Transcript Paul - Webs

Paul
Apostle to the Gentiles
Paul the Pharisee
Tarsus
• Born around 10 AD
• Citizens of Tarsus
were Roman citizens
• Family were Pharisees
• Received a Hellenistic
education
• Taught a trade –
tentmaker
Cleopatra’s Gate, Tarsus
Jerusalem
• Sent to Jerusalem
to study under the
famous rabbi
Gamaliel
• May have become a
member of the
Sanhedrin
• Believed that the
new Christian
movement was
heretical
Paul was a witness to the execution of the
Christian deacon, Stephen
“The Stoning of
St. Stephen”
Rembrandt, 1625
Persecution of Christians
“The Conversion of St. Paul”
Michelangelo
• Paul was responsible
for the arrest and
imprisonment of many
Christians in Judea
• He received permission
from the Sanhedrin to
arrest Christians in
Damascus and bring
them to Jerusalem for
trial
• On the road to
Damascus, Paul had a
vision of Jesus
Paul the Christian
• Paul’s vision left him
blind
• Spent 3 days in
prayer and
meditation
• Healed and then
baptized by Ananias
The house of Ananias in
Damascus
• Paul’s conversion took place around 35 AD
• Spent next 2 years in Arabia, then
returned to Damascus and began to preach
• Forced to flee Damascus when Jewish
authorities there attempted to arrest him
• Spent two weeks in Jerusalem with Peter
and James
• Returns to Tarsus and remains there for
the next four years
First Missionary
Journey
46 – 49 AD
• The Church in Antioch
decided to support the
apostle Barnabas on a
missionary journey
• He asked Paul to
accompany him and his
nephew John Mark
Antioch in Syria
Major Events of the First Journey:
• Traveled to Salamis
and Paphos on the
Island of Cyprus;
Lystra, Derbe, Pisidian
Antioch and Pergamum
• Converted the Roman
governor of Cyprus to
Christianity
• Stoned and left for
dead in Lystra
Ruins of Salamis on the
island of Cyprus
The Council of
Jerusalem
50 A.D.
The “Gentile Problem”
• The first Christians were all Jews who
believed Jesus was the Jewish Messiah
• They continued to obey Jewish Law and
worship in the synagogue
• They did not intend to found a new
religion
• Paul frequently baptized Gentiles and
did not require them to become Jews or
obey the Jewish Law
The Question:
Should Gentiles be required to
become Jews and obey the
Jewish Law in order to be
baptized as Christians?
• James, the “Brother
of the Lord”
presided over the
Council
• Many of the
disciples, including
Peter and John,
were present
• Paul, along with some
of his Gentile
converts, presented
their arguments
James the Just, the
“Brother of the Lord”
The Decisions of the Council:
• Gentiles did not need to convert to
Judaism to be baptized as Christians
• Gentiles did not need to obey all of the
Jewish Laws or be circumcised
• Gentiles did need to obey some of the
Laws, especially the Ten Commandments
and those regarding moral issues
The Importance of the Council:
• Allowed Gentiles to become Christians
without becoming Jews – within a
generation the majority of Christians
will be Gentiles
• Led to the split between Christianity
and Judaism
• Established a precedent for how the
Church will solve problems in the future
= the Ecumenical Council
Second Missionary Journey
49 – 52 AD
• Accompanied by Silas rather than
Barnabas
• Visits the churches already established
in Asia Minor, then crosses over to
Greece
• First to bring Christianity to Europe
Athens
• Preaches at the
Acropolis in Athens
• Equates The God of
the Jews with the
“Unknown God” of
the Greeks
• Is laughed at when
he talks about Jesus’
Resurrection
“Paul in Athens” by Raphael
Corinth
• A major crossroads
between Eastern and
Western
Mediterranean
• Site of an important
temple to the
goddess Aphrodite
• There was a large
Jewish community
there
The Acrocorinth from
the Temple of Apollo
• Paul spent 18 months
there
• Lived and worked
with a couple named
Aquila and Prisca
• Founded a church
composed of both
Jews and Gentiles
• He would later write
at least 3 letters to
the Corinthian
church
After this journey, Paul returned home to
Tarsus for an extended vacation
Third Missionary Journey
54 – 57 AD
Ephesus
• Major port city in
South-western Asia
Minor
• Temple of Artemis –
one of the “Wonders
of the World”
• Paul spent two years
there
Ruins of Artemis’ Temple
• Paul is very succesful in
making converts and
establishing a church
• Silversmiths protest –
he is hurting their
business because
people are not buying
statues of the goddess
• Anti-Christian riot and
Paul flees the city
Artemis of Ephesus
After leaving Ephesus, Paul travels to
the churches he previously established
in Greece, taking up a collection for the
Christians in Jerusalem, who are facing
a serious famine
Paul’s Arrest and Imprisonment
• Paul is arrested by
Jewish authorities in
Jerusalem – accused
of bringing a Gentile
into the Temple
• Roman troops take
him into “protective
custody” and move
him to Caesarea (the
roman capital of
Judea)
Paul remains under
house arrest in
Caesarea for two
years
Ruins of Herod’s harbor at
Caesarea
• After two years,
Paul’s case was heard
by King Herod
Agrippa II and the
Roman governor
Felix
• Paul was afraid he
would not receive a
fair trial in Judea
• He appealed to
Caesar – his right as
a Roman citizen
• It is not known what
happened to Paul after
he arrived in Rome
• Acts ends with his
being placed under
house arrest
• It is believed his case
was heard by Nero and
he was acquitted and
continued his
missionary journeys
Nero
The Great Fire of Rome
• Broke out in the
stables near the Circus
on July 18, 64 AD
• Burned for 6 days and
destroyed 70% of the
city
• Roman people blamed
Nero for setting the
fire
Nero’s Persecution
• Nero needed to find a
scapegoat on whom to
blame the fire
• He chose the
Christians – since they
were a small group
with no important
protectors in the
Senate
Nero burning Christians to light
his gardens
• Many Christian
leaders, including
Peter and Paul, were
executed during
Nero’s persecution
• According to legend,
Paul was beheaded
on the Ostia road
just outside of the
city walls
The Basilica of St. Paul
Built on the site
where it is
believed Paul
was martyred
The Accomplishments of St Paul
St. Paul
by El Greco
Paul was one of the first missionaries to
envision taking the Church beyond its
Jewish roots and opening it to the
Gentiles
Paul was able to bridge the Hellenistic
and Jewish cultures and make the
Christian message understandable to
Hellenistic Gentiles
• He had a Hellenistic education
• He understood the pagan, Greco-Roman
culture
• He was able to make the message of
Christ understandable to people who
knew nothing about the Hebrew
Scriptures or the Jewish religion
• He was a Jewish theologian, trained by
Gamaliel
He saw Christ as bringing a new equality
to the world:
“In Christ Jesus there is neither Jew
nor Gentile, slave nor free person,
neither male nor female.”
His co-missionaries were men and
women, Jewish and Gentile Christians,
wealthy and poor, educated and not well
educated.
Paul’s Letters
• Paul wrote at least 7
letters to various
Christian churches
and people
• His letters help us
understand exactly
what it was the early
Christian believed
• They became the
basis for much
Christian theology
Letters definitely written by
Paul:
• Romans (ca. 55-58 AD)
• Philippians (ca. 52-54 AD)
• Galatians (ca. 55 AD)
• Philemon (ca. 52-54 AD)
• First Corinthians (ca. 53-54 AD)
• Second Corinthians (ca. 55-56 AD)
• First Thessalonians (ca. 51 AD)
Letters possibly written by
Paul:
• Colossians
• Second Thessalonians
Paul also wrote several letters which
have not survived and are not
included in Scripture