Their story
Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, Roman citizen by birth, and student of the rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He first appears in Acts 7:58 holding the coats of those who stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and in Acts 8:3 as a leading persecutor of the church. On the road to Damascus around 34 to 36 AD (Acts 9:1-19), traveling with authority from the high priest to arrest Christians, Saul is struck to the ground by a light from heaven and hears the voice of Jesus: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Blinded for three days, he is healed and baptized by Ananias in Damascus. His name shifts from the Hebrew Saul to the Roman Paul as his ministry moves into the Gentile world. Paul undertakes three missionary journeys through Cyprus, Asia Minor, and Greece, planting churches at Antioch, Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Rome. His letters to those churches address theological questions from justification by faith (Romans, Galatians) to Christian love (1 Corinthians 13) to eschatological hope (1 and 2 Thessalonians). His autobiographical passages (2 Corinthians 11, Galatians 1-2, Philippians 3) sketch a life of hardship, imprisonment, shipwreck, and continued missionary drive. Acts 21-28 records his final arrest in Jerusalem, imprisonment in Caesarea, appeal to Caesar as a Roman citizen, and voyage to Rome ending in house arrest. Church tradition dates his execution under Nero around 64 to 67 AD, most likely by beheading (as a Roman citizen, he would have been spared crucifixion).
Why they matter
Paul matters in Christian tradition as the apostle whose Gentile mission opened the church beyond its Jewish origins and whose letters became the theological backbone of the New Testament. His articulation of justification by faith in Romans and Galatians shaped the Reformation; his christological hymns (Philippians 2:5-11, Colossians 1:15-20) shaped Christian worship; his "love chapter" (1 Corinthians 13) shaped Christian ethics. Across Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, and Reformed traditions, Paul stands alongside Peter as one of the two central apostles of the church.
Key Bible passages
What people often get wrong
Paul's original name was Saul, but the name change reflects Roman/Greek versus Hebrew name usage rather than a divine renaming. Acts 13:9 introduces "Saul, (who also is called Paul)" as the beginning of the shift; Paul was likely his Roman name from birth, used more prominently as his mission expanded into the Gentile world.
Paul was not one of the Twelve apostles. The Twelve were Jesus's original disciples during his earthly ministry; Paul became an apostle after Jesus's resurrection through the Damascus Road commission (Acts 9). He describes himself as "one born out of due time" (1 Corinthians 15:8).
Modern scholarship distinguishes the "undisputed" Pauline letters (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, Philemon) from the disputed ones (Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus). Traditional Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant readings hold Paul as the author of all thirteen; critical scholarship varies.
Common questions
Who was Paul in the Bible?
Paul was the Gentile-mission apostle whose Damascus Road conversion transformed him from persecutor of the church to its most prolific missionary and theological writer. Thirteen letters attributed to him make up roughly half of the New Testament canon.
What is Paul best known for?
Paul is best known for the Damascus Road conversion (Acts 9), the three missionary journeys planting churches across the Mediterranean, and the New Testament letters that shaped Christian theology, including Romans, 1 Corinthians (with the "love chapter" of 1 Corinthians 13), Galatians, and the Pastoral Epistles.
Was Paul one of the Twelve apostles?
No. The Twelve were Jesus's original disciples during his earthly ministry; Paul became an apostle after the resurrection through the Damascus Road commission. He describes himself as "one born out of due time" (1 Corinthians 15:8).
Why does Paul matter to Christians?
Paul's Gentile mission opened the church beyond its Jewish origins, and his letters became the theological backbone of the New Testament. His articulation of justification by faith shaped the Reformation; his christological hymns shaped Christian worship; his "love chapter" (1 Corinthians 13) shaped Christian ethics.