Discover the full story of who was São Paulo

The Apostle Paul is one of the main names of the New Testament, having his life trajectory and his epistles as some of the most important teachings of the early years of Christianity. His conversion and preaching are one of the most beautiful biblical stories, being the source of many sermons for the example of life, conversion and evangelization of one of the most important saints of Catholicism. find out now who was São Paulo and understand its entire history.

Discover now who was São Paulo

The Apostle Paul is also known as Paul of Tarsus, Saul of Tarsus and even Saint Paul among Catholics. As his name implies, he was born in the city of Tarsus and died in Rome, around the year 67 AD.

For you who want to know who São Paulo was, understand that he is considered one of the most influential indoctrinators of early Christianity, as his work is one of the most significant in the New Testament. It is not for nothing that there is the so-called “Paulinism”, which is the line of Christian thought that follows the writings of the Apostle Paul. He was one of the leading preachers of Christianity and the gospel at the time of the Roman Empire.

He was still Saul when he dedicated himself to the persecution of early Christians and preachers in the Jerusalem area. Saul was one of the most cruel and bloodthirsty soldiers for the early Christians shortly after Jesus’ death and resurrection. He was a Roman citizen, which gave him a social and legal status above the common people of the time.

The Apostle Paul even states that he “breathed threat and death against the disciples of the Lord”. His main objective was to imprison all the followers of Christ before his conversion, which changed his history and life trajectory.

It was during a journey between Jerusalem and Damascus that a vision changed his course, with a conversion that took him blind for three days, after which he became one of the greatest preachers of Christianity. He changed his name to Paul and since then has been preaching the gospel in different corners of the world.

His story of preaching and conversion is reported in the Bible especially in the book of the Acts of the Apostles and through 13 epistles, in which all his doctrine is clearly explained. Check out more about the history of who was São Paulo below.

The Conversion of the Apostle Paul

The book of the Acts of the Apostles and the thirteen epistles better explain who Saint Paul was, after all they are the main sources dealing with the conversion of Saul into Paul, from the cruel soldier and persecutor into one of the main preachers of the Gospel in the early years of Christianity.

And although his conversion took place suddenly, there are those who say that Stephen’s martyrdom and even the Apostle Paul’s persecution of the first Christians may have served as a preparation for what was to come.

Still like Saul of Tarsus, he left with great fury for Damascus to destroy the Christian community in the city. Such was his surprise when the unexpected changed the course of his story, when a great light shone in the sky and he fell to the ground, with a voice saying to him: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He promptly replied, “Who are you, Lord?” The answer: “I am Jesus, whom you persecute me”

With much fear and body trembling, he lost his sight for three days, and the men around him saw such a light, without hearing the voice that guided the then executioner of Christianity. They could not see the Person of Christ, although they were also deeply frightened by what had happened.

This fact is reported in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the immediate conversion of Saul into the Apostle Paul is one of the most beautiful accounts in the history of Christianity. Even though he was not one of the twelve disciples who followed Jesus Christ in his preaching personally, the Apostle Paul from then on would become one of the main names to take evangelization to different corners of the world.

To understand who São Paulo was, you need to know that it was necessary for such an event to happen, transforming a real executioner into one of the great enthusiasts of preaching Christianity, so that the miracle of Christ could be seen more clearly by those who needed a voice to guide them. .

Preaching that helps to understand who São Paulo was

The use of the name Paul first appears in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, when the Apostle begins his first missionary journey of preaching the Gospel.

There are several theories about the reasons and meanings of the name choice. The fact is that, by choosing the name Paul, the former persecutor of Christians attaches to himself the mission of preaching the Gospel in various corners, without fear of bearing serious consequences in the early years of Christianity, when this was a crime that punished the first preachers even to death. Even the risk of imprisonment or torture did not frighten the Apostle Paul, who did not give up preaching the word of the Lord wherever he went.

He opted for itinerancy, that is, he did not stay in one place, choosing to take the Gospel to different places. Among his many trips to preach the Gospel, he even met the Apostle Peter, a fact that is reported in some of his epistles. These are two of the greatest preachers of the Gospel in New Testament history, with Saint James as another of the great after-death and resurrection milestones of Jesus Christ.

It is curious to understand how, even without having had contact with Jesus Christ in his years of preaching, the Apostle Paul emerges as one of the main indoctrinators, directly responsible for taking the Christian word through various channels of the world, without any prejudice due to distance.

In his epistles, he exhorts Christian communities to follow divine precepts at all costs. In his lifestyle similar to that of hermit monks, he gave up the riches and benefits to which he was entitled to preach the Word.

His epistles are the mark of preaching in the cities in which he passed. There are thirteen that appear in the New Testament, although he passed through many more communities in his preaching.

The epistles written by the Apostle Paul are divided into:

The death of the Apostle Paul

To understand who São Paulo was, you need to know the story of his death as well. Discussions regarding the number of arrests he has suffered are hot and inconclusive.

The fact that the book of the Acts of the Apostles does not describe his trajectory in detail, from beginning to end, is one of its main reasons. There are reports in the Apostle Paul’s own epistles of repeated arrests for short periods, but nothing that accurately details the number of arrests that afflicted him before his death.

Here is an example, in which the Apostle Paul directly addresses the affliction of having been arrested on several occasions: “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as if out of my mind) I even more: in work, much more; in scourging more than they; in prisons, much more; in danger of death, often.” (2 Corinthians 11:23)

The Apostle Paul has his arrest in Jerusalem, when he was almost lynched, reported in chapter 21 of the book of the Acts of the Apostles. He even spent two years in prison and was threatened with being handed over to the Jews to be tried by them, who rejected Christianity at all costs.

After having managed to free himself from this prison, even freely preaching the Gospel, he arrived under escort to Rome when he appealed to Caesar and from here the accounts of his life are sparse in several reports of epistles and documents not replicated in the Bible.

Upon being arrested again, this time in Rome, he was executed by Emperor Nero between AD 67 and 68, as indicated in 2 Timothy 4:6-18. According to pastoral epistles and Christian tradition, he was killed near the Ostia road outside Rome. His execution would have been by a beheading. The text that best defines the preaching of the Apostle Paul is famous even for those who do not have a deep knowledge of biblical passages.

“I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith. From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7,8)

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