Mr. Scotto
New Testament Research Paper
5 May 2017
St. Paul was known as one of the leaders of the first generation of Christians, and is also considered to be the second most important figure in the history of Christianity (Britannica Web). He became an Apostle in the early church shortly after Jesus’ death. His teachings have been studied by all people since the beginning of the Catholic Church. Paul’s passages have inspired Christians all around the world to “count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord” (Philippians 3:8). St. Paul the apostle, his original name was Saul, was born around 4 B.C. in Tarsus, Cilicia which is now modern day Turkey. He was a descendent from the tribe of Benjamin which is one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel (Life Web). Paul was most likely very educated and was apparently a student of the rabbi …show more content…
All of the thirteen books that have his name in them are letters. But only seven of the thirteen letters can be accepted as being authentic letters dictated by Paul (Britannica Web). A lot of what we know about Paul comes from written sources like these and the Acts of the Apostles. These are really the only sources we have of Paul’s life. We do not have any formal biography of Paul’s life so some biblical scholars have been able to piece the basic outline of Paul’s life together. Paul is considered to be among the most famous, smart, and influential of all the Apostles. Many people argue that he was the leader of the Apostles but this is not supported by evidence. Scholars believe he likely preached at the request of St. Peter who was Pope at the time. In 67 A.D. Paul made his way to Spain, then returned east, and finally to Rome for the second time. There he was arrested for a second time and this time he was beheaded by Roman Emperor Nero and died a martyr (St. Paul