291
The drama of Paul’s experience is
captured by Caravaggio’s Conversion
on the Way to Damascus (1601), in
which the blinded Saul is thrown
into a pool of light.ACTS, EPISTLES, AND REVELATION
story three times (Acts 9, 22, and
26). His aim is clear: to establish
Paul as an apostolic and prophetic
figure, who was called, revealed,
and confirmed as such by God.God’s prophet
As in the rest of the Bible, God
works through signs and wonders,
but also through suffering. The
fact that Paul is now persecuted
affirms both the power of God and
the status of Paul as God’s prophet,
suffering with Jesus and theSee also: The Word Spreads 288–89 ■ The Council of Jerusalem 292–93 ■
Paul’s Arrest 294–95 ■ The Power of the Resurrection 304–05Paul, Apostle to
the GentilesPaul was born in the city of
Tarsus, in today’s Turkey,
to a family of Hellenistic
(Greek-speaking) Jews. The
well-educated young man
had a knowledge of Greek
thought and studied under
the famous Pharisee Rabbi
Gamaliel in Jerusalem.
Paul makes reference to
his conversion in his letters to
the Galatians and Corinthians.
Paul adds to Luke’s account in
Acts, saying he traveled from
Damascus to Arabia after his
conversion and that it was
three years before he went
to Jerusalem to meet Peter
and the other Apostles.
In the years that followed,
Paul traveled around the
eastern Mediterranean,
preaching the Gospel and
establishing communities
of Christians in the major
cities. The hostility of Jewish
opponents led to his eventual
arrest in Jerusalem and then
transportation to Rome for
trial. The New Testament
gives no account of his death,
but an early tradition asserts
that he died by beheading
during the persecution
unleashed in 64 ce by the
Roman Emperor Nero.Hebrew prophets who came before
Him. As God reveals to Ananias, He
has selected the former enemy of
His people to become His “chosen
instrument to proclaim My name
to the Gentiles. ... I will show him
how much he must suffer for my
name” (9:15 –16). ■US_290-291_The_road_to_Damascus.indd 291 28/09/17 1:04 pm