Remembering the Apostle Paul

0
0
0
0
0
0
0share

This post is part 4 of the series:

The Apostle Paul was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, born at Tarsus in Cilicia. He was initially a great enemy to, and persecutor of the early Christians; but after his miraculous conversion, he became a strenuous supporter of Christianity. At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas were near being stoned to death by the enraged Jews; taking the opportunity they fled to Lyconia. At Lystra, Paul was stoned, dragged out of the city, and left for dead. He, however, revived, and escaped to Derbe. At Philippi, Paul and Silas were imprisoned and whipped, and both were again persecuted at Thessalonica. Being afterwards taken at Jerusalem, he was sent to Caesarea, but appealed to Caesar at Rome. Here he continued a prisoner at large for two years, after which, he is believed to have been released before being apprehended once again and subsequently put to death.Remembering the Apostle Paul

Paul’s Death at Rome

Martyrdom of the Apostle Paul

Of the final days of Paul’s life, the New Testament reveals little beyond what may be discerned from 2 Timothy—the last of the Apostle Paul’s thirteen New Testament epistles. The few scattered statements in the early Church Fathers who succeeded the apostles and other early church writers make it most probable that Paul died in Rome as a martyr, under Nero. Tradition suggests he visited churches in Greece and Rome, and perhaps preached in France and Spain. Returning to Rome, he was again apprehended, and by the order of Nero, martyred, by beheading. Early Church Father, Clement of Rome, in his first letter to the Corinthians, speaks of the apostles Peter and Paul: “Let us set before our eyes the good apostles, Peter, who through unjust envy endured not one or two, but numerous, labors, and, after he had at length suffered martyrdom, went to the place of glory appointed to him.” Other early Church witnesses to the martyrdom of Peter and Paul include the apocryphal Acts of Peter and Paul, Dionysius of Corinth, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and the Roman presbyter Caius who speaks of Peter’s grave in the Vatican, and the Apostle Paul’s on the Via Ostia.Remembering the Apostle Paul

Two days are dedicated to the commemoration of this apostle; the one being observed for his conversion, which is on the 25th of January, and the other for his martyrdom, which is on the 29th of June, which occurred sometime between 67 and 68. In the Western Church, the martyrdoms of the apostles Peter and Paul are both remember on June 29.

Apostolic Symbol

The renowned apostle to the Gentiles is represented in a two-fold way. First, he is seen with a sword, because his head was cut off with one. The Convent of La Lisla, Spain, boasts of possessing this very instrument that sent Paul to heaven. Then, he is symbolized by an open Bible with the words across it, Spiritus Gladius “Sword of the Spirit.” Behind the open Bible is the figure of a sword.

Celebrating Our Christian Heritage!

We are a user supported non-profit organization. Your small gift is tax-deductible and will go a long way to help us meet our operating budget — and it is vital, because
America deserves to know its true heritage.
Please contribute today!

Click to donate

Remembering the Apostle Matthias

Matthias was chosen by the early Church to take the place of Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:18-26). Along with the Apostle Paul, Matthias was not one of the original Twelve Disciples chosen by Christ. Matthias (a contraction of Matithiah or Matthew) was among those who followed Jesus during his earthly ministry. Often it is imagined that only the twelve followed Jesus during his ministry, but upon closer examination of Scripture, it becomes evident that there often many more than the twelve. Matthias was chosen by lot over Joseph Barsabas, to be onRead more...

Remembering the Apostle Thomas

The name Thomas, evidently rendered in its Greek form from the Aramaic, means the twin (John 11:16; 20:24; 21:2), and Didymus was taken from a Greek form. We are unable to say with certainty where Thomas was born, but Church tradition suggests that he was born at Antioch and had a twin-sister named Lysia. It may be that Judas was his real name, and that Thomas was a surname.Remembering the Apostle Thomas Biblical Record Concerning Thomas In the Gospel lists of the apostles, Thomas is associated with Matthew (in Matthew 10:3; Mark 3, 18; LRead more...

Remembering the Apostle Philip

In the Western Church, the lives of the Apostles Philip and James "The Less" are the first to be remembered in the calendar year. The Apostle Philip was born in Bethsaida (John 1:44; 12:21) of Galilee and was instrumental in the call of Nathanael (or Bartholomew) to become a disciple of Jesus. At the time of his call to follow Christ, Philip belonged to a group who had been influenced by the ministry of John the Baptist. Together with Andrew and other fellow-townsmen, Philip had journeyed to Bethany to listen to the teachings of John the BapRead more...

Remembering the Apostle James, Son of Zebedee

Remembering the Apostle James “James” is the name of three important figures of the New Testament: James the son of Alphaeus (also an Apostle of Christ), James the Just (brother of our Lord), and James the brother of John the Apostle and Son of Zebedee, to be consider here.Remembering the Apostle James Biblical Account James, brother of the Apostle John, is often known as “James the Great.” His mother, Salome, was a devoted follower of Jesus (Matthew 26:56; Mark 15:41). He was the older brother of the Apostle John, as is deduced from theRead more...