The son of slaves ... Paul came to Jerusalem I believe about the age of twenty. He was a Jew looking for his roots. Professor Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, Ecol Biblique, Jerusalem
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach … Acts 1:1
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Acts 8:1&3
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.
Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.
And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. Acts 9:1-9&15-18&24-26
And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. Acts 18:5&6
And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.
And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. Acts 21:27&28&30&31&39&40
And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. Acts 22:25&26
And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. Acts 23:11
For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law. Acts 24:5&6
For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Acts 27:23&24
The hour has come for you to wake from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than we first believed. Romans 13:11-12
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I Corinthians 9:22
Your meetings do more harm than good … it is not the lord’s supper you eat. I Corinthians 11:20-22
For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. Galatians 1:13&14
Paul, an apostle not of men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ, unto the brethren that are at Laodicea.
Grace be unto you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Laodicians 1:1&2
Paul – there’s some guy there, somebody who wrote those Paulian epistles but the rest of the stories are attached to him – many of them are not probably real events. Acharya S aka D M Murdock: The Christ Conspiracy, interview Just Energy Radio with Dr Rita Louise
Was Paul’s new vision of Christ influenced by secret pagan cults? Why is the Bible silent about Paul’s final years? Mysteries of the Bible s4e8: Paul the Apostle, A&E 1997
Were they as most scholars believe invented by an unknown author centuries after Paul’s death? ibid.
According to Paul, he and Peter never reconciled, and Paul never doubts for a moment that he is the one who knows what’s best for the movement. Secret Lives of the Apostles, National Geographic 2013
But Paul dreams of bringing his mission to Rome itself. ibid.
In the period immediately after Jesus’s crucifixion the followers of Jesus numbered barely 100. They were a persecuted underground cult on the verge of annihilation. Yet within decades, this cult had thousands of followers throughout the Roman empire. Lost Worlds: Paul, History 2006
Tarsus: this was a busy commercial centre. Paul would have come into contact with people of different nationalities and religions. Tradition has it that his family were craftsmen and traders. They certainly had the means to give him a privileged education. He was raised a strict Jew, and given the Jewish name of Saul. But he was also a Roman citizen. ibid.
A collection of 27 compositions, 21 of them letters. All originally written in Greek. We don’t have a single page, nor even the smallest scraps of the original writings. All we have are copies of copies, written many years afterwards. Who Wrote the New Testament? I: What is Truth? 2003
‘Scribes are adding and even deleting.’ ibid. comment
Ever since the death of its founder, Christianity has been torn by internal divisions. Who Wrote the New Testament? II: Maintaining the Faith
For James’ and Jesus’s followers there was no backturning on the Temple. For them Jesus was the new manifestation of the old faith. Inevitably, there were tensions. ibid.
Paul: The fanatical Jew was now a fanatical Christian. ibid.
The make-up of the early Christian community is not clear. ibid.
Peter: So little is known of his life in Rome. ibid.