THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PAUL'S CHANGE
When
after his execution the body of Jesus was safely entombed, the chief priests
and the temple authorities , no doubt , felt that they could breathe freely.
There was now no risk of a popular uprising in support of a discredited leader,
as for his closest followers, their inglorious flight when he was arrested made
it clear that no more could be heard from them. They would disappear into the
welcome obscurity of the occupations which they had so rashly left in order to
follow the ill starred Nazarene.
Some
members of the establishment who were not devoid of a decent feelings would
have agreed that it was sad that the Nazarene had ventured into Judea and
became a focus of such dangerous enthusiasm and in around Jerusalem. But such
enthusiasm had to be nipped in the bud. If ever the end justified the means, it
was then. Perhaps even the coincidence that the Roman PENALTY, to which Jesus
had been sentenced, came within the meaning of the declaration of Deuteronomy
21:23 that "a hanged man is cursed of God", could be overruled for
good: it would discredit the Nazarene and His claims in the eyes of a truly
religious Jews more effectively than anything else....
"No
single event, apart from the Christ event itself, has proved so determinant for
the course of Christian history as a conversion and commissioning of Paul. For
anyone who accepts Paul's own explanation of his Damascus-road experience, it
would be difficult to disagree with the observation of an 18th century writer
that "the conversion and apostleship of St. Paul alone, duly considered,
was of itself a demonstration sufficient to prove Christianity to be a divine
revelation".
(Acts 9:1-8; Acts 22:4-11; Acts 8-19; Gal. 1:14-16)
King James with Strong's Numbers Hebrew and Greek Original
ACTS 9:
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest 2
And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any
of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem.
ACTS 22:
3 I am verily a man
which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city
at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law
of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. 4
And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons
both men and women. 5 As also the high priest doth bear me
witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters
unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound
unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
ACTS 26:
8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that
God should raise the dead?
9 I verily * *
thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of
Jesus of Nazareth.
ACTS 26:
9 (I indeed thought to myself to the name of Jesus of the Nazarene ought
9 (I indeed thought to myself to the name of Jesus of the Nazarene ought
egw men oun edoxa emautw pros to onoma Ihsou tou
Nazwraiou dein
many opposing things to do)
polla enantia praxa
10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the
saints did I
o kai epoihsa en Ierosolumois, kai pollous te twn agiwn egw
shut up in in prison, having received from the chief priests; and when they
en fulakais katekleisa thn exousian labwn
were being killed, I gave my voice against
them.(I cast a vote against them) anairoumenwn para; twn ajrcierevwn te autwn kathnegka yhfon,
11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled
them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them
even unto * * strange cities.
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and
commission from the chief priests, (Damascus, Syria was obviously in a foreign country)
13 At midday *, O king, I saw in the way a light from
heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which
journeyed with me.
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