Jensens survey of the old testament adam 440
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10Paul and His Letters
In so many di erent ways the apostle Paul
must be regarded as a key servant of God in
the New Testament’s story of the church,
“given to Christianity when it was in its
most rudimentary beginnings.”1 James
Stalker writes that the early Christian
community “was in the utmost need of a
man of extraordinary endowments, who,
becoming possessed with its genius, should
incorporate it with the general history of the
world; and in Paul it found the man it
needed.”2 It was God, in His sovereign ways
of foreknowledge, who brought the two
together at the right time.
The purpose of this chapter is to furnish
background for the surveys of each of Paul’s
letters, by looking brie y at the man, his
life, and his ministry, including the letters
he wrote.
I. THE MAN PAUL
A brief description of the man Paul is
given below. We will see more of the apostle
and his ministry as we survey each of his
epistles in the chapters that follow. Refer to
outside sources for extended treatment of
Paul’s life and ministry.3
A. NAME
Paul’s Hebrew name was Saul (“asked of
God”); his Roman name was Paul (“little”).4
Very possibly he had both names from
childhood. In his epistles the apostle always
refers to himself as Paul. Consult an
exhaustive concordance for all the
references to the two names in the New
Testament. Read Acts 13:9, which is the
turning point in Acts for the changeover of
designation from Saul to Paul. After 13:9,
the author of Acts always refers to him as
Paul. But Paul uses the name Saul in
describing his conversion experience in Acts
22:7, 13; 26:14.
B. DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH
Paul was born about the time of Jesus’
birth,5 in the city of Tarsus, of the province
of Cilicia. (See Map E, p. 64.)
C. FAMILY
Paul’s father was a native of Palestine, a
Roman citizen, merchant by trade, and a
strict Pharisee. His mother was probably a
devout woman. Paul had at least one sister
and one nephew (Acts 23:16).
THREE PHASES OF PAUL’S LIFE
D. EDUCATION
In his youth Paul learned the trade of
tent-making. He may have matriculated at
the famous university in Tarsus, one of the
three major universities of the Roman
Empire. His rabbinical training was under
Gamaliel at Jerusalem.
E. POSTSCHOOL YEARS
Paul probably served in synagogues
outside of Palestine after his rabbinical
