Beruflich Dokumente
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Text:
Bible reading:
Introduction:
The life and influence of the Apostle Paul cannot be undermined. Out of the twelve
disciples that Jesus has personally called, it is a wonder why He had to call a
persecutor to become the apostle to the gentiles.
Little is known of the birth and early childhood of Paul, then known as Saul. It is certain from the Scriptures
that he was born in the City of Tarsus (Acts 22:3) located in the Roman province of Cilicia, now known as part
of modern Turkey. Tarsus was a city that combined both the Roman and Greek worlds in that its politics was
Roman and its culture was Greek, a place of education and commerce. This province of Cilicia was one of
many places in which the Israelites had located during the dispersion. By right of birth in the Roman province
of Cilicia, later on as Paul the Apostle, he would utilize his Roman citizenship in his defense (Acts 16:37-38;
22:25-29).
Saul, by racial ancestry was Israelitish, by citizenship was Roman, by religion a follower of Judaism, yet born
and raised among Greek culture.
In Acts 9:1-2 the writer is very clear to explain that Saul was yet practicing his anti-Christian work when he
left Jerusalem under the authority of the High Priest. His purpose was to bring any person that he may
happen to find of this way back to Jerusalem for prosecution. The writer Luke declares that Paul took the
initiative to go to the High Priest and ask for authority to go to Damascus, Syria which is located 130 miles
from Jerusalem, for the sole purpose of arresting the followers of Christ.
Then by divine sovereignty the Lord intervenes in Sauls life and he is genuinely converted during that
encounter with the Lord Jesus. Under the ministry of Ananias he is also healed and filled with the Holy Ghost.
Saul immediately began preaching Christ in the synagogues of Damascus. It is uncertain how long he stayed
there, but Luke uses two phrases to indicate a time element in regard to his duration in Damascus; certain
days (9:19) and many days (9:23). It is uncertain when Sauls name was changed to Paul, but we assume
that the Lord informed him of this name change at the time of his conversion. The first reference in the
sacred record to this name change was while Paul was ministering on the Isle of Cyprus during his first
missionary journey (Acts 13:1-9).
No doubt Pauls preaching was very convincing and disturbing to the Damascus Jews to the point where they
desired to kill him. Therefore, the other Christian disciples assisted him in his escape by night (Acts 9:22-25;
II Cor 11:32) that he may flee into Arabia.
In the Galatian letter in 1:17-18 Paul clearly states that upon his return from Arabia he came back to the city
of Damascus. Exactly how long Pauls stay in Arabia lasted is not clear, but combined with his return visit to
Damascus was a period of three years.
After Paul spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Grecians (Acts 9:29) at
Jerusalem, he faced the second attempt on his life. By this time no doubt Paul was accepted as a true
disciple of the Lord, therefore the brethren helped him escape to the city of Caesarea (Acts 9:30), which was
located in the province of Samaria northwest of Jerusalem. This was not the city Caesarea Philippi of Mat.
16:13, but was another city located between Joppa and Mt. Carmel on the Mediterranean coast where Philip
the Evangelist lived (Acts 21:8).
Acts 9:30 Pauls reference to the region of Cilicia in Gal. 1:21, without a doubt corresponds to Lukes
reference to the city of Tarsus in Acts 9:30. It is reasonable to reach this conclusion being that Tarsus was
located in the Roman region of Cilicia in what is now known as southern Turkey.
Acts 11:27-30 In response to the prophetic message of Agabus, a prophet from Jerusalem, concerning the
coming of a great dearth, the Antioch church decided to send some relief to the saints in Jerusalem. This
dearth took place during the days of Claudius Caesar who reigned between 41-54 AD (Acts 11:27-28).
Barnabas and Paul were the ones chosen to take the relief offering to the brethren at Jerusalem which was
approximately eight years after Pauls conversion.
Acts 12:24-25 Upon the completion of their relief mission to Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul returned to the
church at Antioch, Syria. While certain prophets and teachers were ministering to the Lord, the Holy Spirit
spake and clearly indicated that Barnabas and Paul should be separated to the work of the ministry, to which
they had been called (Acts 13:1-2).
Acts 15:1-34 Between Pauls first and second missionary journeys, he and Barnabas were sent as delegates
of the church at Antioch to the council at Jerusalem. Undoubtedly, it was this same trip to which Paul makes
reference to in Gal. 2:1-14, because circumcision was the issue of contention in both the Acts and Galatian
accounts. Upon a close examination, it is evident that both the Acts and Galatian texts are referring to the
same event.
In Acts 18:23-21:17 is recorded the journey of Paul, Timothy and others on their third preaching tour which
covered approximately four years from AD. 54-58. Their journey took them from their home church in
Antioch, Syria to retrace the steps which Paul had covered on his first two journeys.
Starting in the province of Syria by land route they visited many churches in the region of Asia Minor, on to
Macedonia, and then returning by a land and sea route came to Caesarea, Samaria with their final stop in
Jerusalem.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Taught all men everywhere, that is throughout the Roman world, against the people (the Jews)
He taught against the Law of Moses
He taught against this place (the temple)
He polluted the holy place by bringing non-Jews into the Temple (Acts 21:28)
From this incident in Jerusalem was sparked a furor of religious hatred, bitterness and conspiracies in which
Paul would be required to give six different defenses for his faith in Christ. He made his formal public
defenses before:
1.
2.
3.
Paul was sent to Felix by Claudius Lysia, the Roman procurators legate who was responsible for law and
order in Jerusalem. Felix was the governor or procurator of Judea from AD 52-60 with headquarters in
Caesarea. Paul was then kept in custody in Caesarea for two years (Acts 24:27).
4.
AD
5.
6.
Festus in Caesarea (Acts 25:1-27) Festus was the successor of Felix as the procurator of Judea beginning
60.
King Agrippa in Caesarea (Acts 26:1-32)
Caesar in Rome (Acts 23:11; 25:12; 27:24)
Even though there is no Biblical account of Pauls defense before Caesar, without a doubt, it must have taken
place because of the message of the angel of God given to him enroute to Rome saying, fear not, Paul; thou
must be brought before Caesar. In Rome, Paul remained in his own hired house for two years (Acts 28:30).
This stay in Rome is considered by many scholars to have been Pauls first Roman imprisonment. It was
during this time that he wrote his four prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon in
approximately AD 63.
The church which existed in parts of the British Isles before the mission of Augustine (597) and which maintained its
independence for some time in competition with the Anglo Roman Church. . . by the fourth century it was sufficiently
organized to send representatives to the Synod of Arles (314) and the Council of Arminum (359).
The prominent Presbyterian pastor and Bible expositor, Matthew Henry made reference to the rapid
expansion of the Gospel in his commentary on Matthew 24:27. As the lightning comes out of the east, so
shall the coming of the Son of man be. It spread far and wide, and that quickly and irresistibly, like the
lightning, which comes, suppose, out of the east (Christ is said to ascend from the east), and lighteneth to
the west. Gospel light rose with the sun, and went with the same, so that the beams of it reached to the ends
of the earth. Though it was fought against, it could never be cooped up in a desert, or in a secret place, as
the seducers were; but by this, according to Gamaliel rule, proved itself to be of God, that it could not be
overthrown, Acts. v. 38:39. How soon did the gospel lightning reach this island of Great Britain! Tertullian,
who wrote in the second century, takes notice of it, The fastnesses of Britain, though inaccessible to the
Romans were occupied by Jesus Christ. This was the Lords doing.
The Christian exodus from Jerusalem in AD 35-36 due to severe persecution, referred to in Acts 8:1, without
doubt extended to as far north as Britain. One of the gross errors commonly accepted by misinformed people
today is that the land of Britain prior to the arrival of the Roman Catholic missionary, Augustine, in AD 597
was totally pagan without any vestige of Christianity. In his book, The Drama of the Lost Disciples, George F.
Jowett quotes Eusebius of Caesarea ,AD 265-340, in his Demonstratio Evangelica as saying; the Apostles
passed beyond the ocean to the isles called the Britannic Isles. pg 80.
Jowett also gives the following quotes as additional evidence of the first century arrival and acceptance of
the Gospel in Britain. The erudite Bishop Ussher writes in his Brittannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates: The
British national church was founded AD 36, 160 years before heathen Rome confessed Christianity.
Christianity was privately confessed elsewhere, but the first nation that proclaimed it as their religion and
called it Christian, after the name of Christ, was Britain. Sabellus AD 250, pg 81.
In the third century, Origen wrote; The power of our Lord is with those who in Britain are separated from our
coast. The well known St. Jerome in AD 378 wrote: From India to Britain all nations resound with the death
and resurrection of Christ. pg 81.
John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of Constantinople, in AD 402 commented in his, Sermo De Utilit; The British
Isles which are beyond the sea, and which lay in the ocean, have received virtue of the Word. Churches are
there found and altars erected. . .though thou shouldst go to the ocean, to the British Isles, there thou
shouldst hear all men everywhere discoursing matters out of the Scriptures, with another voice indeed, but
not another faith, with a different tongue, but the same judgment. From The Drama of the Lost Disciples by
George F. Jowett, pg 81.
In his Consilia, Sir Henry Spelman wrote; We have abundant evidence that this Britain of ours received the
faith and that from the disciples of Christ Himself, soon after the crucifixion. For further evidence, Jowett
adds the statement of Guildas, AD 520, from his De Exidio Brittannioe; We certainly know that Christ, the
True Son, offered His light, the knowledge of His precepts to our island in the last year of Tiberius Caesar. Pg
81.
Archeologist and Bible scholar E. Raymond Capt, in his book, The Traditions of Glastonbury quotes several
ancient historians as evidence that Joseph of Arimathea and his associates were the first to bring the Gospel
message to Britain in the year AD 37.
During the years AD 63-67 between Pauls two Roman imprisonments, he would have made his journey into
Spain and Britain. Jowett records in his book a statement by the Greek theologian, historian and Bishop of
Cyrrhus, Theodoret AD 390-458, Saint Paul brought salvation to the isles in the ocean. pg 197.
A more specific reference to Paul in Britain was made by Capellus in his History of the Apostles. I know
scarcely of one author from the time of the fathers downward who does not maintain that St. Paul, after his
liberation, preached in every country of the West, in Europe, Britain included. pg 196.
It would not be by coincidence that during Pauls stay in Rome, he would be associated with members of a
British Royal family. They would include Pudens, Linus and Claudia referred to in II Timothy 4:21. In his book,
St. Paul in Britain, R.W. Morgan (1815-1889) refers to Linus as being the first Bishop of Rome. Morgan quotes
the church father Irenaeus (A.D.180) as saying, The Apostles having founded and built up the church at
Rome committed the ministry of its supervision to Linus. This is the Linus mentioned by Paul in his Epistle to
Timothy.
Possibly through this connection, the great Apostle received his entrance into Britain. On page 107 in his
book, Morgan cites the testimony of Greek theologian and historian, Theodoretus in A.D. 435 as saying:
Paul, liberated from his first captivity at Rome, preached the Gospel to the Britons and others in the West.
Our fishermen and publicans not only persuaded the Romans and their tributaries to acknowledge the
Crucified and His Laws, but the Britons also and the Cimbri (Cymry).
to Britain.
For he had heard in Phoenicia that certain of the children of Israel, about the time of the Assyrian captivity,
had escaped by sea to the Isles afar off as spoken by the Prophet and called by the Romans, Britain.
And the Lord commanded the gospel to be preached far hence to the Gentiles, and to the lost sheep of the
House of Israel.
And no man hindered Paul; for he testified boldly of Jesus before the tribunes and among the people; and he
took with him certain of the brethren which abode with him at Rome, and they took shipping at Ostrium and
having the winds fair, were brought safely into a haven of Spain.
And much people were gathered together from the towns and villages, and the hill country; for they had
heard of the conversion of the Apostles, and the many miracles which he had wrought.
And Paul preached mightily in Spain, and great multitudes believed and were converted, for they perceived
he was an apostle sent from God.
And they departed out of Spain, and Paul and his company finding a ship to Armorica sailing unto Britain,
they were therein, and passing along the South Coast, they reached a port called Raphinus.
Now when it was voiced abroad that the Apostle had landed on their coast, great multitudes of the
inhabitants met him, and they treated Paul courteously and he entered in at the east gate of their city, and
lodged in the house of an Hebrew and one of his own nation.
And on the morrow he came and stood upon Mount Lud and the people thronged at the gate, and assembled
in the Broadway, and he preached Christ unto them, and they believed the Word and the testimony of Jesus.
And Paul abode in his lodgings three months confirming in the faith and preaching Christ continually.
And after these things Paul and his brethren departed from Raphinus and sailed unto Atium in Gaul [France].
The Sonnini Manuscript vv. 1-9, 14, 15
A cathedral dedicated to St. Paul has stood at this site since 604. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, the
cathedral was redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710.
Brith = covenant + ish = man British = covenant man
Brith = covenant + ain = land
There is throughout Pauls writings an irrational or pathological element which could not but repel the
disciples of the Rabbis. Possibly his pessimistic mood was the result of his physical condition; for he suffered
from an illness which affected both body and mind. He speaks of it as a thorn in the flesh, and as a heavy
stroke by a messenger or Satan. (II Cor. 12:7), which often caused him to realize his utter helplessness, and
made him an object of pity and horror (Galatians 4:13). It was, as Krenkel has convincingly shown, epilepsy,
called by the Greeks the holy disease, which frequently put him into a state of ecstasy, a frame of mind that
may have greatly impressed some of his Gentile hearers, but could not but frighten away and estrange from
him the Jew, whose God is
above all, the God of reason.
The editors judged Pauls nature as ranging from a fiery temper, impulsive and impassioned in the extreme,
of ever changing moods, now exulting in boundless joy and now sorely depressed and gloomy. They
accused Paul of having the conception of a new faith, half pagan and half Jewish. . . These and many more
statements by the editors prove with intrinsic evidence their dislike of Paul as a person and their defamation
of his teachings which were based upon divine revelation witnessing to the deity of Jesus Christ.
The above quotes were taken from page 79.
understand the true identity of the Apostle Paul. It is common for many Bible students to call Paul a Jew,
because of his statements in Acts 21:39 and 22:3. But there is a big difference between being born a
biological Jew and having acquired Jewishness by learning.
In his Philippian letter, Paul again identifies himself as being a member of the racial family tree of the
Hebrews (Phil.3:5). He said he was an Hebrews of the Hebrews to stress the fact that he could prove his
family lineage all the way back to Eber, the ancestor of Abraham (Gen. 11:16). Eber was the descendant of
Shem through whom came all the people known as Hebrews (Gen. 10:21). Abraham was called a Hebrew in
Genesis 14:13.
By biological descendancy, Paul identifies himself as a Hebrew, an Israelite and of the seed of Abraham (II
Cor. 11:22). The word seed (Strongs # 4690) in this text means sperma or male sperm. It is very obvious
that Paul is referring to his literal racial bloodline. In his right to boast, Paul declares that he was of the stock
of Israel (II Cor. 11:22; Phil. 3:5). By this he means that he was born of the literal earthly family of
Jacob/Israel. The word stock (Strongs #1085) means offspring or kindred. He then narrows his ancestry to
the tribe of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob/Israel (Phil. 3:5).
Paul goes on to say that he was a Pharisee as touching the Law (Phil. 3:5-6). Being a Pharisee was not a
racial or biological designation, but a member of a religious sect. As a member of this religious sect he was
very zealous, persecuting the body of Christ. As far as his righteousness was concerned, he was blameless in
obedience in his law-keeping. When writing to the church of Galatia, Paul recalls his conversation in time
past in the Jews religion. This word conversation denoted his membership and manner of life as a member
of the religion of Judaism. He also stated that he profited in the Jews religion (Gal. 1:13-14). In other words,
he excelled in his learning and zeal to obey even above many of his companions.
In Acts 26:4-5, Paul clearly declares that from his youth, he publicly lived a life according to the strict rules of
the religion of the Pharisees. That religion was Judaism, which would make Paul a Jew by religion only, but not
by his bloodline. In his defense before the mob, Paul declares that he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel.
He was taught according to the law of the fathers in religious and cultural matters (Acts 22:3). Paul was a Jew
by acquired learning, trained by the famous Rabbi Gamaliel in the school of Hillel.
Therefore, the Apostle Paul, before his Christian conversion, was a Jew only by religion. He was not even born
in nor was his family home in the land of Judea, but in the city of Tarsus in the region of Cilicia in Asia Minor.
By his bloodline he was a Hebrew and an Israelite of the Tribe of Benjamin.
It is interesting to note that Paul, in his letter to the saints at Rome mentioned some of his natural relatives.
Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who
also were in Christ before me (Rom. 16:11) Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine
(Rom. 16:13). Do these references imply a natural or spiritual relationship?
Concerning Rufus and his mother, we are inclined toward a natural relationship. In the Gospel context, a
spiritual mother would be one who was instrumental in leading one to Christ. Pauls conversion was affected
by Christ Himself, without any human instrument.
Pauls use of the word kinsmen denotes that he had natural relatives living in Rome and was a part of the
body of believers in that city.
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Paul affirms the source of his revelations as being directly from Jesus Christ. A denial of Pauls Gospel is also
a denial of the deity of Jesus Christ.