The Early Life and Ministry of Paul
January 16, 2022
Context is helpful, but it’s hard to hold things together when you just hear them. Below I have a sketch of the life and ministry of Paul, his second missionary journey. It’s a bit more specific than the historical evidence supports with confidence, but it is a plausible reconstruction of Paul’s life. It’s drawn from scholars like NT Wright and David DeSilva (if you’re interested).
c. 4 BCE—Birth of Jesus of Nazareth
c. 5-10 CE—Birth of Saul of Tarsus
30—Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth
33—Jesus revealed to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9.1-19; cf. Gal. 1.13-17)
33-6—Paul in Damascus, Arabia, Damascus again (Acts 9.19-25; cf. Gal. 1.17)
36—Paul’s first post-Damascus visit to Jerusalem (Acts 9.26-30; “after 3 years” Gal. 1.18-24)
36-46—Paul in Tarsus; brought to Antioch by Barnabas (Acts 9.30; 11.25-26; “Syria and Cilicia” in Gal. 1.21)
46/7—‘Famine visit’ to Jerusalem; meeting about the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 11.30; “after 14 years” Gal. 2.1-10)
47-8—Paul and Barnabas on first missionary journey: Cyprus and south Galatia (Acts 13.1-14.28; this is when Saul starts going by Paul)
48—Peter (and other Jewish Christians) in Antioch (Acts 15.1; Gal. 2.11-21); crisis in Galatia
48—The letter to the Galatians is written by Paul from Antioch
48/9—Jerusalem conference (Ac. 15.2-35)
49-52—Paul and Silas on second missionary journey: Syria, Cilicia, south Galatia, Macedonia, Greece (Acts 15.36-18.22)
Reading these accounts side by side is instructive. The broad outline of the accounts agree, but the details vary widely. This is because both Paul and Luke are presenting selective retellings of what happened in order to convince their readers of their point. Paul is working to convince Gentile Christians to not try to earn their righteousness by keeping the Torah. Luke is working to convince Gentile Christians that they’ve always had a place in the people of God, and the Jewish Christian leaders understood that from quite early on. Luke, writing something over a decade after these events, simplifies them. Paul, writing in the middle of a crises, addresses them head on.
Paul leaves us with a picture of a church unsure of where God is leading. One faction is sure God is leading one way; another faction is sure God is leading a different way; another faction is just not sure at all. Paul’s demand is that the church re-understand God and Scripture in light of the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, crucified and resurrected.
—John Coffey
