St.

Paul, Apostle to
gentiles
St Paul
Born: Saul of Tarsus
c. 5 AD
Tarsus, Cilicia, Roman Empire (modern-
day Turkey)

Died: c. 64/67 AD (aged 61–62 or 64–65)

Rome, Italia, Roman Empire

Feast: June 30

2
“ Early Life
-St Paul, also known as Saul, ethnically was Jewish,
coming from a devout Jewish family. He was also born a
Roman Citizen in Tarsus, Cilicia, South Turkey. He grew
up in Jerusalem and was brought up by Gamaliel, a
leading authority in the Jewish religious establishment
(Sanhedrin). In addition to learning religious scriptures,
he also studied Greek philosophers and was well
acquainted with the Stoic philosophers, who advocated a
virtuous acceptance of life as a path to happiness. In his
daily life, he was a tent maker. 3
Saint Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles
The historic records bearing on St. Paul are fuller than those for any Scriptural saint.
We have Paul's own wonderful writings, the fourteen letters included in the New
Testament, which outline his missionary journeys, exhort and admonish the various
Christian congregations, discuss ethics and doctrinal matters; and in the midst of all
this we get a revelation of the man himself, his inner character, his problems and
fears. St. Luke's Acts of the Apostles and certain apocryphal books are other sources
of our knowledge of St. Paul. Of all the founders of the Church, Paul was perhaps the
most brilliant and many-sided, the broadest in outlook, and therefore the best
endowed to carry Christianity to alien lands and peoples.
4
 Who baptized st paul?
-Saul is baptized by Ananias and called Paul. Men carry a
cripple since birth and set him on the steps. Christ
commands Ananias to find Saul and give him sight so that
he can preach of Christ.

5
 Who made Paul an apostle?
-Paul said he received a vision of the resurrected Jesus, who
commissioned him to be the Apostle to the gentiles. On the
one hand, Luke has a very obvious agenda in his
presentation of Paul as someone who willingly obeys any
dictates from Jerusalem, consulting them constantly on how
he should run his “mission”.

6
 Why was Saul name changed to
Paul?
-Since he grew up in a strict Pharisee environment, the
name Saul was by far the more appropriate name to go by.
But after his conversion Saul determined to bring the gospel
to the Gentiles, so he dusted off his Roman name and
became known as Paul, a name Gentiles were accustomed
to.

7
Why was Paul called the apostle to
the Gentiles?
-Paul calls himself “the apostle to the Gentiles” in Romans 11:13. It’s not
as though Paul never preached to the Jews—on the contrary, his custom
was to preach first in the synagogue when entering a new city (Acts 17:2).
And it’s not as though the other apostles never preached to Gentiles (see
Acts 10). But in a real sense, Paul’s ministry among the Gentiles was
unique. Paul’s mission was to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles: “He
chose me to be a servant of Christ Jesus for the Gentiles and to do the
work of a priest in the service of his good news. God did this so that the
Holy Spirit could make the Gentiles into a holy offering, pleasing to him”
8
Thanks!
9