Saul the Pharisee

The “young man called Saul” who appears in the Acts account at the stoning of Stephen was from Tarsus. It was the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia, in the south of modern-day Turkey. (Acts 7:58) A sizable Jewish community dwelled in that city. According to his own writings, Saul was “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born from Hebrews; rega]]rding law, a Pharisee.” That was viewed as an impeccable Jewish pedigree!​—Phil. 3:5.
Saul’s home was in a large, prosperous trading city, a center of Greek culture. Growing up in Tarsus, Saul knew Greek. It is likely that he would have received his primary education in a Jewish school. Saul learned to be a tentmaker, a skill typical of his native area. In all probability, while still a youth, Saul acquired this trade from his father.​—Acts 18:2, 3.
The Acts account also reveals that Saul was born a Roman citizen. (Acts 22:25-28) This means th Tyat one of his forebears had already acquired that distinction. How Saul’s family obtained Roman citizenship is unknown. Whatever the case, that privilege would place them among the social elite of their province. Saul’s background and education, then, gave him a firm foothold in three different cultures​—Jewish, Greek, and Roman.
Likely, when he was no older than 13, Saul moved 520 miles (840 km) to Jerusalem to continue his education. In that city, Saul studied at the feet of Gamaliel, a highly esteemed teacher in the Pharisaic tradition.​—Acts 22:3.
These additional studies, comparable to going to a university today, would consist of instruction in and memorization of both Scripture and Jewish oral law. A successful student of Gamaliel would have a promising career before him, and apparently Saul was just such a student. He later wrote: “I was making greater progress in Judaism than many of my own age in my nation, as I was far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” (Gal. 1:14) Of course, Saul’s zeal for Jewish tradition was what turned him into a notorious persecutor of the fledgling Christian congregation.
Category:Saul
Category:Saul the Pharisee