– Formerly called Saul, he was a Jew, born in Tarsus, in Cilicia:
Acts 21:39 : Paul replied: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of that illustrious city.”
– A convinced Pharisee and son of Pharisees, he persecuted the Church in its early days, even approving the stoning of Stephen:
Acts 7:58–8 :3: The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Acts 9,1-2 : Meanwhile, Saul only breathed threats and death against the disciples of the Lord.
Acts 22:4 : I persecuted this doctrine to the death, arresting and putting men and women in prison.
Acts 26 : 10-11: This is what I did in Jerusalem, and I have locked up many brothers in prison.
1Cor 15,9 : For I am the least of the apostles, and I am not worthy to be called an apostle.
Gal 1:13 : Surely you have heard how I used to live in Judaism, with what excess I persecuted the Church of God.
Phil 3 :6 : Concerning zeal, persecutor of the Church; as to legal justice, avowedly irreproachable.
– Converted to Christianity near Damascus:
Acts 9,3-19 : During the journey, when he was close to Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven surrounded him.
Acts 22:3-16 : He continued: “I am a Jew, I was born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but I grew up in this city”.
Acts 26:12-20 : With that in mind, I went to Damascus, with the power and commission of the high priests.
– He was assisted by that Christian community and soon began to preach that Jesus was the Son of God:
Acts 9:20-22 : Immediately he began to proclaim through the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
– After going to Arabia:
Gal 1:17 : Without going to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, I left for Arabia.
– He went up to Jerusalem:
Acts 9,26-28 : Arriving in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they all feared him.
Gal 1,18-19 : Three years later I went up to Jerusalem to meet Cephas.
– On his first trip to spread the Church of Jesus Christ abroad, he was with Barnabas in Cyprus, Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe:
Acts 13:14 : But they, leaving Perge, went to Antioch in Pisidia.
Acts 15:36–18 : 22: Paul said to Barnabas: “Let us visit the brothers again in all the cities where we have preached”.
Acts 18:23–21 :17: There he stayed only a little while, then left again and passed through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia in succession.
– Attended the Jerusalem meeting with Peter and the elders:
Acts 15:1-29 : Paul and Barnabas […] went to discuss this matter with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.
Gal 2,1-10 : Fourteen years later, I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, taking Titus with me.
– On the second journey, with Silas and Timothy, he went from Antioch to Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth and back to Antioch:
Acts 15:36–18-22 : Let us visit the brothers again in all the cities where we have preached the Word of the Lord.
– On the third journey, he left Antioch again, passed through Galatia and Phrygia, Ephesus, Macedonia, Greece, Troas, Miletus, Tyre, Ptolemais, Caesarea and Jerusalem:
Acts 18:23–21 : 17: He left again and passed through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia successively.
– There he was arrested:
Acts 21,27-40 : The tribune then approached, arrested him and had him chained with two chains.
– Transferred to Caesarea, where he remained a prisoner for two years:
Acts 23:23-35 : Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea.
– Appealed to Caesar:
Acts 25:10-12 : Paul, however, said: “I am before the court of Caesar. It is there that I must be judged.”
– Was taken to Rome:
Acts 27:27–28 : 16: We were already in the fourteenth night, on the Adriatic Sea.
– Preached while a prisoner:
Acts 28:17-31 : Three days later, Paul summoned the most prominent Jews.
– Paul wrote in 50 AD the letters to the Thessalonians; in 53 to Philippians and Philemon around 54 to First Corinthians and Galatians; in 56-57, the letter to the Romans; in 61-63, to the Colossians, the Ephesians, and Timothy. In 64 (or 67) his martyrdom took place in Rome.
