The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-04-15
THE CONVERSION
OF SAUL
Sunday School Lesson for April IS, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

GOLDEN TEXT He fell to the earth.
and heard voice saying unto him, saul,
Saul why persecutest thou me?"-Acts
g4
TIME.-36 A. D. according to Hastings
Bible Dictionary. McGiffert places Sauls
conversion in 81 (hardly possible): Ram
say, 30; Thatcher "a; Kendall Levin, and
most earlier authorities. 81.
PLACE.-Near Damascus, the capital
of Syria. 14O miles north Of Jerusalem. II
is situated on two beautiful rivers. the
ALBANIA and Pharpar q Kings h:12).
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
We have now completed che first
three divisions Of our years studies,
the growth of the church U) in Jeru
salem, (2) in Samaria, (3) 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 a 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" It 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. A very natural change
Paul was born in Tarsus, at the
northeast corner Of the Mediterranean.
II was the chief city of Cilicia, on the
Cydnus. ten miles from the sea. Paul
declared Il mo mean city" acts
21:39). 1t stood before the world at
the entrance to the greatest province
of the east as a metropolis. a free city
with free harbor, mistress of large
and fertile territory" - Hastings
Bible Dictionary. It's 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 un.
known were strict Pharisees, Jews of
pure descent, but Roman citlzens,-a
fact implying distinction and wealth
(Phil 3:5; Acts 1850. Pauls man
ners we're those of a citizen Of the
world familiar with the habits of good
society. y."-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 of distinction. so
that it 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.
teen he was sent to Jerusalem (Acts
22:3; $40 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 a liberal spirit,
, and there is a tradition OF his conver'
sion to Christianity.
Paul said that his enemies said of
!, himself g Cor. 1910, that his bodily
presence" was weak, and his speech
, contemplate" He was probably short
> and had some personal defect, such as
a limping, 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
manding mobs and OF winning friends
= even among the most hostile.
!. He was deeply religious, whole
4 souled, ardent, energetic, perseverlng
!. broad-minded. affectionate, lovable. He
4 was great in more ways, probably
4 than any other man of human history
s He was a great traveller, great au
n thor a great orator, a great organizer
v a great missionary, great philos
I 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
n church out from the bondage of mar
row Judaism into world-sympathies
and world-relationships and so be
; came the human fulfillment of the
a highest thought Of Christ for men.
J. Some of the indications that PauPs
2 eyes never recovered their full vision
Q are his failure to recognize the higf
;, priest when brought before him (Acti
;. $3.50. The saying (Gal. 4:1S-15), that
J. the Galatians would have plucked ou
8 their own eyes and given them tC
o him." The use of an amanuensis wher
Il he was poor. The signing of hi
d epistles in large letters" (Gal. Sid
y 1t is probable that this dimness o.
x sight was the thorn in the flesh
, against which Paul prayed so fervent
n ly q Cor. 1870. 1t must have been
s terrible handicap to spirit so eagel
e and active as his,
o Conversion" means turning" 1