In the middle of the first century, in the city of Jerusalem, a new movement was taking shape within Judaism a movement based on the teachings of an executed Jew named Jesus. The new movement proclaimed this Jesus their Messiah. They spoke of his rising from the dead.
Their beliefs conflicted with some others in the Jewish city and they sometimes sought to drive the new movement out of the city, and out of existence. Among these persecutors was a young man named Saul or Paul of Tarsus. A devout Jew, unswerving in his views, Paul extended the persecutions to Jewish communities in neighboring cities. But Paul's life took an unexpected turn he himself had a vision of the risen Jesus, and turned from stamping out the new movement to spreading its teachings as fast and as far as possible.
From the hearths of simple peasants to the imperial palaces of Rome, Paul of Tarsus spread the word of his Messiah, covering thousands of miles by land and sea. The communities Paul founded would evolve into the Christian churches we know today. Through times of persecution, strife, and success, Paul would forever cling to his very personal understanding of the movement, an understanding that was soon embraced from the high plains of Turkey to the very walls of Rome.
Journey in Paul's footsteps around the greatest empire the world had ever known.
Saul of Tarsus was born sometime around 5 to 15 CE. It is unclear if he was born in Tarsus, or elsewhere to a family from Tarsus. What is clear is that he was born into three worlds: the Judaism of the first century, the Greek culture of the Mediterranean, and the administrative superstructure of the Roman Empire. His familiarity with each of these three worlds would make him uniquely suited for the missionary travels of his adult life; writing his letters in Greek, he signed his name Paul, the Latinized form of his Hebrew name, Saul.
Tarsus in the first century was one of the urban centers of the Eastern Mediterannean. The Southeastern coast of modern Turkey was known as Cilicia and was divided into two halves: a rugged mountain coastline on the West notorious as a hideout for pirates and a smooth fertile plain on the East. Boundaries defining regions were not fixed, permanent borders between nations. Rather, they were fluid, and often overlapping. A region was identified by its inhabitants, or geography, or occupying forces, and names could change at times of natural disaster, invasion, or immigration. Cities were defended by massive fortifying walls, and supported by what outlying resources and agricultural areas they could control.
The ancient geographer Strabo claims a mythical foundation for Tarsus, and modern archeology shows that the site had been inhabited since at least the third millennium BCE. Located on the river Cydnos, and near a mountain pass known as the Cilician Gates, it was an important hub for traffic of goods and people to and from the interior of modern Turkey. Since the conquests of Alexander in the fourth century BCE, Greek had been the common language of the Eastern Mediterranean, and Tarsus was no exception. At Alexander's death, his generals carved his empire into kingdoms, and the period and its culture are called Hellenistic. Like all the cities of the Hellenistic world, Tarsus' fortunes would rise and fall depending on political alliances with the players in Rome's foreign and civil wars. Rome annexed the city in 67 BCE as part of a campaign against piracy. After the assassination of Julius Caesar rival Roman generals rushed to carve their personal empires out of the territories he had controlled. One of these, Marc Antony, took a special liking to Tarsus, and it was here that he and the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra struck an alliance. Their defeat at the battle of Actium in 31 BCE secured the full circumference of the sea for Julius Caesar's heir, Octavian soon to be the first emperor, Augustus. The city was also known for its philosophers; whether Paul was familiar with Greek philosophical traditions from his mother-city Tarsus is open to speculation.
Tarsus had a sizable Jewish community. Jewish communities had existed outside Judea since the sixth century BCE Babylonian captivity. They began spreading west from the fourth century BCE; as refugees, slaves, and immigrants they put down roots in Egypt, Syria, Turkey and Greece. By the middle of the second century BCE the Hebrew Bible had been translated into Greek known as the Septuagint and there was a Jewish community in Rome. The center of the diaspora community was the synagogue, where the community gathered to pray, study Jewish law, and observe the Sabbath. While these communities adopted much of the language and culture of their new homes, they also preserved their national identity and religious beliefs and practices beliefs and practices often at odds with the mainstream culture. Monotheism, circumcision, and dietary restrictions separated the Jews from their polytheistic neighbors. Since their monotheism excluded worship of any other gods, Jewish proselytizing was discouraged, and, when practiced, could lead to expulsion from the city. Expulsions for proselytizing in Rome are recorded three times in 139 BCE, 19 CE, and in the principate of Claudius.
Thanks to legislation sponsored by Julius Caesar and Augustus, among others, Jewish religious liberties were protected by law: Jews were exempt from certain state rituals and festivals; their synagogues were exempt from the Roman ban on secret societies; and the annual Temple tax of a half-shekel was allowed to be collected. Because service with the Roman legions required participating in certain cult practices, as well as working on the Sabbath, Jews were given exemptions from military service. But the rights granted to Jews out of respect for their religion did not always stem anti-Semitism. One Roman's understanding and appraisal of Jewish traditions survives in the words of the historian Tacitus; while he expresses the Roman appreciation for ancestral customs, he also displays a hostility to cultural differences.
As in many Hellenistic cities of the Roman Empire, Tarsus was host to a dizzying array of gods and faiths. Roman religion combined ancestor worship with worship of the special supernatural powers of each place and a standardized pantheon of gods and goddesses. Before invading a city, the Roman legions would invite the gods of the city to defect to the Roman side. In one sense, worship of the gods was defensive. Gods were believed to patronize the cities that worshiped them, to protect them from earthquakes, floods, and plague. In addition, foreign gods, mystery religions, and cults for deified leaders could be added without forsaking other allegiances. Polytheistic piety allowed individuals to add or assimilate religions. Religious traditions from Greece, Persia, Egypt and Rome would have been present in Tarsus in Paul's day. The Persian god Mithras, popular among the pirates in Cilicia, would soon be embraced by the soldiers of the Roman legions, and spread as far as Britain.
Tarsus has been continuously inhabited since before 1000 BCE. Even in the modern city, there are Roman period remains. Current excavations are uncovering ancient roads and houses. Outside the city, large sections of the Roman roads can still be found leading from Tarsus into the mountains, and a six-lane highway runs through the pass called Cilician Gates. The city museum has collections of coins and artifacts. Archeological and ethnographic museums in nearby Adana have more extensive holdings. Also in Adana is a Roman bridge.
The young Saul was educated in Jerusalem, the holiest city for Jews worldwide. In his later letters, he recalls a youth spent as a devout and accomplished Pharisee. The Pharisees were a party or school within Judaism composed of both priests and laity. They were known for rigorous study and interpretation of the law. They believed in resurrection of the dead. In his later letters, Saul recalls how his zeal for the law led him to participate in the suppression of a new and growing Jewish movement the followers of a crucified Jewish man named Jesus. Sometimes called "The Way," many had left Jerusalem in the immediate aftermath of the crucifixion. They soon returned to the city and began attracting new members. Jerusalem was a hub from which to spread their message, as well as the site of Jesus' anticipated return: for if God's kingdom was coming to Earth, it would come first to Jerusalem. But the Jesus movement was not allowed to remain peacefully, and violence erupted.
The Book of Acts places Saul at the stoning of Stephen, a member of the Jesus movement accused of blasphemy against Moses and God. After leading purges to drive the new sect out of Jerusalem, Saul soon decided that to prevent "the Way" from taking hold in other cities. He would extend his persecutions. First on his list was the city of Damascus.
he center of ancient Judaism, Jerusalem was home to the great Temple. Founded on a site chosen by King David himself, the Temple drew pilgrims from around the Empire, Jews and Gentiles alike. They would go up to Jerusalem the city was built on a rise in the land at 2,300 feet above sea level, it held a commanding view of its surroundings. The population could swell by tens of thousands during the great festivals. The first Temple, known as the Temple of Solomon, had been reduced to ashes by Nabuchodonosor in 586 BCE. The second Temple was dedicated in 516 BCE, and starting in 20 BCE, Herod the Great had undertaken massive renovations on the Temple that continued for decades. This was the Temple Saul would have known, with a façade of marble and gold, and courtyards ringed in porticoes of Corinthian columns. |