The Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology

Paul had many names Saul was his Jewish name before he converted into Christianity. Before many heard his preaching's and before he learned of Jesus Christ being the actual son of God. St. Paul or Paul the apostle as he is known today was very influential among Christians. This essay will touch base in Paul's accounts as He is recognized today as one of the greatest missionaries in Christianity. I will help the reader understand how Paul was known as the apostle to the gentiles. I will take reference as Paul lived as a humanitarian. And take light in the fact that Paul was a sinner at first by persecuting the Christian church. Paul later turned to repentance and love for the Lord. I will showcase his theology in which he wrote letters to every place he had visited in which we read today to address the church's unique problems and try to make them better. This will let the reader recognize that his journey towards life wasn't towards damnation and that his death wasn't in vain. Paul knew he awaited salvation. Paul was shaped and changed by Christianity.

Paul was born to Jewish parents in Tarsus in Cilicia which was at the time in Asia Minor and now Turkey. It is believed that Paul may have been born AD 5-10. Although Paul never tells us where he was born we can gather that information in Acts, when it is said that he was a citizen of Tarsus the prosperous capital of Cilicia. See (22:3; 21:39)

He was born during the reign of the emperor Augustus. He was probably born around ten years after Christ; since he is referred to as a young man at the time of Stephens stoning. (Acts 7:58); which we will get into depth later on. Paul's Jewish name was Saul. His name derives from the ancient Hebrew king Saul. Jewish people in the Diaspora, which were referred to as being outside of Palestine, went by two names one being there Greek or roman name and the other being the Semitic name. Paul was a well known Roman family name. We also are open to the fact that Paul was born a Pharisee as it is suggested in his description in (Phil 3:5; II Cor 11:22). This is in concurrence in Acts 23:6 which acquired the notion of Paul being the son of Pharisees.