Who was St. Paul?

St. Paul was a Jewish persecutor of Christians whom the risen Jesus converted and called to be an apostle. He became the great missionary to the Gentiles and one of the New Testament's principal authors.

His early life. Paul was also called Saul. He was a Jew from Tarsus, a Roman citizen, and a Pharisee trained under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3, 25-29; Phil 3:5). Zealous for the ancestral law, he approved the killing of St. Stephen and tried to destroy the Church by arresting Christians (Acts 7:58; 8:1-3). His sincerity did not make his actions right. He later described himself as a persecutor who had received mercy (1 Tim 1:13-16).

His conversion and calling. While Paul traveled to Damascus to arrest Christians, the risen Jesus appeared to him and said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" (Acts 9:4). Christ's words show His profound union with the Church: to attack Christians is to attack Christ Himself. Paul was blinded, led into Damascus, instructed by Ananias, baptized, and soon began proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:10-20; CCC 442). His conversion was a gift of grace and a call to a new mission.

His apostolic mission. Paul was not one of the original Twelve, but he truly received an apostolic commission from the risen Christ (1 Cor 9:1; Gal 1:11-17). He traveled through Asia Minor, Greece, and other regions, founding and strengthening Christian communities. Acts records several of these missionary efforts. Paul preached that salvation is God's gift in Christ, received through faith and Baptism, and lived out through love and obedience (Rom 3:21-26; Gal 5:6; 1 Cor 13:1-13).

His letters. Thirteen New Testament letters traditionally bear Paul's name. They address doctrine, worship, morality, Church order, suffering, marriage, spiritual gifts, and Christian unity. Scholars debate whether Paul personally composed every word of every letter bearing his name or whether disciples and secretaries helped produce some of them. The Church has not dogmatically settled those literary questions. She does teach that these canonical writings are inspired Scripture, whatever precise human process produced them (CCC 105-107).

His death and witness. Ancient Christian tradition holds that Paul was martyred in Rome under Emperor Nero, probably in the AD 60s. Because he was a Roman citizen, tradition says he was beheaded. Read Acts 9, then Philippians, to meet Paul through both his conversion and his own pastoral voice. His life shows that no past sin places a repentant person beyond Christ's mercy or His call.