Next to Jesus, the most intriguing figure of the 1st century of Christianity

Far better known than Jesus because he wrote letters that we have as primary sources today

Paul wrote thirteen letters which are included in the New Testament

Letters Were Written To:Letters Were Written To:RomansRomans CorinthiansCorinthians

GalatiansGalatiansEphesiansEphesians PhilippiansPhilippians

ColossiansColossiansThessaloniansThessalonians TimothyTimothy TitusTitusPhilemonPhilemon

Romans did not pay much attention to the Christians. Seeing Christianity as just another sect within Judaism

Romans tolerated other religious as long as they did not threaten public order or public morals

All Romans were supposed to participate in public rituals honoring Roman gods

Christians only believed in one God and refused to take part in these ceremonies

Romans saw this refusal as an act of treason, punishable by death

While Jesus is regarded by Christians as the founder of the faith, Paul's role in defining Christianity can't be ignored. "Paul is regarded as the great interpreter of Jesus' mission, who explained, in a way that Jesus himself never did, how Jesus' life and death fitted into a cosmic scheme of salvation, stretching from the creation of Adam to the end of time."

As a youth in Jerusalem, Saul/Paul became part of the opposition to the newly formed Jerusalem

Saul was an active persecutor of the Jerusalem Church, entering its synagogues and arresting its members

The high priest entrusted Saul with an important mission, to travel to Damascus and arrest prominent members of the Jerusalem Church

On the way to Damascus, Paul experienced a vision of Jesus that converted him from persecutor to believer

Christianity grew slowly in the first century, took root in the second century, and spread widely during the third

Christianity was personal and offered everyone an eternal life

It was familiar in that it contained elements of familiar and popular religions. Paul's new religion had the advantage over other salvation-cults of being attached to the Hebrew Scriptures, which Paul now reinterpreted as forecasting the salvation-death of Jesus.

It filled the human need to belong by offering Christian community groups where people could come together and help one another in times of sickness and need