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Justin Koenig

Mr. Clark

Honors British Literature 12

9 March 2018

The Conversion of Saint Paul

A. The Life of Saint Paul

Saint Paul was born in 5 A.D. in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia (Ciresi). At a young age, he

started to learn the languages of Hebrew and Greek. The future saint had both a Roman name

and a Jewish name. His Jewish name was Saul. According to dictionary.com, this name is

Hebrew for “asked for” (Saul, def. 3c). His Roman name, was “Paulus”, but was commonly

referred to as Paul. Paul is Latin for “little” (Paul, def. 5c). Paul was a tent maker by trade for

he became a Pharisee and studied under the teachings of Rabbi Gamaliel. He kept the law very

strictly, like most Pharisees. It wasn’t until the rise of Christianity that Saint Paul’s life would

truly be affected.

After Jesus’ Ascension and the forming of the first Christians, Paul went around and

persecuted the new followers. In fact, Saul was present for the first martyr in the Catholic

Church. The Bible states, “They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The

witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul (Acts 7:58). Saul would

later mention that he was present for Stephen’s martyrdom while preaching to a group of

Christians after his conversion. Saul was on his way to Damascus to imprison more Christians

when he had his change of heart:

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On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed

around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are

you persecuting me?” 5 He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom

you are persecuting. 6 Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must

do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice

but could see no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he

could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. (Acts 9:1-

9)

Paul’s eyesight would later be returned in Damascus and was immediately baptized into

the Catholic faith. He officially changed his name to Paul. In Damascus, Paul would start

preaching the Good News of the Gospel for a short period of time. He would proceed to preach

all over the known world in his lifetime. He started in Arabia, taught there of a couple of years,

and then returned to preach in Damascus (Catholic.org). After his second stint in Damascus,

Paul returned to Jerusalem where he met Peter and many other influential Church members.

Paul then returned to his place of birth, Tarsus. In Tarsus, he created a community of Christians

and helped them start off. He stayed in Tarsus until he was summoned by fellow Christian

Barnabus, who needed help in Antioch. After spending a year there, he returned to Jerusalem in

order to help those in need during a famine. After helping the people of Jerusalem Paul and

Barnabus would return to Antioch and continue preaching. Paul would then continue to Asia

minor and Cypress. The future saint would then spend the rest of his life preaching in areas of

Europe.

He mainly stayed around Macedonia, Greece and Italy, but would travel as far away as

Spain (Catholic.org). Before he could get to Spain, however, Paul was arrested and jailed in
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Caesarea for two years. The Jews had arrested him for preaching the Gospel and were angry that

Paul had converted from Judaism to Christianity. Now, it is important to note that after Paul

would establish a Christian community, he would not turn his back on them. While he may not

return to their location ever again, he wrote many letters. These letters often gave advice,

counsel, and wisdom. Many of the letters Saint Paul sent were from his time in jail. After being

released from prison, he continued to travel. In a strange turn of events, Paul was shipwrecked in

Malta. He eventually found his way to Rome and began to preach there. Paul would be

imprisoned a second time for preaching the Gospel. Paul continued to write letters from his cell

and pray. After serving this two-year sentence, Saint Paul managed to get to Spain and preach to

the communities there. Paul would eventually die in 67 A.D. After returning to Rome, he was

arrested and beheaded by Nero, the emperor at the time.

Saint Paul was one of the most influential members of the early Church. Of the twenty-

seven books in the New Testament, Paul wrote thirteen of them. Most of these books were the

letters that he sent to the communities he started. His feast day is on June 29. Paul is the patron

of many things, including missionaries, evangelists, authors, and tent makers.

B. Why Catholicism?

Why did Saul, a persecutor of the early Church, become Paul, a dedicated martyr of the

Christian faith? The answer is quite simple: Jesus had a plan for him. This evidence is found in

the Bible, when the Lord speaks to his disciple Ananias to baptize Saul. At first Ananias is

shocked, saying, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has

done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to

imprison all who call upon your name” (Acts 9:13-14). The situation is very peculiar. A man

who was a big Christian persecutor, wants to be baptized? Ananias cannot be blamed for his
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skepticism, for many other would be just as apprehensive, if not more so. The Lord replied to

Ananias, saying, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before

Gentiles, kings, and Israelites, 16 and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name

(Acts 9:15-16). Once baptized, Saul changed his name to Paul, and began to preach the Gospel

with no regrets. As you now know, Paul would tirelessly preach around the globe, answering

God’s call. If He called a persecutor, one who works to go against His followers, then God can

call any individual.

C. Lessons from the Life of Saint Paul

Saint Paul has written plenty of letters to early Christian communities around the globe.

These letters often gave advice on how to live as Christians, so there are many things we can

learn from Saint Paul. I believe that there are two main ideas that come from his life and letters.

Firstly, it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. When Jesus was on Earth, He spent lots

of time preaching to people. He forgave adulterers, tax collectors, and murderers. He cured

lepers and purged demons. He has been with the “lowest” humans and forgiven them. Even

Saint Paul, who persecuted Christians for a good period of time, was forgiven by God. Even if

an individual repeatedly offends God in multiple ways, they can be saved if they repent, just like

Saint Paul.

Second, if we surrender ourselves to God’s will, we will be content and protected from

the dangers of the world. After his conversion, Saint Paul surrendered himself fully to the Lord.

In return, the Lord protected Paul. He gave him the strength to continuously preach, even after

he was imprisoned twice. In prison, Paul wrote, “I want you to know, brothers, that my situation

has turned out rather to advance the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment has become well known

in Christ throughout the whole praetorium and to all the rest (Philippians 1:12-13). This quote
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shows that Paul has complete faith in the Lord. He understands that because of his faith, he will

be safe while his message is spread. When Paul’s boat was shipwrecked in Malta, Paul was

unharmed and made his way back to his destination safely. At his execution, Paul knew that the

Lord would protect him. Even though he lost his life, his soul was sent to Heaven. Paul was

sure in tune with God, he understood that he would be saved in heaven, even if his time in this

world was gone. Saint Paul accomplished the Lord’s goal of spreading the Gospel. Even

though Saint Paul started off as a religious extremist hunting Christians, his life was flipped

upside down by the Lord’s call. He accepted the call and surrendered himself completely, going

so far as to suffer for the Lord. The life of Paul is ultimately the goal of every Christian, get to

heaven and spread the Gospel. Saint Paul did both exceptionally. When we are called, will be

able to make the same sacrifices for the Lord?

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Works Cited

Catholic Online. "St. Paul - Saints & Angels." Catholic Online. Web. 8 Mar. 2018.

Cirsei, Salvatore J. "Library: The Life of St. Paul." The Life of St. Paul. Mar. 2002. 8 Mar.

2018.

Franciscan Media. "Conversion of Saint Paul." Franciscan Media. 25 Jan. 2018. Web. 8 Mar.

2018.

"The New American Bible Revised Edition." BibleGateway.com. Web. 8 Mar. 2018

“Paul." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, Web. 8 Mar. 2018.

“Saul." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, Web. 8 Mar. 2018.

Uwineza, Marcel S. "The Conversion of St Paul." Thinking Faith. 25 Jan. 2011. Web. 8 Mar.

2018.