Saul, a Roman citizen born in the Mediterranean city of Tarsus (present-day Turkey), dedicated himself to persecuting Christians during his early youth but was converted to Christianity, according to the Bible, by the risen Jesus himself. This story, fantastic for non-believers and part of the doctrine for those who profess the Catholic religion, gave rise to the birth of one of the most important figures in the dissemination and positioning, to use terminologies more akin to our times, of the cult of Jesus Christ. in the world. Known as Pablo and later as Saint Paul the Apostle , he is a character whose validity remains despite the contradictions of his life and work. In times of civil strife over same-sex unions, it seems strange that Paul's verses are still recited at religious weddings, since it is likely that many young heterosexual couples who use those lines in their ceremonies do not approve. What did Paul write about homosexuality? But we better know more about the life and passage through the Land of Saint Paul the Apostle (The image corresponds to a painting by El Greco, which is currently in the Saint Louis Art Museum (Missouri, USA)
Saul of Tarsus, better known as Saint Paul the Apostle , he was a fervent follower of Christianity, who led to convert this doctrine into a universal religion. But Saul was not always a Christian because he participated in the first persecutions that were perpetrated against the followers of Christ.
Fourteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to his authorship, and approximately half of the book Acts of the Apostles has to do with the life and work of Saint Paul . Seven of the epistles have been considered authentic by various experts, and about the rest there are still debates about their veracity.
Saul would have been born between the years V and X in Tarsus, a city that occupies the territory that today belongs to Turkey. He had Roman nationality and grew up in a family of Jewish Pharisees.
One day, during a trip to Damascus, shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus, Saul received a great blessing, Jesus himself would have appeared to him on the trip in order that he accept Jesus Christ as his Savior and convert to Christianity, which at that time was considered a heretical sect of Judaism. It was on that same occasion that Jesus Christ changed his name from Saul to Paul of Tarsus.
Paul's conversion can be placed between the years 31 and 36 of the Christian Era, taking as a reference what he writes in one of his letters. For those who wish to consult the Bible, there are also references to this chapter in the Acts of the Apostles (9:1-31; 22:1-22; and 26:9-24). In history it is said that, after seeing the risen Jesus, Paul was blind for three days, until Ananias, a doctor from Damascus, restored his sight. This experience convinced him of the mission entrusted to him by God.
From that date, Paul dedicated himself to spreading the Good News everywhere he traveled, such as Greece, Asia Minor, Syria and Palestine, he also wrote letters to different peoples of the Mediterranean .
Paul had training in theology, philosophy, legal facts, linguistics and business, he also mastered languages such as Greek, Latin, Aramaic and Hebrew, this situation opened several doors for him to spreading your message.
The Apostle left several concepts that prevail until today in Christianity, such as original sin, the belief that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of men and that his suffering redeem mankind. That Jesus Christ was God himself and not just a preacher, the rejection of sexuality and the subordination of women.
One of the writings of Saint Paul the Apostle , which is found in the seventh book of the New Testament, is widely used in today's masses, particularly in the rites associated with the sacrament of marriage. The passage, verbatim, says the following:
“1Even if I spoke all the languages of men and angels, if I lack love I would be like a resounding brass or a tinkling bell. 2 Even if I had the gift of prophecy and discovered all the mysteries, -the highest knowledge-, even if I had enough faith to move mountains, if I lack love I am nothing. 3Even if I shared everything I own and even sacrificed my body, but to receive praise and without love, it is of no use to me. 4 Love is patient and shows understanding. Love is not jealous, it does not pretend or inflate. 5 It does not act basely or seek its own interest, it does not give way to anger and forget what is bad. 6Does not rejoice over wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7He endures in spite of everything, believes everything, expects everything and bears everything” (First Letter to the Corinthians, 13:1-7)
he died executed in the year 67, after being imprisoned in Rome during the rule of Nero. Although there are various theories about his death, this is the most widespread. Saint Paul It has a main sanctuary in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the walls in Rome, Italy. After a series of excavations carried out in this place since 2002, a group of archaeologists from the Vatican discovered in 2006, skeletal human remains in a marble sarcophagus located under the main altar of the temple. The tomb dates from approximately the year 390. Using the carbon-14 dating technique, it was determined that the bone remains came from the 1st or 2nd century. In June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI announced the results of the investigations carried out up to that moment and expressed his conviction that, due to the background, location and dating, it could be the remains of Saint Paul the Apostle .
Saint Paul the Apostle