Road to Damascus
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The "Road to Damascus" is a Biblical reference to the conversion of a persecutor of Christians named Saul on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus in the Roman province of Syria in 36 C.E. According to the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus appeared to Saul and he immediately converted to Christianity and took the name Paul of Tarsus and became one of the main proselytisers of the new religion. The "Road to Damascus" is sometimes used outside of Christian contexts to refer to a conversion or change of heart.
Background
In the account in the book of Acts, the Pharisee Saul Paulos of Tarsus is self-described as "a Hebrew of Hebrews", and as being "extremely zealous for the traditions of [his] countrymen, and of [his] ancestors". Saul had set out from Jerusalem for Syrian Damascus, in 36 A.D. with letters from the leaders of the Sanhedrin, giving Saul the authority to arrest those followers of Jesus of Nazareth whom he could find living in the city of Damascus. He was to bring them back to Jerusalem in chains for questioning and possible execution. Saul had to the best of his ability stamped out Christianity in the city of Jerusalem; where, according to his own words, he had "laid waste to the Church, arresting the followers of Jesus, having them thrown into prison, and trying to get them to blaspheme" the name of YHWH. Saul had also distinguished himself during the trial of Saint Stephen, the first of the official Christian martyrs, when Saul had "watched over the robes of those who were stoning Stephen".
Paul's conversion
Paul's conversion from persecuter of Christians, at that time called the sect of the Nazarenes ([Acts 24:5]), to "Apostle to the Gentiles" ([Rom 11:13],[Gal 2:8]), is recounted in three sections of Acts: [9:1-19a]; [22:1-22]; [26:9-24].In Acts 9:1-19a, while on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus, near Damascus, he was hit by a bolt of light from the sky and dropped to the ground. He heard a voice: "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." (9:4b-6NIV) Paul's traveling companions heard the voice also, but did not see anyone and when Paul stood up, he was blind. They led him to Damascus and for three days he was blind and didn't eat or drink. A disciple in Damascus named Ananias also had a vision: "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." (10:c-16NIV) Ananias performed the deed, Paul's vision was restored, after "something like scales" fell from his eyes, he was baptized, and after eating he regained his strength.
[Acts 16:10] is the first time the author uses we, implying that from this point onward, he was an eyewitness, at least for portions of the text.
Acts 22:1-22 is a similar story, however this time Paul is recounting the episode in a speech to a "crowd in Jerusalem" in their language, most likely Aramaic, see also Aramaic of Jesus. His companions saw the light but didn't hear the voice. Ananias was said to be a "devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there" (12bNIV). He stood over Paul and said: "Brother Saul, receive your sight!" (13bNIV) and Paul's vision was restored. He added: "Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name." (16bNIV) Paul returned to Jerusalem and was praying in Herod's Temple when he "fell into a trance" and "saw the Lord speaking." The voice told him to leave quickly because the people knew he had persecuted the Jewish Christians, including Saint Stephen. The voice also told him: "Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles." Upon hearing this, the "crowd in Jerusalem" shouted: "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!"
Acts 26:9-24 is again similar, but this time Paul is defending himself in front of the Roman client King Agrippa who is said to be very knowledgable in all things Jewish. The light enveloped the whole party and they all fell to the ground and Paul heard a voice in the Hebrew language, most likely Aramaic: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the [goads]." "Then I asked, "Who are you, Lord?" "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," the Lord replied. "Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." (14b-18NIV) Paul said he followed the commands of the voice and spread the word, first to Damascus, then to Jerusalem, then to all of Judea and the Gentiles, to "repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." (20cNIV) For this reason he says the "Jews" (more likely the Judeans or the Jewish Christians) tried to kill him. But he told Agrippa that he said nothing beyond what the Prophets and Moses said would happen, "that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles." (23NIV) At this point Porcius Festus interrupted: "You are out of your mind ... Your great learning is driving you insane." (24NIV)
Sources
- Book of Acts at Bible Gateway (scroll down to the bottom of the page for access to various versions: NIV, New International Version appears first)
- The public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897. (see listing "Paul")
- The public domain, 1901-1906 Jewish Encyclopedia (for a contrary, contemporary rabbinic view about the 'conversion' of Paul)
- Yohanan Aharoni & Michael Avi-Yonah, "The MacMillan Bible Atlas" (Rev. edition), MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. & Collier MacMillan Publishers (1968, 1977 by Carta Ltd.)
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