Paul: The Most Influential Figure In The Ancient World

Beginning with his conversion in the early 30’s of the first century CE, Paul, also known by his Jewish name, Saul, displayed multiple virtuous traits that solidified him as one of the most heroic and influential figures in ancient history. Born in Tarsus, one of the most important educational centers in the ancient world, he was taught the words of the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, by a rabbi by the name of Gamaliel. At the time of his birth (c. 3 CE), many Christians were being persecuted by the Pharisees, and many Jews and Christians were being used as scapegoats by the high-level officials of the Roman Empire. Paul himself was one of these persecutors of the Christian people, evident by his stoning of St. Stephen. However, on a journey
He wrote in his letters that Jesus told him “Saul, why do you persecute me?” and, later, “Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” After his conversion, Paul became a missionary as he traveled to many countries, including Greece, Rome, Syria, and Turkey. However, because of the travel limitations of the time, he turned to writing as a way to spread the word of the gospel in a more efficient fashion. Over the course of his life, Paul wrote 13 letters, some written to churches and others written to individuals. All of these are currently represented in the Bible’s New Testament. Throughout these letters and other primary sources, Paul displays many heroic
As he says himself in his letter to the church of Corinth in 55 CE, 2 Corinthians, “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.” Some may say that he is stating this in his book in order to solidify his position of the main of Apostle of Jesus. However, he was most likely explaining these circumstances in order to debunk the fake apostles, or those who were preaching the word of God but were only doing so for their own personal gain. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that Paul experienced many hardships from both the Jewish people and the Gentiles, who despised Paul because of his ability to convert large sums of the population to a cause for which they thought was harmful. It is said in the Book of Acts that a large crowd of Jews conspired to kill Paul, and that he nearly avoided death. All of these attempts to harm paul or discourage him from his mission would have been put to rest if he had just renounced his faith and promised to stop his mission of spreading what he believed in. In spite of this, he continued his missionary work, giving freedom to those who were mistreated by the corrupt society that was present in many locations in which he taught. If he were not