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Paul the Apostle

Early Christian apostle and missionary (c. AD 5 – c. 64/65)

b. c. 5 · d. c. 66

Paul, commonly known as Paul the Apostle or Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century AD. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally regarded as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age, and he also founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-40s to the mid-50s AD.

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How we know

Recorded as a historical figure.

  • Acts of the Apostles 26 claims — Stoning of Stephen; Conversion of Paul; Paul's First Missionary Journey
  • Letter to the Colossians 2 claims — Tychicus and Onesimus carry the letter to Colossae; Demas deserts Paul
  • Ecclesiastical History 2 claims — Martyrdom of Paul; Timothy is left in charge at Ephesus
  • Acts of Paul and Thecla 1 claim — Thecla leaves her betrothal to follow Paul
  • Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans 1 claim — Andronicus and Junia greeted at Rome
  • Letter to Philemon 1 claim — Onesimus is sent back to Philemon
  • Letter to the Philippians 1 claim — Epaphroditus brings the gift and nearly dies of it
  • The Early Church 1 claim — Neronian persecution

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Written about

Glosses

  • Junia and the accent The name in Romans 16:7 is written IOUNIAN in an unaccented text, and the accent decides the sex: Iounian is the common Roman woman's name Junia, Iounian the otherwise unattested man's name Junias. Every ancient reader…
  • The Erastus pavement A limestone pavement east of the theatre at Corinth carries an inscription of the middle first century: ERASTVS PRO AEDILIT[AT]E S P STRAVIT — Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid this at his own expense. Paul…
  • The stone that dates the first century Almost every year in this dataset before about 60 is calculated backwards or forwards from one broken slab found at Delphi. It is a rescript of Claudius, and it names Lucius Junius Gallio as proconsul of Achaia while…
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  • The pseudo-Areopagite One verse of Acts gives Dionysius the Areopagite a name and a council seat and nothing else. Around the year 500 a body of Greek theological writing appeared under that name — the Divine Names, the Mystical Theology…
  • When the sea was open Half the journeys on this map are sea voyages, and the ancient Mediterranean was shut for a third of the year. Conybeare and Howson, who wrote their voyage chapter with a serving admiral’s papers in hand, say the sea…

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