St.
Paul (Apostle). After Christ himself, St. Paul is the second most important
figure in the history of Christianity. His life is known through the Acts
of the Apostles and through his own writings. Although he never knew Jesus,
he is nonetheless called an apostle (disciple). St. Paul was born around
A.D.10, at Tarsus, in Asia Minor. He was called Saul, after his
conversion he changed his name into Paul (Latin paulus means small).
Saul, an enemy to Christians,
asked the high priests to authorize him to arrest Christians at Damascus
and bring them back to Jerusalem. On his way to Damascus at the head of
his armed men Saul fell to the ground when he heard the voice of Christ,
saying: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' and temporarily lost his
sight. And he said, 'Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus
whom thou persecutest... And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what
wilt thou have me do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into city,
and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed
with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man' (Acts 9:5-7).
Saul got up from the ground, but could not see, and his men brought him
to Damascus. There he stayed in the house of Judas in the Straight Street.
To that house the Lord sent a disciple named Ananias to heal Saul.
Ananias came to the house, laid his hands on Saul and said, 'Saul, my brother,
the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me to you
so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit'
(Acts 9:17). And his sight returned to Saul, and he got baptized.
On his return to Jerusalem Paul found
Peter and other disciples and was accepted into the Christian community.
He traveled all over the Roman Empire on missionary voyages. At length
he arrived in Rome, where he again joined Peter. Emperor Nero, around A.D.
64, martyred them both during the persecutions of Christians. Paul as a
Roman citizen was beheaded; Peter was crucified like a slave. Paul is considered
to be the founder of the Universal Church since he not only took the Gospel
to all corners of the Roman Empire, but also separated Christianity once
and for all from Judaism. His cult has always been linked to that of St.
Peter and numerous churches are dedicated simultaneously to both saints.
See: Fra Bartolommeo The
Annunciation, with Saints Margaret, Mary Magdalene, Paul, John the Baptist,
Jerome and Francis.
Botticelli Lamentation
over the Dead Christ with the Saints Jerome, Paul and Peter.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The
Conversion of St. Paul.
Caravaggio The
Conversion of St. Paul.
Cima da Conegliano. Madonna
and Child Enthroned with St. Peter, St. Romuald, St. Benedict, and St.
Paul, Ananias Healing Saul (St. Paul).
Dionysius. The
Apostle Paul.
El Greco St.
Paul and St. Peter.
Georges de La Tour. St.
Paul.
Michelangelo Conversion
of Saint Paul.
Nicolas Poussin. The
Ecstasy of St. Paul.
Raphael Cartoon
for St. Paul Preaching in Athens.
Rembrandt. St.
Paul in Prison. The Apostle
Paul.
Andrei Rublev. Apostle
Paul.
Russian Icon. Apostles
Peter and Paul.
Theophanes the Greek. St.
Paul.
Francisco de Zurbarán. St.
Paul. Detail from St. Lawrence.
Recommended reading:
The
Book of Saints: The Lives of the Saints According to the Liturgical Calendar
by George Angelini, Victor Hoagland (Editor). Regina Press, Malhame &
Company, 1986.
365
Saints: Your Daily Guide to the Wisdom and Wonder of Their Lives
by Woodeene Koenig-Brick (Author). Harper SanFrancisco, 1995.
Twelve
Who Followed Jesus by Landrum P. Leavell. Broadman Press, 1975.
The
Galilean Dialogues: On the Road With the Master and the Twelve
by Joe F. Tarpley. Vantage Press, 1994.
Prophets
& Apostles of the Last Dispensation by Lawrence R. Flake.
Deseret Books, 2001.
Voices
from Ancient Bethlehem: A Dialogue With Jesus and the Twelve Apostles
by Scribe. Jodere Group, 2003.
Twelve
Ordinary Men by John MacArthur (Author). W Publishing Group,
2002.
The
Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary by Bernard
Ruffin. Our Sunday Visitor, 1998.