Paul's Early Life

Birth

Born as Saul in Tarsus (on the southern coast of modern-day Turkey). The exact date of his birth is unknown

Paul was probably born in the same decade as Jesus, and most likely died between ad 62–64

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Paul (Person))

Ancestry. While his Jewish name corresponds to his being a Benjaminite (Phil 3:5; Rom 11:1; cf. Acts 13:21), his Greco-Roman name may have been given to him in connection with his citizenship in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia where he was born and raised (Acts 9:11; 21:39; 22:3; cf. 9:30; 11:25). While there is some doubt with regard to his Roman citizenship, he certainly was not anti-Roman in his politics (Rom 13:1–7). His Roman citizenship plays an important role in Acts (16:37–38; 22:25–29; 23:27; 25:8–12, 21; 26:32; 27:24; 28:19), but there are questions prompted by the flogging (Acts 22:25; cf. 2 Cor 11:25; see Bauer 1988, s.v. mastizō) and the appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:8–12, 21; 26:32; 27:24; 28:19; see Conzelmann, Acts Hermeneia, 189–90, 203–4). If the author of Acts did have reliable information about Paul being a Roman citizen by birth (22:28), he certainly made the most of it in explaining how Paul got out of Jerusalem to Rome. At any rate, the family considered itself religiously “orthodox” (Phil 3:5; 2 Cor 11:22; Rom 11:1).

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Paul (Person))

Education. What kind of education Paul may have received growing up in Tarsus (Acts 21:39; 22:3) is entirely a matter of speculation, although as Acts 22:3 presents it, he had an ideal Jewish education: “I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, brought up in this city [Jerusalem or Tarsus?], educated at the feet of Gamaliel, according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers.” This claim suggests that Paul’s family moved from Tarsus to Jerusalem, where he received his secondary education (26:4). But this claim must be weighed carefully because it corresponds with the tendencies in Acts to emphasize the apostle’s regard for his Jewish heritage (13:14ff.; 14:1; 15:23–29; 16:1–3, 4, 13; etc.) and to link him with Jerusalem (7:58–8:1a; 8:1b–3; 9:1–2, 26–29; etc.). This latter tendency, together with Luke’s attendant assumption of Paul’s familiarity with Jerusalem, clashes with Paul’s own testimony about his visits to the city (Gal 1:22). Luke’s picture of Gamaliel is unclear as well (Acts 5:34; see Acts Hermeneia, 186). See also GAMALIEL. A further obstacle to reconstructing Paul’s education arises from our ignorance of the specific content of Jewish education at that time, whether in Tarsus or in Jerusalem, whether elementary or secondary (see Safrai 1976; HJP² 2: 332–34, 415–22; Saldarini 1988: 137–39).The fact that Paul acted as an international envoy, first on behalf of Jewish authorities (Acts 8:3; 9:1–2, 21; 22:4–5, 19; 26:10–11; Gal 1:13, 23; 1 Cor 15:9; Phil 3:6), then as a Christian missionary, means that he must have received a good Hellenistic education. relating to Greek history, language, and culture from the death of Alexander the Great to the defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony by Octavian in 31 BC. During this period Greek culture flourished, spreading through the Mediterranean and into the Near East and Asia and centering on Alexandria in Egypt and Pergamum in Turkey.

He gave speeches, taught, wrote long letters, and was involved in highly specialized theological debates. His abilities as a founder of churches, working with many collaborators on an international level, make it impossible to conceive of him as an uneducated and culture-bound Jew from the East. Comparative figures of the time, especially Josephus and Philo show that being well-educated and Jewish did not exclude one other.Objections to Paul’s education as having been Hellenistic include recourse to his confession of being a layman in rhetoric (2 Cor 11:6; cf. 1 Cor 2:1–5) and his use of a secretary (Tertius, Rom 16:22). Such arguments, however, miss the fact that 2 Cor 11:6 is itself a rhetorical topos (see Betz 1972: 47–69; 1986a) and fail to explain how his letters became literary masterpieces. These letters—with their skillful rhetoric, careful composition, and elaborate theological argumentation—reflect an author who was in every way uniquely equipped to become the “apostle of the gentiles” (Rom 11:13; cf. Gal 2:8, 9; Rom 1:5). This much is clear also from a comparison with his sometime mentor and associate Barnabas, whose abilities fell short of what was needed. Similarly, Luke regards Paul as well-equipped to defend himself in court, while the Jewish priests must have a professional orator (Acts 24:1).

Gamaliel the Elder was the grandson of the great Jewish Rabbi Hillel the Elder, and he kept to Hillel's interpretation of Jewish law. Gamaliel became a leading authority in the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court in Jerusalem. In fact, it is in this capacity where he is first mentioned in Acts 5. The apostles were on trial for preaching about Jesus, and the Sanhedrin wanted to put them to death. "But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up" (Acts 5:34). Gamaliel urged the court to "let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" (Acts 5:38–39). Because he was well respected "by all the people" and his speech was measured and persuasive, "they took his advice" (Acts 5:39). Thus, the apostles' lives were spared because Gamaliel stepped in. Defending and successfully saving the apostles are not Gamaliel's only biblical claim to fame. He was also the rabbi who had instructed Paul before his conversion. Paul touted this tutelage under Gamaliel as a credential for why the Jewish crowd in Jerusalem should hear him out in Acts 22:3. He said, "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day." Under Gamaliel's teaching Paul developed an expert knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, and this educational pedigree gave him access to preach in the synagogues wherever he traveled (Acts 17:2). Gamaliel's influence extended beyond just his own teaching, then, and also filtered down to Paul and Paul's understanding of Jesus being the fulfillment of the Jewish law (Matthew 5:17). Church tradition suggests that Gamaliel became a Christian and was baptized along with Nicodemus by Peter and John. Tradition says he continued in his role in the Sanhedrin to clandestinely assist fellow Christians, and for this reason Gamaliel is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. However, the Jewish historian, Josephus, only mentions Gamaliel in a Jewish context and the Bible records no further details. So Gamaliel's conversion to Christianity cannot be confirmed. Whether or not he ultimately accepted the gospel, Gamaliel was a well-respected man among both Christian and Jewish circles and his contributions to the faith cannot be denied even if they happened inadvertently.

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Paul (Person))

Pre-Christian Career. Before his conversion Paul actively preserved and protected the religious traditions of his forefathers. Considering himself an “orthodox” Jew, he was zealously committed to eradicating apostasy. Going further than his peers, he became a member of the Pharisaic sect (see Saldarini 1988: 134–43) and took it upon himself to persecute the Christian church (Gal 1:13, 23; Phil 3:6; 1 Cor 15:9). Exactly why he singled out the Christians for persecution is not clear, though a clue may be found in his particular dislike for the Christians in Damascus (Gal 1:17, 22–23; 2 Cor 11:32; Acts 9:2–25; 22:5–6, 10–11; 26:12, 20) and relative disinterest in those of Jerusalem and Judea (cf. Acts 8:3). The reason for persecuting the Christians of Damascus seems to have been that, though Jews, they had discontinued Torah observance, doing so as a matter of principle rather than casual neglect. But neither Paul nor Acts provides any detailed information.

King James Version Philippians Chapter 3

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee

King James Version Acts Chapter 22

3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.