We learn that Paul was a little younger than Jesus!
How small, thin, energetic, bald and bearded he was!
Paul means small!
He had unfailing endurance!
He insists on his great education!
He studied in Tarsus and then in Jerusalem!
Culturally, he was very different from the other apostles!
Paul spoke four languages: Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, and probably Latin!
He also knew how to swim!
He lived under the reign of 5 emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero!
He was able to move freely thanks to the “pax romana” established under Emperor Augustus!
He was able to take the many roads built by the Romans and take advantage of the navigation network that criss-crossed the Mediterranean!
Paul was also able to take advantage of the presence of numerous Jewish colonies spread throughout the territory of the empire!
Carlos Mesters divides Paul's life into four main periods:
From birth to age 28: the practicing Jew.
From 28 to 41: the ardent convert.
From 41 to 53 years old: the itinerant missionary.
From 53 to 62 years old: the prisoner and the organizer of the communities. He would have been put to death at the age of 62.
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3- Who is Paul of Tarsus?
Paul was born around the year 8 of our era. He would therefore be about ten years younger than Jesus of Nazareth. Of his parents and his childhood, we know little. In his letters, he says nothing about his family. Saint Luke tells us that Paul had a married sister, residing in Jerusalem and a nephew who will save his life (Acts 23, 16).
All his life, he maintained his belonging to the Jewish people: "Circumcised from the eighth day", "of the race of Israel", "of the tribe of Benjamin".
Physically: small,
lean, energetic,
bald and bearded
Saul (pronounced [SAWL] in English), is the Hebrew name given to him at circumcision. To this Semitic name he would later add that of Paulus. He has not changed his name but he has a double name: Saul-Paulus which means "little", "little". Very quickly, he will be known by this name alone.
The Acts of Paul, a small book written around the middle of the 2nd century, gives us the following portrait of the apostle to the Gentiles: We saw him coming , a short, bald-headed, bow-legged, vigorous man, eyebrows together, nose slightly aquiline. Throughout the centuries, tradition has preserved this image of Paul: small, thin, energetic, bald and bearded.
Paul may not have had an athletic body, but he was propelled by exceptional strength and vigor. In the 2nd letter to the Corinthians, he writes:
“Often I was close to death. Five times I received thirty-nine lashes from the Jews; three times I was scourged by the Romans; once stoned; three times I have been shipwrecked. I happened to spend a day and a night in the sea! Travels without number, dangers of the rivers, dangers of the brigands, dangers of my compatriots, dangers of the pagans, dangers of the city, dangers of the desert, dangers of the sea, dangers of the false brothers! Labor and fatigue, frequent vigils, hunger and thirst, repeated fasts, cold and nakedness!” (2 Corinthians 11, 25-27)
Despite his fragile appearance, he was of an endurance to all tests.
Paul is a man of great education. He did his first studies in Tarsus, his native city, and then he studied in Jerusalem, with the most famous Jewish teacher of his time: Gamaliel.
Those who met him realized very quickly that he was an educated person. During his arrest in Caesarea, the Roman prosecutor Porcius Festus will say to Paul: “You are mad, Paul; your great knowledge makes you lose your head”. (Acts 26, 24)
Culturally, Paul is very different from the apostles who were viewed by Jewish authorities as ignorant people. After the resurrection, during their arrest in Jerusalem, Peter and John will be judged by the members of the Sanhedrin as people without education: "Considering the assurance of Peter and John and realizing that they were people without education or culture, the members of the Sanhedrin were amazed. (Acts 4, 13)
Paul spoke four languages: Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, and probably Latin. Aramaic was his mother tongue and Greek that of Tarsus and the Empire. He was well acquainted with Hebrew, the language of the Holy Scriptures. A Roman citizen, he probably spoke the language of the masters of the Empire. He had studied the philosophy and literature of Greece, he excelled in geography, navigation and sport. His vast culture contrasted with the narrow religion of his ancestors.
Not only did Paul know how to read and write, he also knew how to swim: “Three times I was shipwrecked and I happened to spend a day and a night in the sea.” (2 Corinthians 11, 25) This was among the Greeks a sign of education. Four centuries before Jesus Christ, Plato who lived from -428 to -348 wrote: "The ignorant is a man who can neither read nor swim".
Paul's life took place under the reign of five emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. Three of them became real bloodthirsty monsters. Paul was born in Tarsus, in the East, he died in Rome, in the West.
Paul lived in a time that favored travel. He was able to move freely thanks to the “pax romana” established under Emperor Augustus. Taking the many roads built by the Romans and taking advantage of the navigation network that criss-crossed the Mediterranean, it covers thousands of kilometres. The organization of the Empire allowed not only the armies but also the population in general to move in safety. For thirteen years, he traveled on the sea and undertook long journeys through hills and mountains, under the snow in winter and by 40¤ heat in summer. During his travels, Paul was able to take advantage of the presence of numerous Jewish colonies spread throughout the territory of the empire.
Paul was a real city dweller. He knew little of the countryside and the life of the farmers of his time, but he understood city life, military life and sports well. In his letters, he uses images of the army, urban politics and the Olympics. We find the following expressions: to continue the race, to win the prize, to obtain the laurel wreath, to fight without hitting the void, to run in the right direction. He knows the hardships and discipline of athletes.
Paul was a larger than life figure. Influenced by the values of Judaism, the depth of Greek philosophy, the rigor of Roman culture and the richness of Christian tradition, he became one of the most original thinkers in the history of Christianity.
Carlos Mesters divides Paul's life into four main periods:
From birth to age 28: the practicing Jew.
From 28 to 41: the ardent convert.
From 41 to 53 years old: the itinerant missionary.
From 53 to 62 years old: the prisoner and the organizer of the communities. He would have been put to death at the age of 62.
