Saul Of Tarsus

It is thought that Saul was born about 2 a.d. in the city of Tarsus, a university town known for its stoic philosophers and culture. His family were most likely wealthy as they had purchased Roman citizenship; the cost at the time being 500 drachma and 1 drachma being a days pay. That means that the ordinary citizen would have to save all their earnings for a year and a half. Something most would find impossible to do.

Around the age of 14 Saul was sent to study at the university under GAMALIEL, the grandson of HILLIEL, one of the great rabbis who preside over a college of about 1,000 students. Saul was thus already amongst the elite of his generation and supposedly graduated with honours.

His intellect is unquestionable; he spoke Greek, Latin and Hebrew, three very difficult languages. His epistles contain quotations from several philosophers.

Physically he wasn't much to look at. Paul himself in 2 Corinthians 10:10 refers to people describing him as having "a bodily presence that is weak and his speech contemptible". He doesn't refute the description.

He rose rapidly to a position of authority amongst the Pharisees, at the time of the stoning of Stephen, which was three years after Christ's crucifixion, Acts 7:57 tells us that the mob, "laid down their coats at a young man's feet, who was called Saul", so he was probably in his late twenties.

Paul himself states in Galatians 1:14, "I was advancing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries amongst my countrymen, being extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions".

And that took some doing amongst the Pharisees who were the strictest sect amongst the Hebrews. They had expanded the 10 commandments to 613 and in addition had a list of 1,521 things not to do.

As an example they were forbidden to spit on the Sabbath in case the spittle disturbed the dust and it could be construed as cleaning. Likewise their women were forbidden to look in a mirror on the Sabbath incase they spotted a grey hair and absent-mindedly plucked it out which could be classed as cleaning themselves - presumably they didn't wash on the Sabbath either.

So Saul had achieved high rank amongst this very strict sect and had been given the commission of seeking out Christians and punishing them. He took to his task with great enthusiasm.

Acts 8:3 says; "As for Saul, he made havoc of the Church, entering into every house. And hailing men and women committed them to prison".

Ironically in causing the Christians to flee he helped to spread the Gospel, for Acts 8:4 says "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word". So perhaps God was using Saul even then?

Acts 9:1 tells us; "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings, and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord went to the high priest". No wonder ANANIAS was terrified when the Lord instructed him to: "Arise, go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus; for behold he prayeth".


ANANIAS must have wondered what he had done to offend God to be given the task of seeking out this terrible man. He answers, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy Saints at Jerusalem".

After the stoning of Stephen when Saul asked the high priest for a warrant to allow him to persecute the Christians in Damascus they granted his request straight away, such was his authority.

A thoroughly unpleasant young man who you certainly would not want to meet.

Paul later describes himself as being the greatest of sinners, yet as Saul he would not have agreed with this description, for Saul regarded himself as a fervent upholder of the commandments, and it was this fervour, his self righteousness that was an offence to God.

The self-righteous are as devoid of true righteousness as the unrighteous. The major difference between the two is the unrighteous sinner acknowledges his unrighteousness but the self-righteous denies it.

The unrighteous knows he is a sinner, is ashamed and admits his need of the grace of God. The self-righteous boasts he is a saint and is proud of what he thinks he is and declares his sufficiency through works and merit.

The unrighteous desires to be better; the self-righteous believes he could not be better.

The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican in Luke 18: 9-14 gives a vivid portrayal of this.

Paul admits in Philippians 3: 1-11 that he was the epitomy of a self-righteous sinner:-
"If anyone thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, [self-righteousness], I more so".

As Saul he made seven boasts: -

1 - Of his covenantal ancestry: "circumcised on the 8th day" - making him superior to those not born under the covenant, also those who came under the covenant by conversion and were thus circumcised as adults.

2 - Of his ethnic background: "of the stock of Israel" - that he was born into the nation that God called, "a holy people to the Lord your God...chosen...for himself; a special treasure above all the people who are on the earth".

3 - Of his tribal ancestry: "Of the tribe of Benjamin" - Benjamin being one of Jacob's favourite sons by Rachel. The tribe that joined Judah in the reconstituted Israel following the death of Solomon. Saul gloried in his denominational ancestry.

4 - Of his pious purity: "a Hebrew of the Hebrews" - considering himself to be the purest of the pure. The epitome of what the pure should be.

5 - Of his legal strictness: "concerning the Law a Pharisee" - in his words "according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee".

6 - Of his religious fervour: "concerning zeal persecuting the church" - He was eager to exterminate not convert those who differed with him in religion.

7 - Of his irreproachable self- righteousness: "Concerning the righteousness which is the law, blameless".

Finally, he boasted that nobody could rightly accuse him of breaking ANY of Gods commandments. A self-righteous fool indeed.

In Saul's mind his persecution of the Christians was his duty as a custodian of the Torah.

His offence at the Christian message was not the affirmation of Jesus' messiah-ship, but the attribution to Jesus of a saving role, which robbed the law of all its value in the matter of salvation. Saul was violently hostile to the Christian faith, (followers of 'The Way' as the early Christians called themselves), because of the importance which he attached to adherence to the law as the way to salvation.

His persecution of the Christians was venomous and he laid waste to their church and pursued them unto death.

Yet through Gods saving grace he was shortly to become patient, kind, enduring, self-sacrificing and a missionary to the gentiles.

Let us return to the stoning of Stephen in Acts 6: 8-15 and Acts 7: 47-60, Stephen makes an eloquent statement including a precis of the scriptures from Abraham to Solomon.

Saul heard these words and was unmoved, 'his heart was not pricked'.
Notice that during the stoning Saul 'looked after the coats' he was much too much above soiling his hands himself.

So here we have Saul, a self-righteous bigot from a privileged background, well educated, a man of position and power. Respected by his own kind, feared by others.
He had everything going for him, a glittering career laid in front of him.

When Saul set off on the road to Damascus every circumstance of his life was against him becoming a Christian. He had been reared as a Pharisee steeped in the Jewish religion, an avowed enemy of Christ, he had heard the Gospel message and his heart had not been moved, he was not seeking salvation - he thought he already had it through his observance of the law and he was actively engaged in eliminating 'The People of the Way'.

Saul had no desire to become a Christian but God had other plans for him.

The details of Saul's conversion can be read in Acts 9 verses 1 to 22.

What could have wrought such a dramatic and immediate change in such a despicable man?

Nothing less than, as he attests himself, he saw Christ resurrected in the Glory.

Nothing else could have caused him to give up everything he had - he lost his job and the power and status that went with it; he lost his family and friends - as Pharisees they would have cut him off completely, they would have had nothing to do with a Christian never mind one who preached to the gentiles.

He turned his back on everything that the day before had been the entire fabric of his life, his entire way of life.

Nothing less than seeing Christ resurrected could have kept him steadfast to his new life when he became Paul. We might think we sometimes have a hard time as Christians but Paul underwent so much more.

He spent the rest of his life travelling and spreading the Gospel, he did not live off those he visited he paid his own way as a tent maker. During the next thirty years he was stoned, shipwrecked three times, flogged with thirty-nine lashes on five occasions, beaten with rods three times, imprisoned at least twice and spent most of the time in inhospitable countryside in fear for his life. (See II Corinthians, Chapter 11 versus 23 to 31 for a full account).

Yet through all this, his faith never faltered, his message never altered.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3 vs 23

The wages of sin is death.
But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6 vs 23

If God could save one such as Saul, which he did: then he is able to save you as he did me.