Paul of Tarsus Life, Career, Writings, and Teaching - Term Paper Example

?Insert Insert Grade Insert Paul of Tarsus Life, Career, Writings, and Teaching Introduction Paul was an apostle to Jesus as is revealed by numerous epistles written by him in the New Testament. He was named Saul until his conversion from when his name changed into Paul. In this work, I will analyze the life of Paul in terms of his engagements before his transformation, how he came to be changed and his work in pioneering the work of preaching the gospel to foreigner. I will describe the way Paul as an apostle used his Roman citizenship to effectively propagate the gospel, Paul’s position about the Jewish religion and the Law of Moses. This work will also touch on the methodology of preaching the gospel and how he was able to get followers and his ways of establishing churches through his missionary journeys to various towns in Asia. In this analysis, I will use information contained in history about the political atmosphere and how it fostered his work. The other part of this work will be a description of his death and what the church today can learn from his life. The Bible speaks little on Paul’s family. Philippians 3.5 records him as a Hebrew from the tribe of Judah in Israel. However, in Acts 23.3, Paul implies ancestral connections to the Pharisees. His was born in Tarsus, in the province of Cilicia. Nevertheless, his upbringing is recorded to have been in Jerusalem and was trained in the law by Gamaliel through whom he became perfect in Jewish laws. Paul records in (Acts 26.4-11) that he used to persecute the church. This was true of his early life and many could attest to. Little is known about the entire life except of his involvement in persecution of early believers of Christ, which he calls the new way (Acts 22:4). This can be evidenced through his active participation in killing of Stephen. He was not among the disciples of Jesus and he is portrayed to come after Jesus was crucified. However, one time as he journeyed from Jerusalem to Damascus for the very works of persecution, a bright light met him and as a result he lost his sight. It was after three days that Ananias who was sent by God to him prayed for him and he regained his sight. This encounter formed the basis of Paul’s conversion from his former way of life as an anti-Christian into an apostle to the very gospel he persecuted. Jason, in a study named Saul’s Recruitment on the Road to Damascus, argues that it is not an easy task for one to change from one group to another or simply changing identities. In changing from one lifestyle of a Judean non believer to another lifestyle of believing in Jesus was painful as it involved separation and aggregation. Jason in fact argues that the conversion is best referred to as “recruitment”. The conversion of Saul to Paul, now a believer in Jesus, is legitimized by the Jewish ritual of baptism. This symbolized the recruitment into another group and a change of identity (Lamoreaux 122,132). Paul transformed from his earlier lifestyle of persecuting the church to active participation in evangelism and is in fact accorded the honor of taking the gospel to the gentiles and having them counted among the believers of Christ. The book of acts cites with emphasis the struggles that Paul underwent through in the transformation; first because of his prior state as a persecutor of the gospel and later as a witness to the same gospel and more so because of his struggles for acceptance in the society. Earlier on, Paul had a legacy of terrorizing and killing the Christian Jews who argued that Jesus was the savior and the king of the Jews. Among the many issues that supported his persecution was that the Jews saw Christ’s death as a curse and not an honor. He therefore used the synagogue punishment system to inflict sufferings to all those who were followers of Christ. This was the main reason why Saul, now Paul, experienced a lot of resistance while he came back in support of the same faith he was persecuting. He suffers a lot in the Mediterranean islands from hostile climate, people and other natural forces. According to Spencer, the ordeals passed through by Paul in the islands of the Mediterranean and the jail experiences only served to strengthen his character in the missions ahead (Spencer 158). His transformation only meant a beginning of his suffering as he witnessed the gospel. Luke, in the book of Acts 9.19-25 depicts the violence meted on him right from the Jews and also fellow apostles who could not figure out the transformation and the new assignment that Paul had. The book of Acts outlines only three main trips made by Paul to the gentile world and were speculated to have followed each other in the following order respectively; 46-48 AD, 49-52 AD and53-57 AD. Paul is recorded to have later traveled to Rome between 59-69AD and according to the traditions, he was killed by beheading. In one instance, the call of Paul is contrasted with Jesus’ ministry as Jesus was not welcome in his home town and thus flew away for the ministry. Likewise, Paul faced opposition from the people who knew him who could not believe that he was really changed. According to the book of Acts 22.20-24, Paul anticipated the stiff opposition he would get from fellow Jews when he visits Jerusalem. Apostle Paul’s life is encompassed around practices and beliefs of three major lifestyles; the Roman Empire and culture, the culture of Hellenistic state, and finally the Jewish lifestyle of the nation of Israel. The ministry of Paul was encompassed by diverse citizenship, ranging from roman citizenship to the Jewish citizenship as described by his numerous writings on circumcision as a Jewish culture. This was a major illustration of the Jewish civil status. He describes his circumcision as a seal of righteousness, which was put onto him by the Holy Spirit. However, Paul teaches the believers about circumcision and offers to both the Jew and gentiles. His emphasis is not the physical circumcision rather the circumcision of heart that leads to righteousness and maturity in Christian life. Before the messianic time, the gentiles were alienated from the Jews and the practices of the Israel at large since conversion into Judaism was only through the physical circumcision. However, Paul writes that upon common foundations laid by the apostles and the Jews, Jews and gentiles can now be drawn together. He teaches that the boundary that existed between the gentiles and the Jews was now abolished and all could now easily associate. He said that Christ’s death abolished the boundary that existed between the Jews and the gentiles and that Christ died for all. Nevertheless, Paul argues that to obtain citizenship, a person will need give away some things they will consider dear to them. This means that some practices and laws must be shed away and others be adopted. The process involved physical pain and also emotional as one suffered rejection by friends and close associated (Lupton 68, 73-75). In his great gospel mission, Paul put an emphasis in to conversion of many into Christianity and went ahead to establish many churches. He dedicated his life wholly to the calling that he had received upon the encounter with the Lord. He viewed churches to be instruments of active mission. In his writings, Paul advocated for active involvement of the church in teaching the word in order to win many to the faith. In this, Paul set his life as an example to living and practicing Christian living. Paul gave his life in going all over the world up to the gentiles in order to preach. Though this involved a lot of risks as he received opposition all over from fellow Jews, Paul was strongly dedicated to the course. This is well supported by his writings to the churches that he had started during his universal preaching as seen in the books of Phil. 3.17; 1 Thess. 1.6, 7; 1 Cor. 4.16; 11.1; 2 Thess. 3.7-9. He strongly advocated for reciprocation of his efforts into missionary work by all who believed. Paul also painted another picture of the church as a building where in his missionary work he instituted the building foundation upon which other churches were to be built (1 Cor. 3.9b-15). This could be interpreted on the numerical increment of the new converts and also Christian churches. The faith was to be preached far and wide in order to reach many. He also acknowledged much of the work that the churches were doing. For instance, he commended the church in Colose for their conduct towards the outsiders (Col. 4.5), the faith of the church in Rome was proclaimed in the entire world (Rom. 1.8) and the church in Corinth was a letter that was read by all (2 Cor. 3.2) (Bowers 90-93). Paul’s life was comprised of different views. He recorded that along the way he had even received the synagogue punishment, which was thirty lashes of the cane. His ministry always encountered resistance from the leaders of synagogues both in Jerusalem and also in the Diaspora dominantly due to his mission to reach to the gentiles. This triggered his ultimate arrest and trial (Acts 21.17–26.32). He had a conviction in a different law from that of the Israelites and taught it. The teachings of Paul are commonly referred to as Pauline teachings. They are the doctrines and beliefs espoused by Apostle Paul through his epistles. Many Christians heavily rely on the Pauline teachings and are considered explanations and amplifications of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, the Jews perceived Paul negatively and referred to his apostolic career as schismatic. This was because Paul had been well known to be strict against those who confessed Christian faith and in many occasions was found to be very royal to the Roman government from whom his persecution authority came from (Bird and Preston 355-365). It was after Apostle Paul’s organizational and establishment of churches in Galatia that he met great opposition from his earlier victims of persecution. He was condemned and sent away from the believers. In his defense, Paul argued out his position in faith as regards to the rules and laws of the Jewish customs that was referred to as torah. He said that torah was a bondage under which people lived in sin unlike the initial purpose that God intended of it; to regulate transgressions. He argued that torah had been overtaken by the death of Christ Jesus and as such, continuous observance of the same rendered the death of Jesus on the cross meaningless. He therefore argued that he had committed no transgression and ought to be acquitted of any condemnation. It was therefore quite clear that many of Paul’s critics were his earlier victims and by and large were always in question of Paul’s stand in the gospel after his earlier lifestyle of persecuting the same gospel. In no one time did Paul defend his former life as a persecutor but instead, he regularly acknowledges the converting grace of Jesus that saw him converted from the former being into the present being as an ambassador of the gospel (Cook 182-184). The authority of Paul in the epistles is normally questioned. This is triggered by the apostleship of Paul. Paul first mentions the term apostle in 1 Thess. 2.6. Here he refers to Silvanus and Timothy as fellow apostles of Christ. It is also for sure that Paul received his apostleship during the encounter with the Lord on the way to Damascus. However, the main point of concern always navigates on the actual source of his authority in the scriptures. Paul qualifies himself as to being an apostle well in the first two chapters of Galatians and in the letters to Corinth. His involvement and commitment to missionary work worked to affirm his mission as an apostle (1 Cor 9.2). Despite his resistance to receive financial support from the churches, Paul did miracles which equally qualified him for apostleship. Paul’s authority was not as that of the people through election or even personal subjection. His authority was from God by the grace as is recorded of him saying that “I am who I am by the grace of God”. This is a critical reference point referring to the great experience when God called him from a persecutor into an apostle (Best1-10). Another aspect that was evident in Apostle Paul’s ministry was his weakness. Weakness was central to Paul. In Judaism, suffering was interpreted to mean one’s dedication and devotion. Others interpreted it as a way of one giving him or herself to the others in the course of missionary work and evangelism. Therefore, suffering in line with one’s witness on their faith was interpreted as a missionary endeavor. Paul was portrayed to refuse to accept money gifts from the churches. To many this was equally interpreted as a weakness but the apostle found strength in the practice. In the books of 1 Thessalonians and Corinthians, we find Paul’s weakness interpreted in his contemplation on the death of crucified Christ. He also compares his life to that of Christ. He sets his life as an example to illustrate the nature of Christian living. Paul exemplifies his sufferings in Thessalonians and says that his sufferings were not unusual as he was from Philippi and had met the same sufferings. He equally considered Christ’s suffering on the cross as an equal suffering he was to bear. However, Paul takes in sufferings with thanksgiving as illustrated in the book of Thessalonians where he congratulates the church for her perseverance amidst persecutions meted on them (Sumney 71-8). Clearly, this article portrays Paul’s strength in what many termed as weakness. It’s well shown that unlike the opponents in Corinth’s view, Paul had understood his strength in weakness early in his childhood. There are many areas of controversies among the teachings of Paul but the teachings of the law always trigger heated debates with different schools of thought emerging in support or opposition of the views. Many schools of thought have emerged among the scholars over years concerning Paul’s understanding and teaching of the law. It has become relatively hard to define existential concerns and ecclesiastical traditions about what Paul said as magnified and presupposition differences arise in the debates. Paul’s stands about the law have frequently appeared to be contradictory in interpretation and understanding. For instance, in Galatians 2.19, Paul claims that he thought the law died to the law and in the book of Romans 3.31, he says that he does not abolish the law. He equally says that the greatest law is that we ought to love our neighbors as ourselves and then says that we are no more under the law. These among others have been topics of contention amongst bible scholars not only in the modern times but also in the ancient times. Nevertheless, the works of the law were not to be equated with the obedience to God according to Paul. It is thus crucial that this be understood in order to avoid misunderstanding the teachings by Paul as he himself did not at any one time break the law of Judaism. Paul’s orientation towards the law changed dramatically when he encountered Christ. He was formerly oriented to the Judaism law until his focus was diverted to the crucified Christ. His focus was shifted from the law and placed to Christ according to 2 Corinthians, 3.16. However, according to Paul, turning to Christ still puts into context observance of the law in the New Testament as in regard to Jesus’ teachings, continuity was to be observed and he never came to abolish it (Snodgrass 91-99). In examining and studying the life and mission of Paul, doubts arise in understanding him as a saint and the founder of the modern Christianity, and instead cast doubts that he might have been a Roman government agent working undercover to target and learn more about the new religion that was threatening the Roman traditions and the Jewish customs. One such study was done by Voskuilen in 2005 and wanted to shine some light on the major supportive evidence to the claims. He says that though Paul claimed to be a follower of Jesus, he operated within the Roman territory more freely and thus received a different treatment from that accorded to Jesus by the same government. It was ironical according to the Jewish customs for one to claim that Jesus was the Messiah and the king of Jews and yet be at liberty with the Roman government. We don’t really know much about the Saul of Tarsus especially his former life as a persecutor and later on after his conversion. The following few points form a great basis for the common controversy in Paul’s life: A good percentage of his life is not clear, where he lived, his economic sustenance, and who his friends were, Saul’s reputation is equally to be of concern as he was royal to the political governance before his conversion, it is neither clear about his vision during the proclaimed conversion and as such could have been a lie, caused by a medical condition or true divine contact, his materials of references in his education are not clear, how and by who Paul was recruited into being a prosecutor still remains at large and it was not clear for whom he worked as a prosecutor. Finally, where he died remains a mystery (Voskuilen 192–196). Many speculations are at play whenever Paul as a person is studied. Critics argued that private life was not clear and would justify him to have been even a gay for his teachings about marriage. More so, by the fact that he never wrote anything about his close companions, critiques accent to the conclusion that he was a Roman agent working as an undercover to spy the Christian movements. His royalty to the Roman government left a lot to be discerned and many would question even his authority in ministry from that perception. Finally, the justification of his life as an agent to the Roman government has been cited as regards his financial support. He is quoted to have never consented to the financial aid offered to him by the churches and instead took the collections to other needy churches away. This means that he could have had other means of sustenance and which are not clear from his writings. Conclusion Paul is not well known until as a persecutor to the Christian believers. A lot remains a mystery concerning his early life, during and even after the conversion. The only bits of his life that are known could only be borrowed from his great works in the epistles. Nevertheless, some information can be borrowed from Luke in the book of Acts. As Paul was going towards Damascus from Jerusalem, his life took a turning point when he was blinded by a strong light and a voice from heaven asking him about his persecution to the church. This however has not fully been understood by many as the truth where critics have different opinions about the encounter. Some people argue contrary to divine intervention and bring about other possibilities of Paul’s encounter and conversion. After Paul was converted, the scriptures record a great difference from his former life and the new life as an apostle. He engaged a lot preaching the gospel and is seen as the main avenue that the gospel reached the gentiles. However, there have been debates on some of Paul’s teachings which have formed a basis of much teaching. Among the controversial teachings are; the teachings on the law and the torah, his stand about marriage and the grace of God against the Jewish circumcision. His citizenship and nationality remained not clear. However, Paul used his diverse citizenship to argue out his ministry and often would secure his release in times of trial. Moreover, we are not told of Paul’s close mates and how his livelihood was. Much was argued by scholars that Paul’s life was private in order to conceal his true identity with critic suggesting he was still working for the Roman government as an undercover to trait Christians. This would also justify his source of income. However, his ministry came to a close when he was beheaded though the scriptures are not clear on when and where. Works Cited Best, Earnest. “Paul’s Apostolic Authority.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 27 (1986) 3-25. Bird, Michael and Preston, Sprinkle. “Jewish Interpretation of Paul in the Last Thirty Years.” Currents in Biblical Research (2008) Vol. 6.3: 355-376 Bowers, Paul. “Church and Mission in Paul.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 44 (1991) 89-111 Cook, Richard. “Paul and the Victims of His Persecution: The Opponents in Galatia”, Biblical Theology Bulletin • Volume 32. Lamoreaux, Jason. “Social Identity, Boundary Breaking, and Ritual: Saul’s Recruitment on the Road to Damascus.” Biblical Theology Bulletin • Volume 38 Lupton Julia Reinhard. “Citizen Paul.” The European Legacy, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 67–77, 2004 Snodgrass, Klyne. “Spheres Of Influence A Possible Solution To The Problem Of Paul And The Law.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 32 (1988) 93-113. Spencer, Scott. “Paul’s Odyssey in Acts: Status Struggles and Island Adventures.” Biblical Theology Bulletin • Volume 28. Sumney, Jerry. “Paul’s ‘Weakness’: An Integral Part of His Conception of Apostleship.” Journal for the study of the New Testament, 52 (1993) 71-91. Voskuilen, Thijs. “Operation Messiah: Did Christianity Start as a Roman Psychological Counterinsurgency Operation?” Small Wars and Insurgencies Vol. 16, No. 2, 192–215, June 2005. Read More