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Theconversion of Paul the Apostle (also the Pauline conversion, Damascene conversion,DamascusChristophany andPaul's transformation on the road to Damascus) was, according to theNew Testament, an event in the life of Saul/Paul the Apostle that led him to cease persecutingearly Christians and to become a follower ofJesus.
Paul's conversion experience is discussed in both thePauline epistles and in theActs of the Apostles. According to both sources, Saul/Paul was not a follower of Jesus and did not know him before hiscrucifixion. The narrative of the Book of Acts suggests Paul's conversion occurred 4–7 years after the crucifixion of Jesus.[1][2][3] The accounts of Paul's conversion experience describe it as miraculous, supernatural, or otherwise revelatory in nature.
Before his conversion, Paul was known as Saul and was "a Pharisee ofPharisees", who "intensely persecuted" the followers of Jesus. Paul describes his life before conversion in hisEpistle to the Galatians:
For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
Paul also discusses his pre-conversion life in hisEpistle to the Philippians, 3:4–6,[5] and his participation in thestoning of Stephen is described in Acts 7:57–8:3.[6]
In the Pauline epistles, the description of Paul's conversion experience is brief. TheFirst Epistle to the Corinthians 9:1[7] and 15:3–8[8] describes Paul ashaving seen the risen Christ:
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
— 1 Corinthians 15:3–8, NIV[9]
TheSecond Epistle to the Corinthians also describes Paul's experience of revelation. In verse 1 the NIV translation mentions "revelations from the Lord", but other translations, including the NRSV, translate that phrase as "revelations of the Lord". The passage begins with Paul seeming to speak about another person, but very quickly he makes it clear he is speaking of himself.
It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.
— 2 Corinthians 12:1-7, NRSV[10]
TheEpistle to the Galatianschapter 1 also describes his conversion as a divinerevelation, with Jesus appearing to Paul.
I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. [...] But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.
— Galatians 1:11–16, NIV[11]
TheActs of the Apostles discusses Paul's conversion experience at three different points in the text, in far more detail than in the accounts in Paul's letters. The Book of Acts says that Paul was on his way fromJerusalem to SyrianDamascus with a mandate issued by theHigh Priest to seek out and arrest followers of Jesus, with the intention of returning them to Jerusalem as prisoners for questioning and possible execution.[12] The journey is interrupted when Paul sees a blinding light, and communicates directly with a divine voice.
Acts 9 tells the story as athird-person narrative:
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Paul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
— Acts 9:3–9, NIV[13]
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The account continues with a description ofAnanias of Damascus receiving a divine revelation instructing him to visit Saul at the house of Judas on theStreet Called Straight and therelay hands on him to restore his sight (the house of Judas is traditionally believed to have been near the west end of the street).[14] Ananias is initially reluctant, having heard about Saul's persecution, but obeys the divine command:
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
— Acts 9:13–19, NIV[15]
Acts' second telling of Paul's conversion occurs in a speech Paul gives when he is arrested in Jerusalem.[16] Paul addresses the crowd and tells them of his conversion, with a description essentially the same as that in Acts 9, but with slight differences. For example, Acts 9:7[17] notes that Paul's companions did not see who he was speaking to, while Acts 22:9[18] indicates that they did share in seeing the light (see alsoDifferences between the accounts, below). The speech is clearly tailored for its Jewish audience, with stress being placed in Acts 22:12[19] on Ananias's good reputation among Jews in Damascus, rather than on his Christianity.[20]
Acts' third discussion of Paul's conversion occurs when Paul addressesKing Agrippa, defending himself against the accusations ofantinomianism that have been made against him.[21] This account is briefer than the others. The speech here is again tailored for its audience, emphasizing what a Roman ruler would understand: the need to obey a heavenly vision,[22] and reassuring Agrippa that Christians were not a secret society.[23][24]
A contradiction in the details of the account of Paul's revelatory vision given in Acts has been the subject of some debate.[25] WhereasActs 9:7 states that Paul's travelling companions heard the voice,Acts 22:9 states that they did not. Traditional readings and modern biblical scholarship both see a discrepancy between these passages, but some modern conservative evangelical commentators argue that the discrepancy can be explained.Richard Longenecker argues that first century readers might have understood the two passages to mean that everybody heard the sound of the voice, but "only Paul understood the articulated words".[26][27]
The debate revolves around two Greek words. The noun φωνή (phōnē - a source of English words such as "telephone", "phonic", and "phoneme") translates as "voice, utterance, report, faculty of speech, the call of an animal", but also as "sound" when referring poetically to an inanimate object;[28] however, the normal Greek word for an inarticulate sound is ψόφος (psophos).[29] The verb ἀκούω (akouō - a source of English words such as "acoustics"), which usually means "hear", has the secondary meaning of "understand", which is how most translations render it in1 Cor. 14:2, for example.[30] However, this meaning is so rare that the main English-to-Greek dictionaries do not list ἀκούω among the possible translations of "understand".[31] Resolving the discrepancy involves translating φωνή and ἀκούω in Acts 9:7 as "sound" and "hear" respectively, but translating the same words in Acts 22:9 as "voice" and "understand".[32]
TheNew Revised Standard Version (NRSV), which is commonly the preferred translation ofbiblical scholars and used in the most influential publications in the field,[33] renders the two texts as follows:
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. (Acts 9:7)
Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. (Acts 22:9)
Most traditional translations including the EnglishKing James Version (KJV),[34] the LatinVulgate,[35] andLuther'sGerman translation[36] are similar, translating the key words identically in each of the parallel texts, and thus not disguising the contradiction. However, since the 1970s, some versions have attempted a harmonizing translation, including theNew International Version (NIV), which reads:
The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. (Acts 9:7)
My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. (Acts 22:9)
Likewise theNET Bible and others. By translating φωνή and ἀκούω differently in each case, the contradiction is disguised.[32]
Those who support harmonizing readings sometimes point out that in Acts 9:7, ἀκούω appears in aparticiple construction with agenitive (ἀκούοντες μὲν τῆς φωνῆς), and in Acts 22:9 as afinite verb with anaccusative object (φωνὴν οὐκ ἤκουσαν). Nigel Turner suggests the use of the accusative indicates hearing with understanding.[37] More commonly, proponents of this view have asserted that the genitive is used when a person is heard, the accusative for a thing, which goes in the same direction but yields a far weaker argument.[38][39] New Testament scholarsDaniel B. Wallace andF.F. Bruce find this argument based on case inconclusive and caution against using it.[32][40] Wallace gathers all examples of ἀκούω with each construction in the New Testament and finds that there are more exceptions to the supposed rule than examples of it. He concludes: "regardless of how one works through the accounts of Paul’s conversion, an appeal to different cases probably ought not to form any part of the solution."[32]
Whereas Protestants saw the conversion as a demonstration ofsola fide,Counter-Reformation Catholics saw it as a demonstration of, or at least a metaphor for, the power ofpreaching, which received a strong new emphasis after theCouncil of Trent.[41]
The conversion of Paul, in spite of his attempts to completely eradicate Christianity, is seen as evidence of the power of DivineGrace, with "no fall so deep that grace cannot descend to it"[42] and "no height so lofty that grace cannot lift the sinner to it."[42] It also demonstrates "God's power to use everything, even the hostile persecutor, to achieve the divine purpose."[43]
There is no evidence to suggest that Paul arrived on the road to Damascus already with a single, solid, coherent scheme that could form the framework of his mature theology. Instead, the conversion, and the associated understanding of the significance of theresurrection of the crucified Jesus, caused him to rethink from the ground up everything he had ever believed in, from his own identity to his understanding ofSecond Temple Judaism and who God really was.[44]
The transforming effect of Paul's conversion influenced the clear antithesis he saw "between righteousness based on the law,"[45] which he had sought in his former life; and "righteousness based on the death of Christ,"[45] which he describes, for example, in theEpistle to the Galatians.[45]
Based on Paul's testimony inGalatians 1 and the accounts in Acts (Acts 9,22,26), where it is specifically mentioned that Paul was tasked to be a witness to the Gentiles, it could be interpreted that what happened on the road to Damascus was not just a conversion from first-century Judaism to a faith centred on Jesus Christ, but also a commissioning of Paul as an Apostle to the Gentiles—although in Paul's mind they both amounted to the same thing.[46]
The Acts of the Apostles says that Paul's conversion experience was an encounter with the resurrected Christ. Alternative explanations have been proposed, includingsun stroke andseizure. In 1987, D. Landsborough published an article in theJournal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry,[47] in which he stated that Paul's conversion experience, with the bright light, loss of normal bodily posture, a message of strong religious content, and his subsequent blindness, suggested "an attack oftemporal lobe epilepsy, perhaps ending in a convulsion ... The blindness which followed may have beenpost-ictal."[47]
This conclusion was challenged in the same journal by James R. Brorson and Kathleen Brewer,[48] who stated that this hypothesis failed to explain why Paul's companions heard a voice (Acts 9:7), saw a light,[49] or fell to the ground.[50] Additionally, Paul's blindness remitted in sudden fashion, rather than the gradual resolution typical of post-ictal states, and no mention is made of epilepticconvulsions; indeed such convulsions may, in Paul's time, have been interpreted as a sign of demonic influence, unlikely in someone accepted as a religious leader.[48]
A 2012 paper in theJournal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences suggested that Paul’s conversion experience might be understood as involving psychogenic events. This occurring in the overall context of Paul’s other auditory and visual experiences that the authors propose may have been caused bymood disorder associatedpsychotic spectrum symptoms.[51]
Justus Knecht comments onthe power of divine grace in Paul's conversion:
Our Blessed Lord prevented Saul with His grace, enlightened his understanding, moved his heart, and prepared his will to do all that was commanded him. In the very midst of his sinful career grace called to Saul to stop, and changed his heart so completely that the bitter enemy of Jesus Christ was transformed into an apostle, all aglow with love; and the persecutor of the Christian faith became its indefatigable defender and advocate. Thus St. Paul was able to say of himself: "By the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace in me hath not been void, but I have laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God with me" (1 Cor. 15:10)."[52]
Thomas Aquinas sees Paul's conversion as an example ofa sudden grace of God, writing in hisSumma Theologiae:
Since a man cannot prepare himself for grace unless God prevent and move him to good, it is of no account whether anyone arrive at perfect preparation instantaneously, or step by step. For it is written (Ecclus. 11:23): "It is easy in the eyes of God on a sudden to make the poor man rich." Now it sometimes happens that God moves a man to good, but not perfect good, and this preparation precedes grace. But He sometimes moves him suddenly and perfectly to good, and man receives grace suddenly, according to Jn. 6:45: "Every one that hath heard of the Father, and hath learned, cometh to Me." And thus it happened to Paul, since, suddenly when he was in the midst of sin, his heart was perfectly moved by God to hear, to learn, to come; and hence he received grace suddenly.[53]
Pope Francis on 25 January 2024, dated a pastoral letter on the liturgical feast day of the conversion of St Paul, ahead of world mission sunday on 20 October 2024, ahead of the jubilee year of 2025 calling the faithful to be prayerful pilgrims of hope.[54]
Metanoia (theology) is also a closely studied word linked to the ascetical journey of conversion - well illustrated by St Paul's Damascus moment. An early linguistic scholar that wrestled with matters of asectics and translation from Greek wasSt Jerome.
The subject was not common inmedieval art, only usually being painted as one of a number ofpredella scenes of his life below analtarpiece dedicated to the saint. From the Renaissance it gradually became popular as a subject for larger paintings. Apart from the religious significance, the subject allowed the artist to include landscape elements, a crowd of figures and horses. The drama of the event especially appealed toBaroque painters. It was sometimes paired with the handing of the Keys toSaint Peter, although in the VaticanCappella Paolina Michelangelo paired it with Peter'sCrucifixion in the 1540s, perhaps in a change to the original plan.[55]
The conversion of Paul has been depicted by many artists, includingAlbrecht Dürer,Francisco Camilo,Giovanni Bellini,Fra Angelico,Fra Bartolomeo,Pieter Bruegel the Elder,William Blake,Luca Giordano,Sante Peranda, andJuan Antonio de Frías y Escalante.Michelangelo's frescoThe Conversion of Saul is in theCappella Paolina of theVatican Palace.[56]
The Renaissance Italian masterCaravaggio painted two works depicting the event:The Conversion of Saint Paul andConversion on the Way to Damascus.Peter Paul Rubens also produced several works on the theme.[57]
A large number of the many depictions show Paul, and often several of his companions, travelling the Damascus Road on horseback, Paul most often on a white horse. This is not mentioned in the biblical accounts (which do not say how he travelled), and certainly makes for a more dramatic composition. The horses are usually shown as disturbed by the sudden appearance of the vision, and have often fallen to the ground themselves. It may also reflect how people of the various periods expected a person of Paul's importance to travel a distance of 135 miles (or 218 km). Perhaps first appearing in the 14th century, Paul's horse appears in the most important depictions from the 15th century onwards.[58]
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Chapter seventeen ofRalph Ellison's 1952 novelInvisible Man includes a literary device related to the Saul to Paul conversion: "'You start Saul, and end up Paul,' my grandfather had often said. 'When you're a youngun, you Saul, but let life whup your head a bit and you starts to trying to be Paul – though you still Sauls around on the side.'"
Paul's conversion is the subject of the medieval playThe Digby Conversion of Saint Paul.
The conversion of Paul is the main term of argument ofFelix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's oratorioPaulus (St. Paul), MWV A 14 / Op. 36] (1833–36). It is also subject of thechoralmotetSaule, Saule, quid me persequeris byGiaches de Wert (1535–1596). It is also the focus of an eight part mixed choira cappella piece (The Conversion of Saul) composed byZ. Randall Stroope.
From the conversion of Paul comes themetaphorical reference to the “Road to Damascus”, meaning a sudden or radical conversion of thought or a change of heart or mind, even in matters outside of a Christian context. For example, Australian politicianTony Abbott was described as having been “on his own road to Damascus” after pledging increased mental health funding,[59] and a New Zealand drug dealer turned police officer was likewise described as taking “the first step on the road to Damascus.”[60] Inscience fiction, the bookThe Road to Damascus is based on a sudden political conversion of a self-aware tank, Unit SOL-0045, “Sonny,” aMark XX Bolo, on the battlefield.[61]
In "-30-", the finale episode ofThe Wire,Norman Wilson tells MayorTommy Carcetti theJimmy McNulty/Lester Freamon “serial killer” hoax is the mayor's "road to Damascus" moment and likens the detectives' fabrication of a serial killer, which allows them to successfully fund and achieve their actual investigative goals, to Carcetti’s adoption of popular campaign platforms he doesn't really care about in order to achieve his actual political agenda. Parallels can also be drawn to the compromises and decisions made by other entities who have taken shortcuts or otherwise “juked” the data to achieve their ends, such asThe Baltimore Sun's managing editors in their pursuit of aPulitzer Prize.[62][63][64][65]
In Episode 3, Season 4 ofDownton Abbey,Lady Grantham referred to Lord Grantham’s change of heart towards his daughter Edith’s boyfriend as a “Damascene Conversion”.
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The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle commemorates this event, and is celebrated in theliturgical year on 25 January. This feast is celebrated in theRoman Catholic,Anglican andLutheran churches, and concludes theWeek of Prayer for Christian Unity, an yearly internationalChristian ecumenical event that began in 1908, which is anoctave or eight-day observance beginning 18 January (observed in Anglican and Lutheran tradition as theConfession of Peter, and in the pre-Vatican II Catholic calendar as the Feast of theChair of Saint Peter at Rome).[66] In rural England, the day once functioned likeGroundhog Day does in the modernUnited States. Supposed prophecies ranged from fine days predicting good harvests, to clouds and mists signifying pestilence and war in the coming months.[67]
Thecollect of the day in theRoman Missal is:
The dictionary definition ofroad to Damascus at Wiktionary The dictionary definition ofPauline conversion at Wiktionary| National | |
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