Lesson - 1. The Life of Paul
Lesson 1
The Life of Paul
Childhood and Education
The best place to start thinking about the apostle Paul is with the man himself. What can be known of him, and how can it be learned? The New Testament and other early Christian literature provide a wealth of sources for reconstructing the life of Paul. Over one-half of the Book of Acts is a long, vital account of Paul's career from when he was a church persecutor to his imprisonment in Rome toward the end of his life. Thirteen letters in the New Testament bear Paul's name as their author. Outside the canon of the New Testament, many volumes of early Christian literature present themselves as letters by paul that offer other accounts of his "acts."
Paul's position in church formation is great. He used his knowledge and ability to serve the Lord.
Place of Birth
Paul was born in Tarsus. The capital of Cilicia, which is situated in the southeast of Asia-Minor. Roman empire had three major universities. They were Athens in Europe, Alexandria in Africa, and Tarsus in
Asia. Tarsus was a place of knowledge and a famous city. People from many countries visit Tarsus to learn philosophy and literature.
Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.” (Act. 21: 39)
Parents
Paul's parents migrated from Palastine to Cilicia. As Paul was a Roman citizen, his father might have served in Roman Army. The majority of the people living under the roman empire were slaves, and they did not have citizenship. A few people acquired this position as payment for serving the country long or giving more money to the treasury.
Roman citizens receive protection by law wherever they travel. One will be punished only after a trial if one commits a crime. Paul was born into a family which had Roman citizenship. They were religious. As a strong follower of Judaism, Paul's father taught his son how to become a teacher. His father was a strong pharisee. Thus, Paul also became a pharisee. Although they stayed outside of Palestine, they spoke Hebrew and followed religious practices. So he said about himself that he is Hebrew born out of a Hebrew. Paul belongs to the tribe of Benjamin.
Name
The Jews staying outside Palastine had two names. One is religious, and the other is the familiar one that can be easily understood by the people of their living places. Saul was a Hebrew name, while Paul was familiar to the gentiles. The meaning of the term Paul is the least. Saul came to be known as Paul in his first missionary journey.
Education
Even though Paul was brought up in a gentile center, he was disciplined in religious matters. Thus he learned the Old Testament law in a nearby synagogue. If he might have learned the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. He had a deep knowledge of both Hebrew and Greek. In his epistles, we can come across a particular saying by Greek literary figures.
For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your poets have said, ‘We are his offspring. (Act 17: 28) - From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor 15:33) - From the Greek poet Menander.
Like all Jewish children, he could also get trained in handicrafts. Tarsus was famous for tent making and its clothes. Paul learned tent-making when he was very young. His tent-making work is helpful for himself and his companions during the missionary journey, especially in times of need.
“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work, we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20: 32-35)
But, the high education he received was notable. His parents sent him to Jerusalem to study to become a Jewish rabbi. He was then thirteen. He completed his education under the guidance of the respected Pharisee, Gamaliel. That was a great position a Jewish boy received. The word of God and the teaching of Jewish rabbis in the form of Hallel (a Jewish prayer) were being learned by Paul. Thus he became a perfect pharisee and a scholar of the law.
Paul's birth is more or less near to the birth of Jesus. As Jesus was brought up in Jerusalem, Paul was under religious training in Jerusalem.
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