Paul: The Apostle To The Gentiles

The apostle Paul, also known as “Saul of Tarsus,”, is the apostle to the Gentiles. (Romans 11:131 and Galatians 2:8).2 (You can use parenthetical citation for Scripture, as you did here, without having to also cite them in the endnotes.) In order for us to understand how God ordained his apostleship to the Gentiles, we must first understand his background. The name “Paul” is a Greek spelling of the Latin word Paulus. To Aramaic – speaking Jews, his Hebrew name was “Saul” (from Saoul)3. Paul’s lineage was from the tribe of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5)4, and the name “Saul” was a famous name in that tribe going back to Israel’s first King.5 Paul was born approximately between the years of 5 BC and 5 AD in Tarsus which was the capital
People came to Tarsus from all over the Roman Empire to live and work in this prosperous city. Tarsus is found in the southeast part of Asia Minor and the city became known for its wealth of the people living there7. Paul tells us” I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city (insignificant city)” (Acts 21:39)8. “No mean city” (insignificant city) tells us that Tarsus is no average or ordinary city, and is not a city to be looked down upon. Tarsus had become a rich city because of trade. Merchants from Tarsus were well known throughout the Roman Empire. The merchants there were noted for their love of their craft and their almost fanatic zeal in their monetary investments in the city’s infrastructure. The merchants of Tarsus invested in good roads, education, public health, and city beautification projects9. One of the largest sources of income for merchants was the Tarsus Mountain about 25 miles north of the city. There, the mountains were rich in minerals and lumbaer.
Paul attended the rabbinic school taught by Gamaliel, who was the grandson of Rabbi Hillel. Gamaliel was an outstanding rabbi and headmaster. There were only two main schools for rabbis during Paul’s life, and they were both in Jerusalem. There was Rabbi Gamaliel and the other was Rabbi Shammai.17 Thus, Paul tells us which school he attended, and he would have received an excellent education as Gamaliel was held in great respect (acts 5:34).18 Paul’s family had a history of religious piety (second Timothy 1:3).19 The Bible reveals very little about Paul’s family. Paul mentions his sister’s son in Acts 23:16.20 Paul also tells us that his father was a Pharisee, and he refers to his mother in Romans 16:1321 as “among those at Rome.” In Romans 16:7, he states that his relatives, Andronicus and Junia, were Christians before he was, and were prominent among the