The Last Apostle—Paul (Saul)

Saul, also known as Saul of Tarsus, later changed his name to Paul. Paul was born in a city called Tarsus, located in the southeastern part of modern-day Turkey, at the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea. Tarsus was a university city, home to what was considered the third-most famous university of its time. Paul received a rigorous education in Jewish law from a young age, studying under the renowned scholar Gamaliel in Jerusalem, and had a deep understanding of the Old Testament. He initially identified as a Pharisee.

Paul initially believed that preaching Jesus was a heresy that violated traditional Jewish beliefs, and he actively persecuted Christians. However, on his way to Damascus to persecute disciples, he encountered a vision. A great light from heaven shone all around him, and he fell to the ground. The Lord Jesus Himself spoke to him. When Paul got up, he could see nothing. Someone had to lead him by the hand into Damascus, where he was blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

In Damascus, a disciple sent by the Lord laid his hands on Paul and said, “The Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the way as you came, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He was then baptized.

Paul did not begin his ministry immediately but instead went to Arabia for three years. He was the last person to witness the resurrected Jesus and called himself the last apostle. His understanding of God came from his encounter with the resurrected and ascended Jesus on the road to Damascus, his three years of solitary reflection in the wilderness of Arabia, and his experience of being caught up to the third heaven and hearing inexpressible things (2 Corinthians 12:1–4). Later, when he went to Jerusalem, he was rejected by the Jews there, who viewed him as a traitor. So Paul returned to his hometown of Tarsus and waited there for ten years for God to confirm his calling. Then, Barnabas appeared. Barnabas brought Saul to the Gentile church in Antioch, where the two first served together, managing the famine relief fund for Jerusalem and later being sent out to begin their missionary work. Saul went to Jerusalem, where he associated with the disciples and preached boldly in the name of the Lord. At that time, the churches had peace and were strengthened, and as they lived in the fear of the Lord and were encouraged by the Holy Spirit, they grew in number.

Paul was one of the most influential missionaries and one of the first-generation leaders of the early church. He wrote about half of the books in the New Testament. Because he spread the gospel of Christ to non-Jews, he is revered as the “Apostle to the Gentiles.” Among the many apostles and missionaries who participated in the spread of the Christian faith, Paul is widely regarded as one of the two most important figures in the entire history of Christianity and one of the greatest religious leaders of all time.