The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (91 page)

Persecution of Christians
As an ideal Pharisee, Paul may have been active as a Jewish missionary, winning Gentiles as proselytes to the Jewish faith. He may have been like the Pharisees Jesus described who “travel over land and sea to make one proselyte” (Matt 23:15). Paul's words, “If I still preach circumcision,” may allude to his past as a Jewish missionary (Gal 5:11). Paul, more than his mentor Gamaliel (Acts 5:34—39), recognized the serious threat Christianity posed to the Jewish religion. The Mishnah taught that a Jewish male was ready for a position of authority at age 30
(m. Avot
5:21). Thus Paul was probably in his thirties when he, with authorization from the chief priest, began to imprison
Christians first in the synagogues of Jerusalem and then later in more remote areas like Damascus.

One cannot underestimate Paul's aggression and viciousness in persecuting the church that was inspired by his misguided zeal. When Paul described his efforts to persecute the church, he used the language of warfare and made clear that his intention was to obliterate the church completely (Gal 1:13). In Acts 8:3, Luke described Paul's destruction of the church using the Greek verb
lumainomai
, a verb used in the Septuagint (Greek OT) to speak of a wild animal such as a lion, bear, or leopard tearing at raw flesh.
⁸⁴
Paul's zeal in persecuting the church was like the savage rage of a hungry predator frenzied by the taste of blood.

Perhaps Paul's clearest description of his activities as a persecutor is found in Acts 26:9-11: “In fact, I myself supposed it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. This I actually did in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. In all the synagogues I often tried to make them blaspheme by punishing them. Being greatly enraged at them, I even pursued them to foreign cities.”

Some believe this reference to “casting a vote” (literally “casting a pebble”—black for “no” or white for “yes”) implies that Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin. But it is difficult to imagine that Paul would not have explicitly stated this, especially on those occasions in which he highlighted his devout Jewish pedigree. Thus the statement is probably a metaphor implying that Paul consented to the execution of Christians, or it suggests that he was a member of a committee appointed by the Sanhedrin and vested with this authority.
⁸⁵
Paul's initial and adamant rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah may largely have been motivated by Christ's ignoble death. Paul knew that death by crucifixion was indicative of a divine curse (Deut 21:23). It was inconceivable to him that the Messiah could die under the curse of God. But when Paul wrote his first letter, he had come to recognize this death curse as the grounds for substitutionary atonement (Gal 3:10—14). In 1 Corinthians, Paul explained that the idea of a crucified Messiah was a stumbling block to the Jews (see 1:23). Paul was likely speaking from his own past experience.

Paul's Conversion (34)

While Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest and imprison Christians, the resurrected and glorified Christ appeared to him with blinding radiance. Christ's words, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14), indicate that God had already begun to prompt Saul to follow Jesus as Messiah. Like an ox kicking against a sharpened prod in the hand of the ox driver, Paul had been resisting divine guidance and leadership resulting in his own harm and pain. At the appearance of Christ, Saul immediately surrendered
to his authority and went into the city to await further orders from his Master. There his blindness was healed, he received the Holy Spirit, and he accepted believer's baptism. No doubt Ananias shared with Saul the message that the Lord had given him in a vision, “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel. I will certainly show him how much he must suffer for My name” (Acts 9:15). After this Saul spent a few days with the disciples in Damascus.

Paul's Missionary Travels (34-58)

Early Travels (34—47)
Soon after his conversion, Paul traveled to Arabia where he began evangelization of the Nabatean Arabs (Gal 1:17; 2 Cor 11:32—33) and probably experienced his first opposition to the gospel from political authorities. He then returned to Damascus where he began to go into the synagogues to preach the message that had been revealed to him on the Damascus road: Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah. The governor in Damascus had the city gates guarded in order to arrest Paul, and he had to escape through a window in the wall by being lowered in a basket.

Paul then traveled to Jerusalem where he spent 15 days visiting with Peter and James, the Lord's brother, and doubtless heard them describe Jesus' life and teachings, though Paul's gospel was already clearly defined even before this visit. Church leaders were initially suspicious of Paul, but Barnabas intervened on his behalf (Acts 9:26—30; Gal 1:18). After 15 days in Jerusalem, Paul returned to Tarsus, evangelizing Syria and Cilicia for several years. While in Syria, Barnabas contacted Paul and invited him to become involved in the outreach of the Antioch church where large numbers of Gentiles were responding to the gospel. The church at Antioch collected money to carry to the Christians who suffered in Judea during a period of famine. Barnabas and Paul were chosen by the church to carry the gift to Jerusalem (Acts 11:27—30). This probably was the occasion of the conference described by Paul in Gal 2:1—10. Some equate this with the Jerusalem Council, but this is unlikely. If Galatians were written after an official ruling at the Jerusalem Council, Paul could have just displayed the letter from the apostles to discredit the Judaizers. Moreover, the encounter described in Gal 2:1—10 appears to have been a private meeting rather than a public affair. The pillars of the Jerusalem church, Peter, John, and James the brother of Jesus, approved the no-law gospel preached by Paul and his focus on Gentile evangelism.

First Missionary Journey (47—48)
Paul and Barnabas soon began their first missionary journey, traveling through Cyprus and Anatolia probably during the years 47—48. The missionary team carried the gospel to the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. These cities were located in the Roman province of Galatia, and the letter to the Galatians is probably addressed to these churches in South Galatia.
Galatians
was most likely written from Antioch shortly after this journey.

Jerusalem Council (49)
When Paul returned to Antioch from the first missionary journey, he immediately found himself embroiled in controversy over requirements for Gentile salvation. Peter and even Barnabas were vacillating on the issue of Jew-Gentile r
elationships. Even worse, some false teachers from the Jerusalem church had infiltrated congregations in Antioch and were teaching, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). The church appointed Paul and Barnabas to go to Jerusalem and settle the matter. A council was convened in the year 49 that included the missionary team, those who insisted upon circumcision as a requirement for salvation, and the apostles. The apostle Peter and James the brother of Jesus spoke
in defense of Paul's law-free gospel, and a letter was sent to the Gentile churches confirming the official Christian view. Paul returned to Antioch.

Map 9.1: Paul's First Missionary Journey

Map 9.2: Paul's Second Missionary Journey

Second Missionary Journey (49—51)
The second missionary journey carried Paul through Anatolia, Macedonia, and Achaia in 49—51. Paul and Barnabas parted company at this point in a disagreement about the role of Barnabas's nephew John Mark in the second missionary journey. Mark had abandoned the team on the first journey (Acts 15:38). Paul took Silas on this journey and established churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Paul also spent 18 months in Corinth strengthening a fledgling church there. Four of Paul's letters are addressed to churches known from this second journey. Most scholars believe that 1
and 2 Thessalonians
were written during this journey.

Third Missionary Journey (51—54)
Paul's third missionary journey focused on the city of Ephesus where Paul spent the better part of three years (51—54). Toward the end
of this journey Paul worked hard to collect another relief offering for the Jerusalem Christians. Paul wrote 1
and 2 Corinthians
and
Romans
during this journey.

Map 9.3: Paul's Third Missionary Journey

Final Years (55—65/66)
Paul carried the relief offering to Jerusalem. While in the temple performing a ritual to demonstrate his Jewish identity to some of the Jerusalem Christians, Jewish opponents incited a riot, and Paul was arrested (55). Paul was sent to Caesarea to stand trial before the procurator Felix. After two years of procrastination on the part of his detainers, Paul finally appealed to the Roman emperor for trial. After arriving in Rome, Paul spent two years under house arrest awaiting his trial. Paul wrote
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians
, and
Philemon
during this first Roman imprisonment (c.58-60).
⁸⁶

The record of Acts ends at this point, so information as to the outcome of the trial is sketchy. Early church tradition suggests that Paul was acquitted (c. 60) or exiled and may possibly have fulfilled the dream expressed in Rom 15:23—29 of carrying the gospel to
Spain (60—66).
⁸⁷
Paul wrote 1
Timothy
and
Titus
during the period between his acquittal and a second Roman imprisonment, and he wrote
2 Timothy
during the second Roman imprisonment. According to church tradition, Paul was arrested again and subjected to a harsher imprisonment. He was condemned by the Emperor Nero and beheaded with the sword at the third milestone on the Ostian Way at a place called Aquae Salviae and lies buried on the site covered by the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. His execution probably occurred in
66
or 67.

Paul's Appearance

No biblical record of the appearance of Paul or his physical condition exists. He must have been a hearty individual to endure the abuses and trials that he suffered as an apostle (2 Cor 11:23—29). He was evidently the victim of some serious eye disease (Gal 4:12—16). This may account for his characteristically large signature that he appended to letters that were likely penned by a secretary (Gal 6:11). The earliest description of Paul's appearance appears in a book from the NT Apocrypha, which says that Paul was “a man small of stature, with a bald head and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked, full of friendliness; for now he appeared like a man, and now he had the face of an angel.”
⁸⁸
The writer attributes the description of Paul to Titus, and it may have some historical basis. Although it sounds unflattering to moderns, several of the physical features mentioned were considered to be traits of the ideal Roman.