Paul is the most prolific letter-writer in the New Testament and the figure most responsible for carrying the message about Jesus beyond the Jewish world — yet he began as its enemy. Born Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, he first appears in Scripture approving the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58). His name, from the Greek Paulos, means “small” or “humble.”
The turn came on the road to Damascus, where, in the account of Acts 9, he encountered the risen Jesus and was sent as the foremost apostle to the Gentiles. Over three missionary journeys, as Acts narrates them, he planted and nurtured churches across the Roman Empire — in Galatia, Corinth, Ephesus and beyond — and kept them close by letter.
Those letters became Scripture. Seven are undisputed by scholars, the letter to Rome chief among them; six more are traditionally attributed to him but debated. In them Paul worked out ideas about justification, grace, and faith that the Protestant Reformers would later read as teaching sola fide — faith alone. Early church tradition holds that he was martyred in Rome under Nero.
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How this is made · A Fortt Media project, created & edited by Jon Fortt. Grounded in a curated Scripture database and carefully drafted and audited with the help of AI — described plainly, and written to assume no particular denomination or doctrine. Read the full approach → · Report a correction →
