We are now starting a new journey through the Brit Hadashah to study the person called Sha’ul of Tarsus and the letters he wrote to various Messianic Communities and his Pastoral Letters. Like our last series on the Red-Letter Words of Yeshua, this is bound to take some time.

We, like Luke, will follow the adventures of Sha’ul through the Book of Acts, or as I prefer to call it, The Acts of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). David Stern entitles it as The ACTS of the Emissaries of Yeshua the Messiah. Again, using the outline by F. LaGard Smith in his Narrated Bible in Chronological Order, we will examine Sha’ul’s letters as they were written.

In my leisure time of late, I have enjoyed reading a wide variety of novels. Right now, I have been reading several Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan, and Jack Ryan, Jr. novels commissioned by his estate. One of the features I like about the novels besides the actual storylines is they always start with a listing of the Cast of Characters. So, I thought that is how I would start this series.

Cast of Characters

Luke

A physician and “fellow worker” with Sha’ul (Philemon 24; Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11). Luke apparently accompanied Sha’ul on his journey to Rome and is the presumed author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. In the Gospel, it is clear to me that Luke was an investigative reporter on the order of Woodward and Bernstein during Watergate. In Acts, he is more of an embedded reporter on the order of Benjamin Hall in Ukraine. This will be made clearer when we examine the so-called “we passages” in Acts 16:10–17; 20:5–8, 13–15; 21:1–18; 27:1 to 28:16.

Theophilus

A Greek name meaning “lover/friend of God.” Although Theophilus’ Greek name indicates that he was a Gentile, he likely had some acquaintance with Judaism and the geography of Isra’el. Luke 1:4 suggests that Theophilus might have sought details that would enhance his limited knowledge of Yeshua’s life and the early church. A direct inquiry could have prompted Luke to write his Gospel and Acts in the hopes of influencing Theophilus toward becoming a Believer. [1]

Sha’ul of Tarsus

Most scholars agree that Yeshua was born between 6 and 4 BCE. If Sha’ul was born about ten years after Yeshua, he would have been 20–23 years old during Yeshua’s public ministry. He would not have been old enough at the time to exercise leadership in the Jewish community. Assuming the stoning of Stephen was a few years after Yeshua’s earthly ministry, Sha’ul would probably have been nearing the age of 30 years old when leadership positions would begin opening for him. [2]  It’s also maybe why he is referred to as a young man named Sha’ul. [3] His ministry and teachings were highly influential in Western history – especially his interpretation of Yeshua’s death and resurrection. Close readings and comparisons of his letters allow modern interpreters to reconstruct his theology. Luke’s story in the book of Acts and the narrative elements of Sha’ul’s letters reflect the effects of his life on the spread of the Messianic movement. Sha’ul is one of the first Christian missionaries to argue for the inclusion of Gentiles into the covenants of Isra’el through Yeshua.

Sha’ul’s Biographical Data

• Born as Sha’ul in Tarsus (see map below). The exact date of his birth is unknown.
• Schooled as a P’rushim under the Yerushalayim religious leader Gamli’el.[4]
• Became a traveling missionary and preacher for the early church, renamed Paul. (I will continue to use his Hebrew name.)
• Worked as a tentmaker.
• Was imprisoned multiple times by the Roman authorities for his religious agitation.
• Wrote several theological letters.
• Died sometime between 62–64 CE; Sha’ul may have been martyred in Rome. ^[5]

Map of Tarsus

Click the image to enlarge.One of the last Red-Letter Words of Yeshua in our last series sets the stage for this current series:

⁸ But you will receive power when the Ruach HaKodesh comes upon you; you will be My witnesses both in Yerushalayim and in all Y’hudah and Shomron, indeed to the ends of the earth!”  (Acts 1:8, CJB emphasis added)

In our next post, we will meet up with Sha’ul at the Stoning of Stephen.

Click here for the PDF version.

[1] Lexham Bible Dictionary.
[2] AskQuestions.org.
[3] Acts 7:58b.

[4] Because he appears earlier in Acts prior to Sha’ul, he is the same Rabbi who counseled the Sanhedrin to ignore Kefa and the others by stating: “ ³⁸ So in the present case, my advice to you is not to interfere with these people, but to leave them alone. For if this idea or this movement has a human origin, it will collapse. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them; you might even find yourselves fighting God!”

^[5] Ibid.