Paul
Born Saul, St. Paul is with St. Peter chief among the Apostles. A child of the tribe of Benjamin, Saul was born in Tarsus in Cicilia c. 3, and his birth made him both a Jew and a Roman citizen. Gamaliel educated Saul in the rabbinical literature and arts; he also learned tent-making. Prior to his conversion, Saul, a Pharisee, seems to have seen Jesus as one who broke the law and encouraged others to break it as well, and Saul persecuted those who followed the rebel. Paul was converted as he travelled to Damascus and was blinded, then cured. He became a missionary and one of the church's greatest theologians. He undertook three missionary journeys and wrote to the various churches he founded as a father keeps in touch with his children. His letters antedate the gospels. Paul was beheaded during the reign of Nero, c. 64/67, on the road to Ostia. St. Paul-outside-the-Walls is on the site of his martyrdom.
Karen Rae Keck
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