Paul, the great missionary of the Gentiles, was born in Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia, a province in the southeastern part of Asia Minor. The city was situated on the Cydnus River, about twelve miles from the Mediterranean Sea, and was noted for its schools of philosophy and rhetoric. Since Tarsus was a free city, its citizens enjoyed special privileges under the Roman government; and Paul himself possessed the prized right of Roman citizenship, chap. 22, 28. He was of Jewish parentage, of the tribe of Benjamin, Phil. 3, 5, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, brought up in strict Pharisaic training. Although born in a Greek city and acquainted with Greek language and culture, he remained thoroughly Jewish in religion and life.
His parents gave him the Hebrew name Saul, probably in memory of the first king of Israel, who also belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. His Roman name was Paul. According to Jewish custom he learned a trade, that of tent-making, chap. 18, 3, a craft which was especially natural in Cilicia, where the hair of the goats was woven into a coarse cloth used for tents. At the proper age he was sent to Jerusalem and educated at the feet of Gamaliel, chap. 22, 3, one of the most honored teachers of the law. There he became zealous for the traditions of the fathers and advanced in Judaism beyond many of his equals, Gal. 1, 14. His whole early training fitted him, humanly speaking, for the work which the Lord afterward assigned to him. He knew the Old Testament, the rabbinical arguments of the Jews, the Greek language, the conditions of the Dispersion, and the rights of Roman citizenship.
At first this zeal made him a violent persecutor of the Church. He consented to the death of Stephen, ravaged the congregation at Jerusalem, entered houses, and dragged men and women to prison. Not content with persecuting the Christians in Jerusalem, he obtained authority from the high priest to pursue them even to foreign cities. On the way to Damascus the risen Lord appeared to him and made him His chosen vessel to bear His name before Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. After his conversion he preached Christ in Damascus, retired for a time into Arabia, returned to Damascus, escaped from the plots of the Jews, visited Jerusalem, and was then sent to Tarsus. The further events of his life will appear in the course of the history, while the probable facts as to his last years will be discussed in connection with some of his last letters.