8. Excursus, A Portrait of St. Paullogosdocs.s3.amazonaws.com/third-edition/007-acts/008... · 2015-08-10 · Excursus,(A(Portrait(of(St.(Paul( 15(The barge she sat in, like a burnish’d

Lesson&#8&

Excursus:&&A&Portrait&of&St.&Paul&

Excursus,(A(Portrait(of(St.(Paul( 1(

We#first#met#Saul#at#the#stoning#of#Stephen,#where#he#supervised#Steven’s#

murder.##On#that#same#day,#Saul#began#“trying&to&destroy&the&church;&entering&house&a>er&house&and&dragging&out&men&and&women,&he&handed&them&over&for&imprisonment”#(8:#3).###As#we#entered#Lesson##7#we#learned#that#“Saul,&sEll&breathing&out&murderous&threats&against&the&disciples&of&the&Lord,&went&to&the&high&priest&and&asked&him&for&leHers&to&the&synagogues&in&Damascus,&that,&if&he&should&find&any&men&or&women&who&belonged&to&the&Way,&he&might&bring&them&back&to&Jerusalem&in&chains”#(9:#1H2).###

Saul’s#dramaJc#conversion#on#the#road#to#Damascus#transformed#him#from##

Saul,#the#greatest#of#sinners#(1#Timothy#1:#15),#to#Paul,#the#greatest#of#saints.##

But#the#transformaJon#didn’t#take#place#overnight;#aSer#his#conversion,#Saul#

sJll#had#a#long#way#to#go.#


Lesson##8#offers#an#excursus,#an#exploraJon#of#Saul#of#

Tarsus,#later#known#as#St.#Paul.##Who#was#he?##Where#did#he#

come#from?##What#was#his#background?##Why#was#he#in#

Jerusalem?##What#were#his#moJves#for#haJng#Christ?#


Rembrandt.##The&Apostle&Paul&(oil#on#canvas),##1657.#NaJonal#Gallery#of#Art,#Washington,#D.C.#

4(Excursus,(A(Portrait(of(St.(Paul(

When#St.#Paul#is#arrested#in#Jerusalem#in#

A.D.#57,#charged#with#inciJng#a#riot#and#

mistakenly#idenJfied#as#an#EgypJan#

terrorist,#he#replies#indignantly:##“I&am&a&Jew&from&Tarsus&in&Cilicia,&a&ciEzen&of&no&ordinary&city”#(Acts#21:#39).##Later,#when#he#is#about#to#be#flogged,#Paul#asserts#his#

Roman#ciJzenship#again#in#no#uncertain#

terms,#prompJng#an#exchange#with#the#

Roman#commander:##

“Tell&me,&are&you&a&Roman&ciEzen?”&“Yes,&I&am,”&[Paul]#answered.&&Then&the&commander&said,&“I&had&to&pay&a&big&price&for&my&ciEzenship.”&#

“But&I&was&born&a&ciEzen,”&Paul&replied.&

# # # #(Acts#22:#27H28)#


These#two#scenes#speak#

volumes#about#St.#Paul,#and#

they#tempt#us#to#explore#

Paul’s#background#in#more#

depth.##What#do#we#really#

know#about#Paul,#and#what#

informed#assumpJons#might#

we#make#about#Paul’s#early,#

formaJve#years?##


Not#me.##

Excursus,(A(Portrait(of(St.(Paul(

I’m#a#licle#afraid#

of#him!(

7(

I’ve#always#liked#St.#Paul,#but#I#

know#that#many#people#have#

difficulty#with#him.##He#could#

certainly#be#a#curmudgeon#.#.#.#

and#he#didn’t#suffer#fools#

gladly.##He#is#surely#one#of#the#

most#complex#personaliJes#in#

Scripture.#


In#St.#Paul’s#day#Tarsus#was#

the#leading#city#on#the#

ferJle#plain#of#East#Cilicia,#

located#about#ten#miles#

from#the#mouth#of#the#

Cyndus#River#and#about#

thirty#miles#south#of#the#

Cilician#Gates.###

# # # # ##



!#Tarsus#


Photography&by&Ana&Maria&Vargas&

A#Roman#street#from#the#Tarsus#of#St.#Paul’s#day.#



Strolling#down#a#modern#street#in#Tarsus.###



Local#school#girls#stop#for#a#photo#and#to#say#“hello!”#


Tarsus#came#under#Roman#rule#as#a#result#of#

Pompey’s#victories,#becoming#the#capital#of#

Cilicia#and#retaining#its#autonomy#as#a#free#

city#(67#B.C.).##Cicero#resided#in#Tarsus#while#

serving#as#procounsul#of#Cilicia#(51H50#B.C.),#

and#Julius#Caesar#visited#the#city#in#47#B.C.###

ASer#Caesar’s#assassinaJon#in#44#B.C.,#

Tarsus#enjoyed#the#favor#of#Antony,#and#it#

was#in#Tarsus#in#41#B.C.#that#the#celebrated#

meeJng#between#Antony#and#Cleopatra#

took#place.##Shakespeare#describes#the#

meeJng#best,#as#Cleopatra’s#barge#glides#up#

the#Cyndus#River:#

# # # # ##


The barge she sat in, like a burnish’d throne, Burnt on the water. The poop was beaten gold, Purple the sails, and so perfumed that The winds were love-sick with them; the oars were silver, Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made The water which they beat to follow faster, As amorous of their strokes. For her own person, It beggar’d all description: she did lie In her pavilion—cloth of gold, of tissue— O’er-picturing that Venus where we see The fancy outwork nature. On each side her Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids, With divers-color’d fans, whose wind did seem to [glow] the delicate cheeks which they did cool, And what they undid did.

(Antony and Cleopatra, II, ii, 191-204)



The#Cyndus#River,#just#outside#of#town.#


During#the#reign#of#Caesar#Augustus#(27#B.C.#–#

A.D.#14)#Tarsus#enjoyed#enormous#privileges,#

including#exempJon#from#imperial#taxaJon.##

An#extremely#prosperous#city,#Tarsus#derived#

its#wealth#from#the#ferJle#plain#on#which#it#

was#located.##

Strabo,#the#Greek#historian,#geographer#and#

philosopher#writes#in#his#Geography#(xiv,#5.#12ff.)#that#Tarsus#was#a#leading#cultural#and#

educaJonal#center,#surpassing#even#Athens#

and#Alexandria.##Its#people,#he#says,#were#avid#

in#their#pursuit#of#culture,#applying#

themselves#to#the#study#of#philosophy,#

literature,#music#and#the#whole#round#of#

liberal#arts.##

# # # # ##


When#Paul#claims#to#be#“a#ciJzen#of#no#

ordinary#city,”#he#certainly#has#jusJficaJon#for#

doing#so.###

And#as#one#“born#a#ciJzen”#Paul#necessarily#

came#from#a#wellHtoHdo#family.##Roman#

ciJzenship#was#originally#confined#to#freeborn#

naJves#of#Rome,#but#as#the#Empire#expanded#

ciJzenship#was#extended#to#other#people#in#

the#provinces.##Presumably,#Paul’s#father,#

grandfather#or#even#greatHgrandfather#had#

acquired#Roman#ciJzenship,#either#by#making#

a#significant#contribuJon#to#the#Roman#

Empire#(militarily,#or#more#likely,#

economically),#or#by#purchasing#Roman#

ciJzenship#through#poliJcal#connecJons#and#

cash.####

# # # # ##


In#addiJon,#Dio#Chrysostom,#in#his#

OraEon#(34,#23)#tells#us#that#enrolling#as#a#Roman#ciJzen#in#Tarsus#required#

owning#property#in#excess#of#500#

drachmae—not#an#easy#threshold#to#

meet.###

Paul’s#family#clearly#had#both#money#

and#status.##

# # # # ##

Not#me.##


I#always#thought#

the#early#

ChrisJans#were#

poor!(

I#didn’t#know#that#Tarsus#was#

such#an#important#city#and#

cultural#Mecca,#and#I#sure#

didn’t#know#that#St.#Paul#

came#from#a#wealthy,#

prominent#family.##I#wonder#

what#his#educaJon#was#like?(

20(


Although#nothing#suggests#that#Paul’s#family#

were#assimilated#Jews#(quite#the#contrary,#

Paul#claims#to#be#“a&Hebrew&[born]#of&Hebrews;&in&regard&to&the&Law,&a&Pharisee”—Philippians#3:#5),#Paul#was#

deeply#exposed#to#GrecoHRoman#culture#and#

Roman#educaJon.##Paul’s#lecers#evidence#

considerable#training#in#classical#rhetoric,#

and#when#he#speaks#at#the#Areopagus#in#

Athens#he#supports#his#argument#by#deSly#

quoJng#from#the#6thHcentury#B.C.#Cretan#

poet#Epimenides#(Acts#17:#28),#a#favorite#of#

the#Stoic#and#Epicurean#philosophers#to#

whom#he#is#speaking.###

Paul#most#certainly#knew#his#classical#

literature.##

# # # # ##


In#St.#Paul’s#day,#children#of#wellHtoHdo#

families#were#taught#by#private#tutors#or#at#

private#schools.#Primary#educaJon#focused#

on#the#basics#of#reading#and#wriJng,#using#

Roman#literary#works,#especially#poetry,#as#

models.##Between#nine#and#twelve#years#

old,#students#from#affluent#families#would#

leave#their#primary#educaJon#and#conJnue#

the#advanced#study#of#Greek#and#hone#their#

speaking#and#wriJng#skills.##At#14#or#15#

years#old#the#most#promising#students#then#

focused#on#the#study#of#deliberaJve#or#

judicial#rhetoric.##Such#boys#were#from#

exclusive,#wealthy#families#and#were#being#

groomed#for#the#highest#levels#of#public#

office#and#commerce.###

# # # # ##


One#can#only#speculate#on#what#level#

St.#Paul#reached,#although#clearly#he#

is#highly#skilled#in#Greek#rhetoric,#

easily#adapJng#his#speech#and#

wriJng#to#his#audience,#suggesJng#

he#had#reached#a#very#high#

educaJonal#level.#

# # # # ##

Not#me.##


I’m#glad#he#made#

a#becer#career#

choice!(

It#seems#to#me#that#St.#

Paul#had#a#superb#

classical#educaJon,#one#

that#groomed#him#for#a#

brilliant#career#in#law##

or#poliJcs.(

24(


At#some#point#in#Paul’s#educaJon#his#

family#sent#him#to#Jerusalem#

(accompanied#perhaps#by#his#sister—see#

Acts#23:#16)#for#advanced#religious#study.##

Like#all#Jewish#boys,#Paul#had#been#well#

schooled#in#Scripture#and#Oral#Law#at#the#

local#synagogue,#but#once#in#Jerusalem#

Paul#became#a#student#of#the#greatest#

Rabbi#of#his#century,#Gamaliel#(Acts#22:#3).###

The#grandson#of#the#great#Hillel,#Gamaliel#

was#a#leader#of#the#Sanhedrin#and#possibly#

its#President.##Only#the#brightest#and#most#

promising#student#could#possibly#secure#a#

posiJon#under#such#a#man.###

# # # # ##

Not#me.##


I#wonder#what#

St.#Paul’s#IQ#

was?(

Paul#traveling#from#Tarsus#to#

Jerusalem#to#study#under#Gamaliel#is#

like#Beethoven#traveling#from#Bonn#

to#Vienna#to#study#under#Joseph#

Haydn,#or#like#a#newly#minted#Cal#

Tech#Ph.D.#in#physics#traveling#from#

Pasadena#to#Cambridge#for#a#postH

doctorial#fellowship#under#Stephen#

Hawking.#(

26(


Paul#had#an#extraordinary#educaJon,#

available#only#to#the#brilliant#son#of#a#

wealthy#and#influenJal#family.##Born#into#

privilege#as#a#Jew#and#a#Roman#ciJzen,#

Paul#was#steeped#in#both#secular#and#

religious#educaJon;#he#was#fluent#in#at#

least#four#languages:##Hebrew,#Aramaic,#

Greek#and#LaJn;#he#was#being#groomed#for#

leadership#in#the#Sanhedrin;#and#he#was#

absolutely#commiced#to#his#beliefs.###

F.F.#Bruce#writes#that#even#if#the#events#on#

the#road#to#Damascus#had#never#

happened,#history#would#sJll#know#of#Saul#

of#Tarsus:##he#was#desJned#for#greatness.#

# # # # ##

Not#me.##


What#Moses#was#to#

the#Old#Testament,#

St.#Paul#is#to#the#

New!(

In#that#way,#St.#Paul#was#similar#to#

Moses.##Moses#was#also#brought#up#

in#a#privileged#family#as#the#adopted#

grandson#of#Pharaoh,#and#as#St.#

Stephen#said,#he#was#“educated&in&all&the&wisdom&of&the&EgypEans&and&

&was&powerful&in&words&and&deeds”&(Acts#7:#22).(

28(

How#did#you#

know#that?##

You’re#a#dog!#

So,#Saul#of#Tarsus#was#an#extraordinarily#

wellHeducated#young#man,#living#in#

Jerusalem#at#the#Jme#of#Jesus.##He#was#an#

adult#student#of#the#great#Gamaliel,#and#he#

had#access#to#the#leaders#of#the#Sanhedrin#

and#to#the#high#priest#himself.#

He#was#the#rising#star#in#Judaism.#

So,#what#caused#his#intense#hatred#of#Jesus#

and#the#Church?##As#he#himself#says#to#king#

Agrippa:#“I&was&so&enraged&against&them&that&I&pursued&them&even&to&foreign&ciEes”&(Acts#26:#11).##The#Greek#word#is#ejmmaivnomai,#a#compound#of#ejn (“in”)#and#maivnonai (“behave#as#manic”);#that#is,#

“locked#in#a#frenzy#of#rage.”#


Not#me.##


Humm.###

I#think#you’re#on#to#

something#here!(

Maybe#it#began#at#Passover,#

A.D.#32,#when#Jesus#rides#

into#Jerusalem#on#what#we#

call#“Palm#Sunday.”#

Recall#the#story#in##

Luke#19:#28H40.##(

30(

31(Confronta?on(

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (19: 28-40)

“After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem. As he drew near to Bethphange and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples. He said, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone should ask you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you will answer, ‘The Master has need of it.’ So those who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them.”

(19: 28-31)

32(Confronta?on(

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

“So they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the colt, and helped Jesus to mount. As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road; and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. They proclaimed:

‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.’”

(19: 35-38)

33(Confronta?on(

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’ He said to them in reply, ‘I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out.”

(19: 39-40)

The#words#of#the#crowd#are#posiJvely#

incendiary!#

“Blessed#is#the#king#who#comes##

#in#the#name#of#the#Lord.#

Peace#in#heaven#

#and#glory#in#the#highest.”#

Luke#draws#on#Machew#and#Mark#for#the#

words#of#the#crowd,#a#quote#from#Psalm#118:#

26,#but#only#Luke#adds#the#word#“king”#to#the#

quote,#making#explicit#the#crowd’s#

proclamaJon#of#a#new#king,#one#represenJng#

a#new#kingdom.#

Jesus’#“triumphal#entry”#deliberately#recalls#

Solomon’s#entry#into#Jerusalem,#when#David#

elevates#him#to#the#throne#in#1#Kings#1:#

38H40.#

Was#Saul#of#Tarsus#there?#

34(Confronta?on(


As#the#rising#young#star#in#Judaism,#

Saul#had#a#vested#interest#in#

maintaining#and#defending#the#

status&quo,#and#Jesus’#acJons#are#blatantly#inflammatory.###

That#is#only#reinforced#when#Jesus#

arrives#at#the#southern#steps#of#the#

Temple#with#a#whip,#driving#out#the#

merchants#and#money#changers,#

shouJng:##“It&is&wriHen,&‘My&house&shall&be&a&house&of&prayer,&but&you&have&made&it&a&den&of&thieves’”&(Luke#19:#46).##


# # # # ##

Unknown.##Christ&Driving&the&Traders&from&the&Temple&(oil#on#panel),##c.#1570.#NaJonal#Gallery#of#Denmark,#Copenhagen.#



The#next#day#the#religious#leaders#confront#

Jesus#and#demand:##“By&what&authority&are&you&doing&these&things?&&Or&who&is&the&one&who&gave&you&this&authority?”##Jesus#replies:##“I&shall&ask&you&a&quesEon.&&Tell&me,&was&John’s&bapEsm&of&heavenly&or&of&human&origin?”&&ASer#discussing#it,#the#religious#leaders#say,#“We#don’t#know.”##And#Jesus#says,#

in#effect,#“I#didn’t#think#so!”#

This#exchange#publically#humiliates#the#

religious#leaders,#and#we#can#only#imagine#the#

crowds#guffawing#at#them#as#they#are#taken#

aback.###


# # # # ##


Jesus#presses#the#acack,#regaling#the#

crowds#with#the#parable#of#the#

“tenant#farmers,”#a#scathing#

indictment#of#the#religious#leaders.##

Once#more#the#crowds#cheer#him#on,#

and#the#religious#leaders#can#do#

nothing,#for#the#crowds#are#huge,#and#

they#hang#on#Jesus’#every#word,#

delighted#at#Jesus’#audacity#and#his#

rapier#wit#in#skewering#the#corrupt#

authoriJes.#


# # # # ##


Next,#the#religious#leaders#“sent&agents&pretending&to&be&righteous&who&were&to&trap&him&in&his&speech,”&discrediJng#him#before#the#

crowds.##It#would#take#a#very#clever#man#to#do#

so.#

The#most#clever#of#them#asks,#“Is&it&lawful&for&us&to&pay&tribute&to&Caesar&or&not?”—knowing#

that#answering#either&“yes”#or#“no”#will#discredit#him#before#the#crowds#or#get#him#

arrested#by#the#Roman#authoriJes.#

Jesus#then#asks#the#man#for#a#coin;#the#man#

tosses#it#to#him,#and#Jesus#displays#Caesar’s#

picture#on#the#coin—a#coin#the#people#may#

not#bring#into#the#Temple#precincts,#but#the#

religious#leaders#do.####

Did#Saul#of#Tarsus#toss#the#coin?#

# # # # ##

TiJan.##Tribute&Money&(oil#on#panel),##1516.#Old#Masters#Gallery,#Dresden.#



• When#Judas#led#a#crowd#to#the#Garden#of#

Gethsemane#to#arrest#Jesus,#was#Saul#of#

Tarsus#among#them?#

• Although#Saul#was#not#yet#a#member#of#the#

Sanhedrin,#was#he#present#(perhaps#as#an#

assistant)#at#the#home#of#the#high#priest,#

Caiaphas,#during#Jesus’#trial?#

• When#Jesus#was#accused#before#Pilate#at#the#

Antonia#Fortress,#did#Saul#of#Tarsus#shout#

from#the#crowd,#“Crucify#him!”?#

• On#the#cross#we#read#that#“The&people&stood&by&and&watched;&the&rulers,&meanwhile,&sneered&at&him&and&said,&‘He&saved&others,&let&him&save&himself&if&he&is&the&chosen&one,&the&Messiah&of&God’”#(Luke#23:#35),#was#Saul#of#Tarsus#among#them;#did#Saul#of#Tarsus#say#the#

words?#

# # # # ##


Finally,#when#Stephen#stands#

before#the#Sanhedrin,#speaking#

boldly#against#the#Temple#and#the#

law#of#Moses—#deeming#both#

irrelevant—and#then#when#he#

accuses#the#high#priest#and#

religious#leaders#of#the#betrayal#

and#murder#of#Jesus—does#that#

finally#push#Saul#over#the#edge,#

triggering#his#own#murderous#rage?##

# # # # ##

Not#me.##


Isn’t#it#ironic#that#

Jesus#chose#Saul#

to#be#THE#

Apostle!(

Wow!##I#had#never#thought#about#

it#that#way.##If#any&one#of#those#statements#is#true,#that#would#go#

a#long#way#toward#explaining#

Saul’s#“overHtheHtop,”#rage#and#

his#hatred#of#Jesus#and#the#

Church.(

43(

El#Greco.#St.&Paul&(oil#on#canvas),##1600.#Saint#Louis#Art#Museum,#Saint#Lewis,#Missouri.#


“This&saying&is&trustworthy&and&deserves&full&acceptance:&&Christ&Jesus&came&into&the&world&to&save&sinners.&&Of&these&I&am&the&foremost.”## #(1#Timothy#1:#15H17)#


For#an#inHdepth#study#of#St.#Paul,#listen#to#Dr.#Creasy’s#24Hlecture#course,##

Paul,&from&Sinner&to&Saint,#on#Audible.com.#

50+#reviews,#4.7#stars!#

1.   What#was#St.#Paul’s#hometown#of#Tarsus#

noted#for?#

2.   What#evidence#do#you#find#to#support#the#

idea#that#St.#Paul#had#a#1st#class#educaJon#in#

classical#literature#and#rhetoric?#

3.   Why#did#St.#Paul#move#from#Tarsus#to#

Jerusalem?#

4.   Had#St.#Paul#met#Jesus#prior#to#his#encounter#

with#him#on#the#Road#to#Damascus?###

5.   What#were#Saul’s#moJves#for#persecuJng#the#

Church?#


Copyright#©#2015#by#William#C.#Creasy#

# All# rights# reserved.# No# part# of# this# course—audio,# video,#

photography,# maps,# Jmelines# or# other# media—may# be#

reproduced#or#transmiced#in#any#form#by#any#means,#electronic#

or# mechanical,# including# photocopying,# recording# or# by# any#

informaJon# storage# or# retrieval# devices# without# permission# in#

wriJng#or#a#licensing#agreement#from#the#copyright#holder.#


Documents

8. Excursus, A Portrait of St. Paullogosdocs.s3.amazonaws.com/third-edition/007-acts/008... · 2015-08-10 · Excursus,(A(Portrait(of(St.(Paul( 15(The barge she sat in, like a burnish’d