Paul
Feast Day: June 29
Converted persecutor who became Christianity's greatest missionary theologian.
Patronage
Tentmakers, theologians, evangelists, gentiles, authors, martyrs
Virtues & Traits
Biography
Paul (c. 5-67 CE), born Saul of Tarsus, experienced a dramatic conversion from persecuting Christians to Christianity's greatest apostle. A Hellenized Jew trained under Gamaliel, he initially zealously opposed the nascent Church until a mystical encounter with the risen Christ transformed his life's purpose. Paul pioneered the Gentile mission, establishing churches throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome, and articulating Christianity's theological foundations through his epistles. His letters—addressing justification, grace, ecclesiology, and Christian living—remain Scripture's most influential theological writings. Paul endured extraordinary sufferings including imprisonments, beatings, and shipwrecks, yet maintained unwavering missionary commitment. His famous assertion 'I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me' encapsulates his spirituality of complete self-surrender. Imprisoned in Rome under Nero, he was executed by beheading, dying as he lived: entirely devoted to proclaiming Christ to the Gentiles.