With the birth of Paul, he emerged as a persecutor of Christians in Jerusalem. He is known to have been a true Hebrew, from the tribe of Benjamin, a devout and zealous member of the Pharisee group (Acts 23:6; Rom 11:1; Phil 3:5). He was born a Roman citizen in Tarsus (Acts 16:37; 21:39; 22:25-29). The theologian and historian Jerome mentions a belief that Paul's ancestors were from Galilee. It is thought that they came to Tarsus for commercial purposes. Their Roman citizenship indicates that they lived in Tarsus for a long time.
In the days when Paul was born and raised, Tarsus was an important center of education and learning. There is no doubt, therefore, that in his youth Paul was acquainted with various Greek thinkers and religious sects from Tarsus. It should be noted, however, that he spent many years in Jerusalem. In Acts 22:2-3, when speaking of his own background, he mentions that he was born in Tarsus in Cilicia and grew up in Jerusalem at the knee of Gamaliel, where he received a rigorous training in the law of the fathers. It is clear that Paul had a prominent position among the Pharisees, for he was a genius with official authority to persecute Christians,
he fact that he cast his vote against Christians sentenced to death shows that he was a member of the High Council (Acts 26:10). Given Paul's superior education and the title he had attained in his youth, his family also had an important status. For example, when his nephew learned of the plot against Paul, he entered the fortress in Jerusalem and was taken into account and allowed to speak to the high-ranking officials (Acts 23:16-20).
Believing in Jesus and the First Period of His Spiritual Ministry:
Paul had not met Jesus during his earthly ministry (2 Corinthians 5:16), but he had come to know Christ, both through his kinsmen who had believed in Christ before him (Romans 16:7) and through witnessing the murder of the believer Stephen (Acts 8:1). Jesus' question to Paul in Acts 26:14 alludes to this fact. Paul's encounter with the living Christ on the road to Damascus cannot be attributed to any other phenomenon. Christ miraculously revealed His glory to Paul on the road to Damascus. Paul was in his right mind at that moment, sober and awake. Moreover, those who were with him were deeply affected by this encounter.
Paul, who had been an enemy of Christ, was transformed by this miracle into an apostle of Christ. He witnessed the glory of Christ, heard His voice and met Him directly. Paul's account of this event (Acts 9, 22, 26) is written in language that leaves no doubt. They reveal that this encounter with Christ deeply affected Paul, changed his whole life and shaped his spiritual ministry in the years to come.
With his three evangelizations, Paul traveled step by step throughout Anatolia, spreading the Gospel, establishing churches and revisiting the churches he had established, encouraging them. He exhorted them to grow and take root in the faith,