Paul the Apostle: His personality and Achievement

Paul, "apostle to the gentiles," was born a Roman citizen at Tarsus; he was a Jew, a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, and from the tribe of Benjamin. Paul was educated in Jerusalem under Gamaliel the Elder, a grandson of Hillel, and perhaps in Tarsus (although doubtful). He was a persecutor of the church originally, but became a convert after the death of Stephen, probably in the year 34 C.E. He wrote several epistles, thirteen of which are preserved in the New Testament. His method and style, and his use of types and allegory, are strictly rabbinical. His social status was ideal to preach to the gentiles, since his Roman citizenship and mastery of Greek allowed him safe travel. As a Pharisee, he gained access into the synagogues of the Diaspora. Paul was beaten and stoned several times, and his martyrdom at Rome took place during the first Jewish War (probably in 67 C.E.). Jewish Christians accused him of abandoning the law and teaching others to follow his example, but this is erroneous, as his writings indicate.

A. S. Peake, in two excellent articles, describes Paul's personality, achievement, and relation with the Jewish church. His early life is reconstructed in order to outline what Peake believes to be reasons for his early departure from the apostolic church. His theological shift after conversion is then discussed in some detail. The author covers the apostle's own understanding of his calling and ministry, as well as its effectiveness in the churches he established. It was Paul's directness and training that permitted him to have a lasting affect on the church, one which Peake regards as the greatest ever known. The second article deals more specifically with Paul the Jew, especially as it relates to the Diaspora and to the gentile church. The intense, contentious relationship he had with the Jerusalem church is the chief focus of the article. The apostle's interpretation of the requirements imposed upon the gentiles, and his confrontations with those he called Judaizers, are essential for understanding the later development of his thought.