From Saul to Paul: Martyr or Spiritual Predator?

Although well known throughout Christendom, the Apostle Paul remains an enigma to many who fail to question the historical dogma that has been passed down through the generations.

As a Pharisee, Paul’s life as Saul was one of laws, rules, and education. At an early age, his educational level far exceeded what most people today could achieve in a lifetime. He vowed early in inception of Christianity to destroy all Christians, even standing guard over the cloaks of the council as the disciple Stephen was murdered.

His hatred of Christians ran so deep that he requested permission from the Jewish high priests to bring any and all Christians, both man and woman alike, to Jerusalem for trial as heretics. It was his belief that Christianity would be the end of Judaism and of course, to his lurid career. We must remember though, that Saul’s passion of Judaism was no less than those with a passion for the teachings of Christ. And so he continued to seek out and persecute those who followed Christ in an effort to put an end to the threat to his beliefs, race, his way of life, and all that he held dear to his heart.

Perhaps it is safe to say that Saul was the last one to expect to see a miracle, let alone experience one that would change his life. While so many fervent followers of Christianity hoped and prayed that they too might experience Christ, it would be the one man who sought to destroy them that God Himself would reach down and deliver from his own anger and hatred and in doing so, completely alter the path that Saul so desperately and determinedly sought to continue upon.

As Saul left Jerusalem to arrest believers in Damascus, a bright light caused him to fall to his face in the road. And as those who know the story of Saul, a disembodied voice cried out, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” Now one would assume that Saul, having heard the rumors of miracles and the fantastic stories of how God spoke to His followers, would have known immediately who it was that spoke to him. But instead, he asked who was speaking. Jesus answered that it was he, the very one Saul was trying to destroy, then instructed him to arise and await further instructions in Damascus.

As scripture tells us, Saul was accompanied by other men who heard the voice, but saw no one or no thing to attribute it to. Blinded by the light and apparently unable to eat or drink, he was led to Damascus by his companions where he waited for three days. At the instruction of God, a man named Ananias approached Saul and laid hands upon him, causing him to open his eyes and see once more. Just the miracle Saul needed to make a true believer out of him and bring about one of the greatest testimonies for Christ that history has ever seen.

As Saul became Paul, his fervor did not end but rather, only strengthened with his newfound faith and agenda to spread the word of Christ. It is interesting to note though, that Paul, the orthodox learned Jew, set out to countries that were, by demographics, basically non-Jewish (1).

While no one is able to really justify or explain the nature of Paul’s conversion or his sudden abandonment of his assuredly comfortable lifestyle, it is apparent that his change of heart spread to those that he normally would not associate with. Gentiles and “half-Jews” would have been the scourge of his society, yet it was those that he brought the brunt of Christ’s message to. Those with no former education of Judaism or knowledge of the traditions, cultures, and laws, those who searched for a savior, if not the promised Messiah (having heard this from the Jews) or perhaps, those easiest to fool?

Over the next few years, Paul became mentor to many, but most profoundly mentioned, that of Timothy. Although the Bible leads us to believe that Paul treated Timothy with at least some disdain, as the time of his execution neared, it would be Timothy that was handed the ministry of Paul to carry on. During his imprisonment, Paul wrote letters to numerous churches, chastising them of their bastardization of Christ’s message. Looking deeper into Paul’s own teachings, it is easy to see that he too, was guilty of the very same thing. He took the love, mercy, and inclusiveness of Christ and turned it into dogma, rituals, and confusing metaphors that I believe Christ would have found embarrassing.

Even today, the authorship of Paul’s letters fall under scrutiny as to their authenticity (2). But regardless of how they came about, they are widely accepted by most Christians as scripture and therefore not to be questioned. But it is those letters to the churches and his missionary trips in an effort to convert others to Christianity which Christians today look upon as their example of how to live a godly life. Paul was willing to give up everything he knew in order to help others find the salvation that he had been granted.

Did Paul have an agenda to be a spiritual micromanager thus a predator or was he truly a martyr for the cause? It’s difficult to ascertain given the fact that he gave up a life of luxury and high social status to become basically a beggar and lowly road scholar living day to day off the handouts of others, knowing that one day, his life would hang in the balance and ultimately be lost for the very cause that he himself once vowed to destroy.


References



1. Savitri Devi. “Paul of Tarsus, or Christianity and Jewry.” Last accessed 24 March 2008.

< http://library.flawlesslogic.com/tarsus.htm>.

2. N.S. Gill. “Paul of Tarsus.” Last accessed 24 March 2008.

< http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/christians/p/PaulTarsus.htm>.