Church Hopping

Here are a couple of interesting bits about the Apostle Paul:

• The Acts of Paul and Thecla, a 2nd century apocryphal book, described the Apostle Paul as small in size, bald-headed, bow-legged (or bandy-legged), with meeting eyebrows and a large, red and somewhat hooked nose. See image at right.

• Paul had at least one sister according to Acts 23:16

• He knew Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic and probably Latin.

• As a Roman Citizen he likely had a first middle and last name. The first two would have been common to the family. The third was his personal name which was Pallus. Greek writers would have only recorded Paul though since they likely had little understanding of Latin and the three name system. Saul was his Jewish name.

• It is probable that the Apostle Paul was not around in Jerusalem during Jesus’ ministry since he is never mentioned. Rabbis were supposed to have a trade in order to support themselves. After learning from Gamaliel in Jerusalem, he probably went back to Tarsus. He would have practiced his father’s trade of tent making and then gone back to Jerusalem (sometime after Christ’s death or close to), maybe to join the Sanhedrin.

• More than likely Paul was married since parenthood was a requirement to be a candidate for the Sanhedrin and Jews did not usually remain celibate. His wife may have died early since there is no mention of her.

• Paul rarely quotes Jesus directly. Some of these instances are found in Acts 20:35 and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25.

• Paul did not jump directly into his missionary journeys. He spent three years in Arabia after his conversion and then went to Jerusalem for fifteen days. From there he went back home to Tarsus and lived there for about eight or nine years. Then Barnabus tracked him down and asked Paul to be a leader of a Christian church in Antioch, which he did for a full year. Approximately fourteen years after his conversion, the Apostle Paul finally embarked on his first documented missionary journey.