About his birth, Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia” (Acts 22:3), growing up in Jerusalem, of the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1), born with Roman citizenship, because his ancestors had obtained Roman nationality (Acts 22:25-28). Therefore, he simultaneously had the Jewish name “Saul” (in Hebrew), and Roman name “Paulus” (in Latin). His Roman citizenship and privileges not only allowed him to travel freely to every part of the empire and helped facilitating his missionary work, but also granted him the right to appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:10-12).
Since Tarsus was an important business stop for traders, Paul had learned the most popular language at that time, Greek, since childhood. He learned and earned his living as a tentmaker, a craftsmanship which allowed him to maintain his livelihood and not being a burden to the church (Acts 18:3; 1 Peter 2:9). His body as if had some kind of prolonged illness to be encumbered, which had given Paul stabbing pain for a long time, but the Apostle had never given details on what kind of physical illness (Gal 4:13; 2 Cor 12:7).
Paul received good education since childhood, first in Tarsus, and then in Jerusalem. He received his education on Jewish laws at the famous School of Gamaliel, “At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.” (Acts 22:3) This had caused him to become fanatically attached to Pharisaic traditions and observances. Such being the case, it is not difficult to understand why Paul approved the death of Stephen (Acts 7:54-58). He could not tolerate the existence of Jesus’ new ministry. Paul not only persecuted the church in Jerusalem, he also requested Damascus to eliminate the followers of Jesus.
But Paul did not realize that the ensuing journey would radically change his fate. On his way to Damascus, Paul was converted by the resurrected Christ (Acts 9); Paul’s intense ever-lasting conversion experience transformed him from a Christian persecutor (Acts 8:3; 1 Cor 15:9) to a fervent evangelist and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Later he even mentioned, “I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ (Jesus).”(Phil 3:12) The appearance of Christ was in no difference than that to the other apostles (1 Cor 15:5-8). Henceforth he was completely humble and submissive, and became God’s chosen instrument.
After conversion to Christ, Paul took evangelization as his lifelong mission. On one hand, he encouraged and looked after the early church of the Lord Jesus; on the other hand, he faced conservative Jews to add for his persecution and the tribulation. In the following twenty-something years, Paul’s footsteps spread between Europe, Asia, and the Mediterranean costal regions, and he wrote many letters during his journeys. The “Acts of the Apostles” accounts of Paul’s three missionary journeys, begun with Antioch in Syria, which was in each stance the starting-point.
Paul’s missionary work was by no means trouble-free (Acts 15:1-12); Paul was being put into prison many times for carrying the Lord’s name, in addition to all sorts of difficulties, sufferings and persecutions (2 Cor 11:23-29). The path of the apostle was described insofar as a passage to the Way of the Cross. (Acts 9:15-16).
At the end of the Way of the Cross was the crowning of Paul’s martyrdom. On his final journey, while he was in a Roman prison, he was still pondering the newborn churches of the Lord, and thus he wrote “The Epistle to the Ephesians”, “The Epistle to the Colossians”, and “The Epistle to the Philippians”. Towards the latter period of his imprisonment, around AD 67, he wrote a letter to his beloved disciple, Timothy (2 Tim 4:6-9), and urged him to come to Rome quickly. But we have no knowledge of whether Timothy was able to reach the Roman prison before the Apostle’s execution.
At the height of the Neronian persecution, around AD 67, Paul was beheaded at Aquae Salviae along Via Ostiense (the Road to Ostia) on the outskirts of Rome. The San Paolo alle Tre Fontane church is built on the location where Paul’s martyrdom is believed to have been taken place. Some of Paul’s relics are kept at the Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura (Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls) nowadays.