The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1909-04-08
THE CONVERSION
OF SAUL l.
Sunday School Lesson for April IS, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

anu hthfu u VOICE saying MIN, SAUL
Saul, why persecutest thou meT-Acts
ga.
TIMES A. D.. according to Hastings
Bible Dictionary. McGiffert places Saul's
conversion in 81 hardly possible); Ram
say S3 Thatcher. 34 Kendall, Levin, and
most earlier authorities, 81.
PLACE.-Near Damascus, the capital
OF Syria, li0 miles north of Jerusalem IL
Is situated en- two beautiful rivers. the
ALBANIA and Fharpar q Kings s:l2.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
We have now completed che nrst
three divisions of our years studies,
the growth of the church (D in Jeru-
salem, 90 In Samaria, (3) in all
Judea. The rest of tho year we shall
be occupied with Paul, who was chief
ly instrumental in extending the
church over the world. Let US first
take general view of this great man.
He was named Saul after the first
king OF the Hebrews Paul, Roman
name meaning Little" came to him
from his Roman citizenship, and was
probably used from boyhood along
with saul" 1t first appears at
Cyprus, as he begins his missionary
journeys into the Roman provinces of
Asia Minor. where "Saulos" would
mean "Waddling," but "Paulus"
would be familiar and patriclan
name. A very natural change.
Paul was born in Tarsus, at the
northeast corner OF the Mediterranean.
It was the chief city of Cilicia, on the
Cydnus. ten miles from the sea. Paul
declared It mo mean city" (Acts
21:39). II stood before the world at
the entrance to the greatest province
OF the east as a metropolis, free city
with a free harbor, mistress of a large
and fertile territory" - Hastings
Bible Dictionary. Its university rivaled
those OF Athens and Alexandria. II
was governed largely by philosophers.
some of the greatest of whom Paul
probably heard. Tarsus is now "a
wretched town of the Turkish style.
retaining not trace Of its former
splendor. Ramsay.
His parents Whose names are I'M
known were strict Pharisees. Jews OF
pure descent, but Roman citizens,-a
fact implying distinction and wealth
(Phil. 3:5; Acts $3.50. Paurs man
ners we're those of a citizen OF the
world, familiar with the habits of good
society. "-McGiffert. When Paul be-
came a Christian, he was probably dis
owned and cast off (Phil. 1885, he was
poor, and supported himself by tent
making. In Caesarea and Rome he
appeared to possess means and to be
regarded as a man Ut distinction. so
that il is thought that he had by that
time inherited from his fathers es-
tate.
He was educated as a strict Jew. His
family abhorred Grecian learning, and
would not send Saul TO the University
Of Tarsus. though his writings show
that he absorbed much of Greek cul-
ture. When a lad of twelve or thir-
-een he was sent to Jerusalem (Acts
1888; $3.50. where his teacher was
Gamaliel, grandson of Hillel. the last
OF the famous Jerusalem rabbis. The
Jews called Gamaliel the Beauty OF
the Law" and generally revered him.
He seems to have had liberal spirit,
and there is a tradition OF his CONVEX
sion to Christianity.
Paul said that his enemies said OF
himself e Cor. 1910, that his bodily
presence" was weak, and his speech
contemplate" He was probably short,
and had some personal defect, such as
llmplug, or weak eyes. At Lystra,
however. he was compared TO the elo-
quent and vigorous god Mercury, and
he certainly had the power OF COM
handing mobs and of winning friends
even among the most hostile.
He was deeply religious, whole
souled, ardent, energetic. persevering,
broad-minded. affectionate, lovable. He
was great in more ways, probably,
than any other man of human history.
lie was a great traveller, great au-
thor, a great orator, a great organizer,
a great missionary, great philos-
opher. All of this genius was yielded
in absolute conservation to Jesus
Christ. He is the Moses of the New
Testament, and the two stand supreme
among men. He led the Christian
church out from the bondage OF a mar
row Judaism into world-sympathies
and world-relationships and so be-
came the human fulhllment of the
highest thought of Christ for men.
Some of the indications that Paul's
eyes never recovered their full vision
are his failure to recognize the high
priest when brought before him (Acts
$3.50. The saying (Gal. 4:13-15), that
the Galatians would have plucked out
their own eyes and given them to
him" The use Of an amanuensis when
he was poor. The signing of his
epistles in large letters" (Gal. GID.
L: is probable that this dimness OF
sight was the thorn in the flesh"
against which Paul prayed so fervent-
ly q Cor 12:O. 1t must have been a
terrible handicap to a spirit 30 eager
and active as his.
"ConvOrsion" means turning" 1t
implies turning from something. and
to something else. Paul, as We have
seen, turned % from pride Cntel
lectual and spiritually to lowliness, a
humble following of Jesus and cooper
alton With other Christians; (2) from