Meet the Apostle Paul—Part Three
I have been compiling my notes to preach on the life and letters of the Apostle Paul at Christ’s Community Church. I will be uploading some of them in preparation.
Saul/Paul was born in Tarsus (Acts 21:39; 22:3). His family supported the Pharisee sect[1] (Acts 23:6) and obviously they had high hopes for their son.
Tarsus was a large city for its day (estimated to house about 300,000 people). It was a “college town” boasting one of the most prestigious universities of the Roman world (think modern day Boston). Like college towns today, it had a reputation![2]
Tarsus was a wealthy metropolis with fertile ground around it and a thriving textile industry. Paul’s family probably was involved in producing leather and linen goods for that was the Apostle’s day job and what Tarsus was known for throughout the Roman Empire (Acts 18:3) (more on ancient rabbis/teachers and their income in a later post). While known as a port city, the city largely lay ten miles inland to protect its citizens from pirates.
As a college town, it was also a center of both paganism and philosophy. Because Tarsus still exists as a thriving city, a great deal of it has not been excavated by archaeologists but statutes to various Roman “gods” have been unearthed. The ancient historian Strabo noted that Tarsus was one of, if not, the greatest philosophical centers of its day[3] and boasted a renowned library. Students were apparently encouraged to study abroad as well as a number of leading stoics rose from the city. Tarsus was known as a center for other academic pursuits including rhetoric (public speaking).
This was the place Paul called home as a boy and student. Obviously, he was well prepared to be the Savior King’s “Apostle to the Gentiles.” He was immersed in the academic and religious world of the wider Roman Empire from a young age. All the while, he was being instructed in the ways of a Pharisee.
Scholars have long noted that Paul’s letters and recorded speeches in Acts betray a well-educated person (see Acts 26:24). How did he acquire it?
That will call for another post, so tune back in.