Saint Paul
Feast Day: June 29 (with St. Peter)
- St. Paul’s original name was Saul of Tarsus, which was a major city in eastern Cilicia. Which, by the time Paul was an adult, would have been incorporated into the Roman province of Syria.
- Saul "learned to work with [his] own hands" during his formative years (1 Corinthians 4:12). Important facets of his apostleship are explained by his trade as a tent maker, which he carried on after becoming a Christian. Saul was a member of the Pharisees, a group of extremely legalistic Jewish teachers who studied and enforced the Law of Moses.
- While he was still just Saul, Saul persecuted and pursued members of the emerging Christian faith shortly after Christ’s ascension. However, while Saul was on his way to Damascus, Jesus appeared to him in a vision, which knocked him off his horse and blinded him. Regardless, Saul was converted by this experience and changed his name to Paul. He was now a Christian.
- Paul traveled all around the Levant preaching, but also wrote a significant amount. 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament are credited to Paul. Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke (who was a disciple of Paul), focuses a large portion of its content on Paul and his missionary work as well.
- Paul was particularly focused on serving the Gentiles residing in Turkey, Syria, and Greece. He worked miracles and converted a great number. He founded several churches in Asia Minor, and at least three in Europe -- among them the church in Corinth.
- Paul visited Jerusalem in his late 50s, and, after a series of trials, was deported to Rome after being detained there for bringing a Gentile too far into the Temple grounds. According to tradition, Paul was executed in Rome -- likely as part of the massacre of Christians that Emperor Nero ordered in the wake of the city's devastating fire in AD 64. As Paul was a Roman citizen, he was not allowed to be crucified, so instead he was given killed in a manner considered quick and merciful: beheading.
- St. Paul is called the “Apostle to the Gentiles” and is the patron saint of missions, writers, and publishers.
Saint Paul, Pray for Us!