Boys · Latin · New Testament · classic · Early church
Paul
/PAWL/
Παῦλος (Greek) / שָׁאוּל (Hebrew: Saul)
"Small; humble; little"
Acts 9:1
RoleApostle; missionary; theologian; author of most of the New Testament
Etymology
From the Latin 'paulus', meaning small or humble. His Hebrew name was Saul (שָׁאוּל, 'asked for'). The shift from Saul to Paul was not a name change at conversion but the use of his Roman name as he moved into Gentile mission. The irony is deliberate: the man who wrote most of the New Testament was named 'small.'
Who they were
Paul is arguably the most influential figure in Christian history after Jesus himself. He entered the story as Saul of Tarsus — a Pharisee, a student of the great rabbi Gamaliel, a Roman citizen, and a zealous persecutor of the church. He held the coats of those who stoned Stephen. He went house to house dragging believers to prison. On the road to Damascus, intent on arresting more Christians, he was struck by a blinding light and heard a voice: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' He asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The answer: 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.' For three days he was blind. Ananias — a terrified believer — was sent to restore his sight and baptise him. God told Ananias that Paul was 'my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.' What followed was three decades of relentless mission. Three major journeys across the Roman Empire. Churches planted in Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus, and beyond. Thirteen epistles (possibly more) that became the theological backbone of Christianity. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, snake-bitten, and hungry. He wrote Romans — the most systematic presentation of the gospel ever composed — and Philippians, a letter of joy written from a prison cell. His theology of grace, justification by faith, the body of Christ, and the inclusion of Gentiles reshaped human history. Tradition says he was beheaded in Rome under Nero around AD 64-67. His name — small — turned out to be the opposite of his legacy.
Character qualities
- Absolute intellectual brilliance
- Physical endurance
- Pastoral tenderness
- Theological precision
- Willingness to suffer
Key verse
Acts 9:15
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Pablo · Paolo · Pavel · Pavlos · Pol
Read their story
Paul's story begins in Acts.
The full passage is at Acts 9:1. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →