Scope and Goals of this Course
Listen online [here] (part 1)
and [here] (part 2)
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The
Pauline Corpus
Adult
Faith Formation Series, June and July 2023
Session 1:
Quick Biography of St Paul
Class Schedule, Tuesdays, from 7
to 8 pm
June 20th - Who was St Paul?
June 27th – Was St
Paul Catholic?
July 18th – The Letter
to the Galatians
July 25th – The Letter
to Philemon
I. Scope
and Goals of this Course
A. We
will get a good overview of the life of St Paul the Apostle from his conversion
to his martyrdom, and be able to situate his New Testament Letters in the
historical context of his life and missionary travels.
B. We
will discuss the way that the medieval scholars and saints studied the Pauline
Epistles, comparing this both to the approach of the Church Fathers (from the
early Church) and that of modern Biblical scholars.
C. This
course will be primarily a Bible study course. While we will discuss some
aspects of Church history and also certain theological questions, most of the
course will focus on gaining a basic familiarity with St Paul’s Letters.
D. We
certainly cannot cover all of St Paul’s Letters in only four hours of class
time, but the handouts provided should allow us to read all of the Letters more
easily based on what portions are covered in class time.
II. Who
was Paul of Taursus?
St Paul
himself tells us a great deal about his personal history, both from his sermons
recorded in Acts of the Apostles and also from his own writings. This is the
primary source for his biography. Additionally, St Paul was honored as one of
the two Princes of the Apostles in the Early Church, and so we learn his story
from the writings of the early Church.
A. St
Paul’s birth and early life prior to his conversion
St Paul
was born in Tarsus in Cilicia. His father was a Roman citizen and his family
was both very pious and much attached to the Pharisaic traditions of the Jews.
Thus, St Paul was both a Jew and a Roman.
Interestingly, St Jerome asserts that his parents were from Gischala in
Galilee, and that St Paul was himself born in Galilee before his family moved
to Tarsus.
Paul
belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, and was given the name Saul at his
circumcision on the eighth day. Certainly, “Saul” was a common name, given in
honor of the first King of Judah. While his Jewish name was Saul, his Roman
name was Paul – as it was quite common for Jews of that time to have both one
Hebrew or Aramaic name and then another Latin or Greek name which either had
the same meaning or (as in this case) a similar sound. Hence, it is not at all
surprising that, when called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, Saul would
adopt his Roman name Paul.
[Interesting
note] There is a fairly common
misconception that Jesus changed the Apostle’s name from Saul to Paul, however
this is not true. While Simon was given the new name “Peter” by our Lord, Jesus
actually referred to St Paul by his Hebrew name “Saul” at the apparition on the
road to Damascus (Acts 26:14), and Paul did not entirely abandon this Hebrew
name even after he had adopted the more general use of his Roman name. The change from “Saul” to “Paul” really was a
practical choice on St Paul’s part to use a name that would be more common
among the Gentiles to whom he was sent to preach.
St Paul
learned in his youth how to make tents, an occupation which he continued even
in his later pastoral ministry. In his
religious formation, he studied under the great Gamaliel in Jerusalem (Acts
22:3). It is likely that he had some family who resided in Jerusalem, later we
hear of his sister’s son who came to St Paul’s aid when the Jews of that city
had planned to kill him (Acts 23:16).
Gamaliel was one of the most renowned scholars of the Jewish Law and was
greatly honored by both the Jews and the early Christians – the ancient Jewish
sources state that “when he died, the honor of the Torah ceased, and purity and
piety became extinct”; while early Christian sources tell of his secret
conversion to Christianity, being baptized by St Peter and St John (his relics
were miraculously discovered in the 5th Century and he is honored as
a Catholic Saint, being buried now at Pisa in Italy).
St Paul
excelled in his studies of the Jewish traditions, but also developed a hatred
for Christianity and the Christian faithful. In his zeal, he was a great
persecutor of the Church. He was present at and consented to the martyrdom of
St Stephen in Jerusalem (around AD 34).
B. The
Conversion of St Paul and the years immediately following
Sometime
most likely around AD 36, St Paul was on the road to Damascus to persecute the
Christians there, when Jesus appeared to him.
While some moderns mock the idea, it is most likely that St Paul was
indeed “knocked off his horse.” “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” “I am
Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Only Paul could see Jesus, though his
comrades saw a light and heard a voice.
St
Paul, blinded for three days, continued to Damascus and was there baptized by
St Ananias the priest. His sight was restored after being baptized.
[Theological
note] St Paul saw the risen Lord not as a mere vision, but in the same manner
that the other Apostles saw him – in a true Resurrection appearance. For the one and unique time, Jesus appeared
to St Paul in his proper glorified body, and this makes St Paul to be equal to
the other Apostels.
After
his conversion, St Paul went into the desert of Arabia to pray and meditate for
three years. It is likely that he went to Mount Sinai some of this time. The significance of three years may be in
commemoration of the three years that the other Apostles had spent with our
Lord in his public ministry.
After
this time of meditation in the desert, St Paul returned to Damascus and then
went to Jerusalem to meet with Sts Peter and John. It was discovered and
verified that St Paul preached the same Gospel as the other Apostles, and that
(without any human teaching or intervention) he had miraculously received the
full doctrine of Jesus Christ by divine illumination. Still, St Paul spent
another fourteen years in prayer and reflection before beginning his great
missionary journeys.
C. St
Paul’s missionary journeys
At this
point, St Barnabas (who was well respected by the Apostles and the Christian
community) went and found St Paul and brought him to Antioch, where we were
first called “Christians.” Then they went together to Jerusalem.
St Paul
went forth in three missionary journeys as recorded in Acts of the Apostles,
with a fourth journey hinted at in his Letters.
In the
first journey, Sts Paul and Barnabas went forth from Antioch (which served as a
“home base” for St Paul’s early missions) to Cyprus and into southern Asia
Minor before returning to Antioch. This
journey covered much less territory than the later missions (see map below).
This first missionary journey was perhaps from AD 46-49.
Then,
St Paul went to Jerusalem for what would be known as the Council of Jerusalem,
in which it would be determined that Christians did not have to follow the
ritual and ceremonial precepts of the Old Law (especially in relation to the
dietary regulations and circumcision).
The
second missionary journey, in about AD 49:
Sts Paul and Barnabas set out from Jerusalem and went to Antioch. Here
there was a disagreement between the two about whether John Mark should be
allowed to join them – St Paul did not trust him because he had left them on
the previous mission. In the end, Sts Paul and Barnabas split ways, with
Barnabas taking John Mark and St Paul being joined by Silas. Sts Paul and Silas
went to Tarsus (Paul’s birthplace), Derbe, and Lystra (where they met St
Timothy), then on to the region of Macedonia, visiting Philippi, Athens and
Corinth. From around AD 50-52, St Paul spent a year and a half in Corinth. He
then went to Ephesus, and Caesarea, and finally to Antioch.
The
third missionary journey: St Paul went all through Galatian and Phrygia, then
to Ephesus, where he remained almost three years. Some of his Letters date from
this journey (Letters to the Corinthians and Philippians). He then went again
through Macedonia into Achaea, visiting Corinth (where he may have written the
Letter to the Romans). He then returned to Jerusalem by way of Philippi, Traos,
Miletus, Rhodes, Tyre and Caesarea (where he stayed with St Philip the Deacon). This journey, with the multiple long stays,
would have been from around AD 53 to 57.
There
is also a tradition that St Paul later went on a fourth missionary journey to
Rome and then even on to Spain. This is hinted at in his Letters and also
confirmed by the testimony of Pope St Clement of Rome. This final journey would have been after the
time of St Paul’s arrest and his first imprisonment in Rome.
III. St
Paul’s Letters
We will discuss the timeline of his letters in future classes.
IV. St
Paul’s Martyrdom and how he is honored in the Church
While
there is an account of St Paul’s arrest and the first portion of his trial in
Acts of the Apostles (in fact, the book ends with St Paul’s trial and an
impending judgment), it is certain that he was acquitted and not martyred at
this first arrest.
Later,
after the time of the burning of Rome by Nero, in around the year AD 65, Sts
Peter and Paul were both arrested together with many of the Christians in Rome
and the surrounding area. While St Peter
was martyred by being crucified upside down at the Vatican hill, St Paul
(because he was a Roman citizen) was beheaded at Aquae Salviae, now Tre
Fontane, outside the City. He was buried at the place where now stands the
Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls.
Tradition holds that he and St Peter suffered martyrdom on the same day,
June 29th.
In
addition to the feast of Sts Peter and Paul on June 29th, St Paul is
commemorated also on June 30th (though, since Vatican II, this is
now the feast of all the early Roman martyrs).
Additionally, the feast of his conversion is kept on January 25th
(which may have originally been associated with the translation of his relics
into the basilica).
The
following account of St Paul’s physical appearance is given by the old Catholic
Encyclopedia: “Paul was short of
stature; called "the man of three cubits" (less than 5 feet tall); he
was broad-shouldered, somewhat bald, with slightly aquiline nose, closely-knit
eyebrows, thick, greyish beard, fair complexion, and a pleasing and affable
manner. He was afflicted with a malady which is difficult to diagnose (perhaps
an affliction of the eyes), but despite this painful and humiliating infirmity
and although his bearing was not impressive (nor was he an impressive public
speaker), Paul must undoubtedly have been possessed of great physical strength
to have sustained so long such superhuman labors. Ancient authors state that he
died at the age of sixty-eight after having served the Lord for thirty-five
years.”
MAP OF THE MISSIONARY
JOURNEYS OF ST PAUL
