Paul the Apostle facts for kids

"Saint Paul" redirects here. For the U.S. city, see Saint Paul, Minnesota.

A painting of Paul of Tarsus by Rembrandt

Paul of Tarsus, also known as St Paul, (AD 9–67) was a Messianic Jewish-Roman, Turkish writer and rabbi. He wrote the Pauline Epistles in the New Testament. It is believed that he wrote thirteen books of the Bible, all of which are letters to churches and Christians, encouraging them, helping them to understand Christian teaching and helping them to live Christian lives.

Paul's name was originally Saul. He grew up learning both the Jewish law and the Greek ways of discussing things. When the Christian movement began, after the death of Jesus, he was strongly against it. He worked for the Roman Government and helped lead the arrests and killing of many Christians in Israel and the nearby area.

While he was on the road to Damascus in search of Christians there, he had a vision. In the vision Jesus Christ spoke to him, telling Saul that his persecution of Christians was a persecution of Jesus himself, and that it did not please God. Saul was blinded by the vision. A short time later he met Ananias, a disciple of Jesus, and his sight came back to him. (see Acts 22:12)

Saul was baptised as a Christian. He spent the next three years studying the Jewish scriptures again to find explanations for the Christian teachings. His experiences changed his viewpoint completely. He changed his name to Paul and he dedicated his life to serving Jesus Christ. He used his earlier education to explain his new faith to other people, and to discuss things with people who had other beliefs. He traveled around the Roman Empire, teaching others about Christianity, and wrote letters back and forth with the churches he helped to begin. The letters contain many important parts of Christian teaching.

Paul was put to death by orders of the emperor Nero in Rome, in 67 AD. He had the rights of a Roman citizen, which meant that he could be put to death by having his head cut off with a sword, rather than by crucifixion.

Related pages

Facial composite of Paul the Apostle, made by experts of the state police of NRW, Germany

Twelve Apostles

Images for kids

The Conversion of Saul, fresco by Michelangelo, 1542–45
Geography relevant to Paul's life, stretching from Jerusalem to Rome
Conversion on the Way to Damascus (1601), by Caravaggio
Caravaggio (1571–1610), The Conversion of Saint Paul, 1600
Paul the Apostle, by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn c. 1657
The house believed to be of Ananias of Damascus in Damascus
Bab Kisan, believed to be where Paul escaped from persecution in Damascus
Saint Paul delivering the Areopagus sermon in Athens, by Raphael, 1515. This sermon addressed early issues in Christology.
Saint Paul arrested, early 1900s Bible illustration
Statue of St. Paul in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran by Pierre-Étienne Monnot
Paul Writing His Epistles, painting attributed to Valentin de Boulogne, 17th century
Russian Orthodox icon of the Apostle Paul, 18th century (Iconostasis of Transfiguration Church, Kizhi Monastery, Karelia, Russia)
Paul the Apostle, (16th-century) attributed to Lucas van Leyden
Statue of St. Paul (1606) by Gregorio Fernández
A statue of Paul holding a scroll (symbolising the Scriptures) and the sword (symbolising his martyrdom)
Saint Paul, Byzantine ivory relief, 6th – early 7th century (Musée de Cluny)