Religion and Theology

Who would have thought that one of Jesus greatest persecutors would end up contributing more to the growth of the early Church than any of his other followers  While it may be surprising, miracles do happen.  And while Saul of Tarsus was a conservative Jewa Pharisee, in factwho despised early Christians, his conversion and transformation to Saint Paul paved the way for the expansion of Christianity throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

In the New Testament, thirteen canonized epistles are credited to him.  These include Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus and Philemon.  However, he wrote other epistles like the letter from Laodicea mentioned in Colossians 416, which are not included in the Bible.  An anonymous letter (Hebrews) is also attributed to Paul by some people, but others dispute his authorship of Hebrews.  Furthermore, many scholars also dispute his authorship of First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus and Ephesians.

There are also some epistles and texts claiming to be authored by Paul or is about Paul, but these texts were not canonized since many scholars do not believe in their authenticity.  No one however can prove with 100 accuracy that they are all forgeries.  The disputed epistles include the Epistle to the Laodiceans, the Epistle to the Alexandrians and the Third Epistle to the Corinthians.  Other disputed texts include the Coptic Apocalypse of Paul, the Apocalypse of Paul, the Epistle to Seneca the Younger, the Acts of Peter and Paul, the Acts of Paul and Thecla and the Prayer of the Apostle Paul.  Again, while many scholars believe that these works are all counterfeits, no one is completely certain about its authenticity.

However, the canonized letters provide insight into the problems and beliefs of the early Church.  They are also the basis of Christian ethics and theology.  These epistles also show the personal relationships that he developed over the course of his missionary work.  He greets many of his followers and friends by name and expresses the value of their encouragement to him in times of trial and tribulation.

In his first missionary journey, Antioch became a major Christian center for his evangelization.  In the Acts of the Apostles, he follows the lead of Barnabas from Antioch to Cyprus.  But Elymas the magician mocks his teachings, so he rebukes and blinds him.  After that incident, Paul is promoted to top leadership.  Then they move on to Anatolia (southern Asia Minor) before going back to Antioch.
His meetings with the church of God or the Council in Jerusalem regarding theological policies are described in Acts 152 and Galatians 21.  The necessity or non-necessity of Gentile circumcision was one of the hotly-debated topics that were discussed, and John, Peter and James accepted Pauls Gentile mission.  Other issues discussed include famine relief, as mentioned in Acts 1127-30 during his second visit to Jerusalem.

Paul was not always agreeable with church leaders in Jerusalem.  In his letter to the Galatians, he narrates an incident in Antioch when he politically confronts Peter.  In Antioch, Peter did not want to share a meal with Gentile Christians, and that infuriated him.  As he narrates in Galatians 211-13
When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.  The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. (New International Version)

But Paul straightened them all out.  He said to Peter in front of them all, You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs (Galatians 214) He also had a disagreement with his traveling companion, Barnabas, regarding the reliability of one of their followers, John, also known as Mark (Acts 1537).  As Acts recounts
They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

After his missionary work abroad, Paul would go back to Jerusalem to greet and encourage the Christians there (Acts 1821-22).  He also came back another time to Jerusalem, after his long absence, to deliver gifts to the poor and to present offerings.  But he would later be arrested there and suffer for Christ.

In Corinth, Paul spent one-and-a-half years with Silas and Timothy to preach the Gospel of Christ.  Later, in his letter to the Corinthians, he narrates a detailed description of what love is, and what to expect from love in Chapter 3, verse 4

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Ephesus was also another important missionary base for Paul.  He lived there for more than a year, and while he attended to the needs of the church there, he also organized missionary activities to the remote areas outside the city.  However, he had to leave later due to the tribulations that he encountered in the area.

Paul also traveled to Illyricum, currently called Illyria Graeca, part of Macedonia, a Roman province during his time.  He would later go back to Corinth for a few months then back to Jerusalem where he was arrested due to James proposal for purification after rumors had spread that he was violating Jewish laws.

During his fifth trip to Jerusalem in 57 A.D., Paul appeared at the temple to give notice regarding his purification.  But several furious Jews saw him and announced to the other Jews gathered in the temple that he teaches people to violate Jewish law (Acts 2128).  They also thought or assumed that Paul brought an Ephesian to the holy temple grounds, forbidden to gentiles.  So the crowd grabbed him and dragged him out of the temple.  They beat him up until word got out to the Roman troops that there was a riot in the temple area.  The crowd stopped beating him and dispersed when Roman troops arrived.

They arrested Paul and questioned him, but upon learning that he was a Roman citizen, they protected him from being murdered by the Jews.  The Romans found no offense in him and wanted to release him, but the Jews objected.  He was imprisoned in Caesarea for two years.  Eventually, he was transported to Rome after appealing to Caesar and defending his rights as a Roman Citizen.  Upon arrival in Rome, he was under house arrest for another two years.

These tribulations allowed him to preach to many high-level officials and spread the Gospel to Rome.  His testimony about his miraculous transformation on the road to Damascus was heard by many there.  As Acts 2830 narrates

For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

This contribution was probably critical in laying the foundation of Roman conversion later and the transformation of the Roman Empire to Christianity under the Roman Catholic Church. While preaching in the small gentile cities near Jerusalem was probably small-time in his missionary work, preaching in Rome was big-time because it would allow the Gospel to spread all over Europe later.  And through the Spaniards, Portuguese and Britons even much later, the Gospel would be spread to every corner of the globe.

In the end, Pauls work was undoubtedly a significant force in spreading Christianity in the early church.  Indeed, without him, it may not have spread as fast or as widely in the Middle East and Europe.  Last year, Pope Benedict announced the results of St.Pauls excavated tomb at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.  The results confirm that the bones found in the tomb date back to the first or second century, indicating that the bones may be indeed Pauls.  In any case, he is a true hero of Christianity, and he will continue to live through the pages of the New Testament.