners” was pardoned. Without this, we may be certain that the apostle could not have labored as effectively as he did. “He sought God with all his heart, resting not until he knew for a certainty that his repentance was accepted and his sin pardoned.” (AA 125)
After this, Paul “returned again to Damascus” (Gal 1:17).
But again the opposition grew so strong that the city gates were closed against him, in an effort to bar his escape from the city. He was sought by the soldiers stationed there, but was let down from the city wall in a basket, and thus made his escape. (Acts 9:25, 2Cor 11:33, AA p.128)
It was then, about 3 years after his conversion, that Paul finally returned to Jerusalem. Yet he remained in Jerusalem only 15 days. During that time met with Peter and James. (Gal 1:18-19)
After this, Paul came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. (Gal 1:21) He was based in Tarsus [of Cilicia], his home town, and was there for 3 or 4 years.
Then 14 years after his brief visit to Jerusalem, he returned again to Jerusalem. (Gal 2:1) He went with Barnabas and Titus, and he “went up by revelation” (Gal 2:2).
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Permalink Reply by Alexander on -
Very much blessed by this thread, Stewart. I never really gave this much thought to Paul's upbringing.
I must say though, that I always thought Paul was a young lad when he came to Jerusalem, or he would seem to be very old when he was finally martyred.
God Bless, Alex.
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Permalink Reply by Ray Phillips on
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Alex
Your comment caused me to look to Wikipedia to see just what kind of a timeline they had for the life of Paul. It was much as I remembered it. Born in 5 AD, died in 67 AD.
"After his conversion, Paul went to Damascus, where Acts states he was healed of his blindness and baptized by Ananias of Damascus.[26] Paul says that it was in Damascus that he barely escaped death [2Cor. 11:32]. Paul also says that he then went first to Arabia, and then came back to Damascus.[Gal. 1:17][27] Paul's trip to Arabia is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, and some suppose he actually travelled to Mt. Sinai for meditations in the desert.[28][29][30] He describes in Galatians how three years after his conversion he went to Jerusalem. There he met James and stayed with Simon Peter for 15 days.[Gal. 1:13-24]
Paul asserted that he received the Gospel not from any person, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.[Gal. 1:11-12] Paul claimed almost total independence from the Jerusalem community[14] and yet appeared eager to bring material support from the various budding Gentile churches that he planted to Jerusalem. In his writings, Paul persistently used the persecutions he claimed to have endured, in terms of physical beatings and verbal assaults, to claim proximity and union with Jesus and as a validation of his teaching.
Paul's narrative in Galatians states that 14 years after his conversion he went again to Jerusalem.[Gal. 2:1-10] It is not completely known what happened during these so-called "unknown years," but both Acts and Galatians provide some partial details.[31] At the end of this time, Barnabas went to find Paul and brought him back to Antioch. [Acts 11:26]
When a famine occurred in Judea, around 45–46,[32] Paul and Barnabas journeyed to Jerusalem to deliver financial support from the Antioch community.[33] According to Acts, Antioch had become an alternative center for Christians following the dispersion of the believers after the death of Stephen. It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called "Christians."[Ac. 11:26]
Checking with the SDABC, it verifies what I presented earlier that a "young man" was between the ages of 20 to 40. So, Paul came to Jerusalem, somewhere during that age spread. Also, it brings out the fact that his parents were in Tarsus becasue they had been taken there as slavees from Palestine. Also that apparently his family was one of noteworthyness.
It has been my understanding that the ministry of Paul was about 30-35 years in length, from his experience on the Damacus road to when he died. Taking about 15 years before he started his missionary journies, that would leave circa 20 years for his travels.
This seems to be a scenario that fits in general with the various sources of information on his life.
Maranatha :)
Ray
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