Paul in the New Testament

Harris calls Paul “the most influential apostle and missionary of the mid-first-century CE church and author of seven to nine New Testament letters” (H G-33). It would be quite an accolade to receive such recognition, but what makes it even more remarkable is that Paul, or Saul, (Saul was his Judean name and Paul was his Roman name (footnotes B 1943)) originally persecuted the ekklesia or “church”. Paul went from persecuting the ekklesia or “church” to being its “most influential apostle and missionary”. Why and how did Paul make such a drastic change? The answer to the question can be found in various books of the New Testament including some of the letters that Paul wrote. This answer also aids in the explanation of how and why Paul argue with the Ioudaioi.
Ioudaioi was the name given to the people of Judah after Alexander the Great conquered Judah in 333 BCE. Judah was originally one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and was the name for the southern kingdom after Israel split in 922 BCE after the death of King Solomon. The term Ioudaioi is often mistranslated from Greek as Jews. In contrast, it should be properly translated as Judeans. The Ioudaioi came from or lived in the land of Judea (Ioudaia). Paul never claimed to be Judean (or an Ioudaios in Greek), but rather identified himself as an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin and as a former Pharisee (Philippians 3:5).
The Pharisees were one of the four major political parties that came into to being after the Hasmoneans claimed the position of High Priest, around 150 BCE. They were the largest party and had great influence over the Ioudaioi on issues of religion; they accepted the Tanakh and oral Torah as necessities to be followed (H 301). In addition to being a Pharisee, Paul also prosecuted the ekklesiai of God (Galatians 1:12). This would all change on Paul’s journey to Damascus.
He was on his way to Damascus, when he saw a light from heaven and heard a voice that claimed to be “Jesus, whom [he] was persecuting” (Acts 9:5). This light caused him to lose his sight. Later in Acts 9:15, YHWH tells Ananias that “he [Paul] is an instrument whom I [YHWH] chosen to bring my name before Gentiles [ethne or “nations”] and kings and before the people of Israel”. Ananias went to Paul and stated, “The Lord [YHWH] Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17). Paul received a “prophetic calling” from the Lord [YHWH] Jesus and was now a missionary for God to all people, including the Ioudaioi.
As a missionary, Paul tried to persuade the Ioudaioi to believe and accept that justice and salvation happen through Jesus Christ alone (Romans 5:12-21). Paul tried to persuade them in person, via at least three mission trips (H G-33), and through letters when he was not able to be there in person (H 434). The New Testament contains seven absolutely authentic Paul’s letters (at least according to Harris (H 435)). The Ioudaioi had their own view on the source of justice and would therefore disagree with Paul. Subsequently, Paul had been forced to argue with them in order to convince them that he was correct. This is shown in Paul’s letter to the ekklesia in city of Rome.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul created an argument or dialogue between him and the “Ioudaioi” to show both sides on the debate of what the source of justice is and to ultimately show that his viewpoint is indeed correct. Some of the Ioudaioi believed that justice was obtained by following nomos or “law or custom”. Paul argued that this was not so and that they were hypocritical. He said, “but if you call yourself a Ioudaioi and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God and know his will and determine what is best because you are instructed in the laws, and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness…having the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth, you then, that teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You that forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You that abhor idols, do you rob temples?" (Romans 2:17-22). Paul explained that following nomos cannot be the source of justice, because no one is able to completely follow nomos due to sin. He argued that “both [Ioudaioi] and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: ‘There is no one who is righteous, not even one; there is no one who has understanding, there is no one who seeks God’.” (Romans 3:9-11).
Instead, Paul rebutted in Romans and in one of his letters to the ekklesia in the city of Corinth (1 Corinthians) and argued that Jesus Christ is the source of justice and salvation. In Romans 5:8-10, he wrote, “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God”. This is mirrored 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, “Now I would remind you, [adelphoi] “brethren”, of the [euangelion] good news that I proclaimed to you, which you received, in which, also you stand, through which also you are being saved…”. The euangelion or good news is revealed in verses 3b-5, “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures”.
On the road to Damascus, Paul received a calling to become “an instrument whom [YHWH] chose to bring my name before Gentiles [ethne or “nations”] and kings and before the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15). The Ioudaioi or Judeans would be considered as part of the people of Israel. Therefore, Paul had the responsibility to persuade the Ioudaioi that justice and salvation come about through Jesus Christ alone (Romans 5:12-21). A lot of the Ioudaioi believed that justice is obtained through following nomos or “law or custom”. Paul debated with the Ioudaioi in order to successfully persuade them to believe his viewpoint. This was done by means of his three missionary trips (H G-33) and by him writing letters to the ekklesia in various cities.