Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul
The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, celebrated on January 25, commemorates the transformative journey of Saul of Tarsus, a fervent persecutor of Christians who became St. Paul, a prominent apostle and martyr. The origins of this feast are somewhat unclear, but references to its observance appear in church calendars from the eighth and ninth centuries, and it was promoted by Pope Innocent III in the early 13th century. St. Paul's conversion, which occurred on his way to Damascus, marked a significant turning point in his life as he transitioned from an anti-Christian extremist to a key figure in the spread of Christianity.
Saul, a well-educated Pharisee of Jewish heritage, initially viewed Christianity as a threat to his faith. His dramatic conversion experience, recounted in the New Testament, led him to embrace Christianity and advocate for its teachings as a continuation of Judaism. Throughout his life, Paul faced numerous challenges, including imprisonment and accusations from those who opposed his message. Ultimately, he was sent to Rome for trial, where he continued to spread the Christian faith until his martyrdom. The feast serves as a reminder of the profound impact of his conversion and his enduring legacy in Christian history.
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Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul
The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, observed by Christian churches on January 25, celebrates the transformation of Saul of Tarsus, scourge of Christians, into St. Paul, apostle, missionary, leader of Christians, and martyr. It is not known with certainty just when this feast was first observed, but it is mentioned in the church calendars and other works of the eighth and ninth centuries, and Pope Innocent III (1198–1216) urged that it be celebrated. Listed as a “solemn” festival in the records of the Council of Oxford in 1222, held during the reign of England's King Henry III, the feast continued to be observed by the Anglican Church after its separation from Rome and was brought to the American colonies by English settlers.
Saul of Tarsus was a well-educated and fiercely dedicated Jew, a Pharisee and member of the tribe of Benjamin. He was named after Saul, the first king of Israel, who was also a Benjamite, and became known as Paul after his conversion to Christianity.
Although he had been educated “at the feet of Gamaliel,” who was greatly respected for his learning and who himself was a tolerant person (Acts 5:34–40), Saul of Tarsus had a fiery nature and became an anti-Christian extremist. He thought that Christians blasphemed and felt that Christianity was a threat to his religion. Saul scoured Jerusalem for Christians, and when he found them he had them bound and delivered to prison or to death. He was a witness to the stoning of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, as the New Testament notes in Acts 8:1 with “and Saul was consenting to his death.”
After considerable success in rooting out Christians in Jerusalem, Saul, “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord,” decided to journey to Damascus and continue what he felt was his holy work in that city. Securing authority from the chief priest to bind “any belonging to the [Christian] Way” and take them back to Jerusalem, Saul set forth for Damascus. It was on the road there that his dramatic conversion took place, perhaps a few years after Jesus's death.
Many years later, between CE 60 and 62, Paul gave to King Agrippa his own account of his conversion, as recorded in the 26th (and also the 9th and 22nd) chapter of Acts. The events leading to Paul's appearance before Agrippa began in Jerusalem when some Jewish pilgrims from Asia, who had seen him in the Temple, erroneously thought that he had violated its sanctity by taking Gentiles into the Temple with him. Seeing him again later (according to the report in Acts 21), they accused him of this and of teaching against their law. In the process, they stirred up members of a Jerusalem mob, who beat Paul and sought to kill him. Roman soldiers arrested him, in effect rescuing him, and placed him in protective custody. While incarcerated, Paul, learning of a plot a against his life, demanded his rights as a Roman citizen and asked to be sent to Rome for trial. The procurator (or governor) of Judea, Porcius Festus, agreed. However, the procurator decided to investigate the charges against Paul so that they might be specified before Paul was sent to Rome. Since he himself could find nothing against Paul, Festus discussed the case with the visiting King Agrippa.
Summoned before Agrippa, Paul brought to bear all his education in law and theology to show that, contrary to the charges against him, he had not turned away from Judaism when he embraced Christianity. Instead, Paul promoted Christianity as the fulfillment of Judaism (Acts 26). At the end of Paul's defense, the account goes, the king and the governor and those listening withdrew and “said to one another, ‘This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.’ And Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.’” As it was, Paul was sent to Rome, where a few years later he was beheaded during Nero's persecution of Christians. Between the time of his conversion and his death, Paul was a leader in spreading the young Christian religion.
Emmons, D.D. "From Persecution to Christian: The Conversion of St. Paul." Simply Catholic, 2 Dec. 2023, www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-01-25. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
"Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle." Catholic Culture, 25 Jan. 2022, www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-01-25. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.