The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-04-16
THE CONVERSION
OF SAUL
Sunday School Lesson for April IS, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

Saul, why persecutest thou me?"-Acts
"a
TIME.-36 A. D., according to Hastings
| Bible Dictionary McGiffert places Saul's
conversion in 81 (hardly possible): Ram
say, 33; Thatcher, "a Kendall, Levin. and
most earlier authorities, 81.
| PLACE.-Near Damascus, the capital
of Syria, 40 miles north of Jerusalem. 1t
Is situated on two beautiful rivers. the
ALBANIA and Pharpar q Kings h:12).
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
We have now completed the rirst
three divisions Of our years studies,
the growth of the church % in Jeru-
salem, (2) in Samaria, co in all
Judea. The rest of the 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 a familiar and patrician
name. very natural change.
Paul was born in Tarsus, at the
northeast corner of the Mediterranean.
1t was the chief city of Cilicia on the
Cydnus, ten miles from the sea. Paul
declared it mo mean city" (Acts
21:39). 1t 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 large
and fertile territory" - Hastings
Bible Dictionary. It's university rivaled
those of Athens and Alexandria, 1t
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 a trace of its former
splendor. Ramsay.
His parents (whose names are I'M
pure descent. but Roman citizens,-a
fact implying distinction and wealth
phil. 3:5; Acts $3.50. Paul's man
ners were those of citizen of the
world, familiar with the habits of good
society When Paul be-
came a Christian, he was probably dis
owned and cast off phil. 3:S); 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 of distinction, so
that it is thought that he had by that
tate.
He was educated as a strict lew. 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-
teen he was sent to Jerusalem acts
22:3; $50. where his teacher was
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 tradition of his CONVEX
sion to Christianity.
Paul said that his enemies said of
himself e Cor. 10: 100, that his bodily
was weak, and his speech
He was probably short,
and had some personal defect, such as
limping, or weak eyes. At Lystra,
however. he was compared to the elo-
1uent and vigorous god Mercury, and
he certainly had the power of COM
mobs and of winning friends
even among the most hostile.
He was deeply religious, whole
souled, ardent, energetic, persevering,
lroad-minded, affectionate, lovable. He
was great in more ways, probably,
han any other man of human history.
He was a great traveller, a great au-
hor, a great orator. great organizer,
4 great missionary, great philos-
,pher. All of this genius was yielded
n absolute conservation to Jesus
Christ. He is the Moses of the New
Testament, and the two stand supreme
lmong men. He led the Christian
,hurch out from the bondage of mar
ow Judaism into world-sympathies
md world-relationships and so be-
,ame the human fulfillment of the
highest thought of Christ for men.
Some of the indications that Paurs
yes never recovered their full vision
ire his failure to recognize the high
,riest when brought before him (Acts
81: 81. The saying (Gal. 4:1S-15), that
he Galatians would have plucked out
heir own eyes and given them to
i'm" The use of an amanuensis when
lie was poor. The signing of his
pistles in large letters" (Gal. GID.
t is probable that this dimness OF
light was the thorn in the flesh"
gainst which Paul prayed so fervent-
y q Cor. 12:O. 1t must have been a
errible handicap to spirit SO eager
Nd octiva 40 his