The Life And Writings Of St. Paul Essay, Research Paper

Paul, once a tormentor of Christians, was on the route to Damascus when all of a sudden God spoke to him. & # 8220 ; Saul, Saul, why are you oppressing me? & # 8221 ; ( Acts 9:4 ) God asked. Paul was so blinded and led by his friends to Damascus, where a adherent named Ananias was waiting for him. Ananias cured Paul & # 8217 ; s sightlessness and baptized him. From so on, Paul was devoted to distributing the Good News all over the universe.

Having returned to Damascus, he stayed there for a small piece, prophesying that Jesus is the Son of God. Because of this the Jews began to detest him and Paul had to fly from the metropolis. Then he went to the metropolis of Jerusalem to run into Paul, the caput of the new Church.

After go forthing Jerusalem he was called by Barnabus to come to Antioch. One twelvemonth subsequently there was a big dearth and both Barnabus and Paul were sent to the hapless Christian community at Jerusalem. Having fulfilled their ends they returned to Antioch. Soon after this, Paul and Barnabus made their first missional journey, sing the island of Cyprus. Then they took a trip to Asia Minor and established new churches in Iconium and Lystra.

After the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem, Paul made his 2nd missional journey, foremost sing churches that had already been established by him in Asia Minor. At Troas Paul had a vision, which he translated as a call from God to change over in Macedonia. To make this, Paul sailed for Europe, and preached the Gospel in Philippi. He besides went to Thessalonica, where he had a batch of success. After that he went to Greece, specifically Athens, where he fundamentally failed but saw how devoted the Athenians were to their Gods, and Corinth. Then he returned to Antioch by manner of Ephesus and Jerusalem.

On his 3rd missional journey, Paul visited about the same parts as on the 2nd trip, but made Ephesus where he stayed about three old ages, the centre of his missional activity. He besides made programs besides for another missional journey. Persecutions by the Jews stopped him from making much converting. After two old ages of imprisonment at Caesarea he eventually reached Rome, where he was held captive for another two old ages.

At the terminal of the two old ages, Paul Washington

s released from his Roman imprisonment and so traveled to Spain and so back to Rome. In Rome he was imprisoned once more, and eventually, in the twelvemonth 67, he was executed.

Throughout the history of the Church, Paul was the most influential adult male, other than Jesus Christ himself, in the initiation of the Church. He said, & # 8220 ; I am non ashamed of the Gospel, & # 8221 ; ( Romans 1:16 ) and he lived by those words. Paul spread the Good News to over 20 different topographic points on three separate missionaries. He wrote 13 letters, harmonizing to tradition, which constitutes about half of the Christian Scriptures. This all occurred in merely 33 old ages of his life.

Modern bookmans believe that Paul himself merely wrote seven of the 13 letters attributed to him. The likely authors of the other six letters were Paul & # 8217 ; s pupils, known to bookmans as the Pauline School. & # 8220 ; Be impersonators of me, as I am of Christ, & # 8221 ; Paul wrote ( 2 Corinthians 11:30 ) . I think that from this quotation mark we can deduce that Paul didn & # 8217 ; t mind what his pupils did. The ground that scholars believe that Paul didn & # 8217 ; t compose all of his letters is because some of them are different in both what they are written about and the manner they are written. The letters that are indisputably Paul & # 8217 ; s are: First Thessalonians, Galatians, First and Second Corinthians, Romans, Philippians, and Philemon. Ephesians and Colossians, which harmonizing to tradition were written in a gaol cell, and Second Thessalonians are doubted to be written by Paul. The pastoral letters, named that manner because they discuss the makings of the ministry, are among the letters being questioned by bookmans every bit good.

Paul & # 8217 ; s letters were used by the infant churches as a agency of hiking its members & # 8217 ; faith. By the early 100s CE, they were copied and distributed between churches. By 96 CE, the Roman Bishop Clement was clearly familiar with Paul & # 8217 ; s letters. This shows how rapidly the letters had spread.

Again, Paul was the most influential adult male in the initiation of the Church. He converted from a tormentor to an Apostle and wrote half of the Christian Scriptures in merely 33 old ages. He acquired many followings and established many churches along the manner. Paul was genuinely one of the greatest saints that of all time lived.