Bibliography:
Everts, J.M.1993. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Leicester: IVP.
Summary
In this the author explains the conversion and call of Paul. Paul is called to be the apostle to
the Gentiles. But scholars have disagreement whether this experience of him as a conversion
or call to a specific mission as apostle to the gentiles. His conversion or call experience
explains in Galatians 1, Philippians 3, Acts 9, 22 and Acts 26. Before many years ago many
scholars have accepted that Paul’s conversion on Damascus road was a model for Christian
conversion. But today many are denied this and say that it is a unique experience for Paul call
to be the apostle to the Gentiles. The traditional western thinkers especially Augustine
thought about his understanding of his own conversion. William Jame’s psychological study
of conversion was influenced on this traditional view which says Paul was a Pharisaic very
conscious of his failure to keep the Law experiences a deep inner change when it is revealed
to him that Paul can be justified by faith in Jesus Christ. But after few decades many scholars
raising questions about the traditional way. But K. Stendahl claims that the Western
understanding of Paul be obliged more to the introspective readings of Augustine and Luther
than it does to the NT documents. So it is necessary to understand that how are we to define
conversion and how are we modern definitions applied to Paul. In Galatians 1:11-17 and
Philippians 3:4-17 are the two passages in Paul’s letters which referring his conversion. In
addition1Timothy 1:12-17 and Romans 7 are autobiographical descriptions of this
experience. In Galatians we see he was defense of his gospel. In this letter we see his
opponents are Judaizers and claims that gentiles should not keep the Law or to be
circumcised. He also claims that his role as one called to proclaim the Word of God and
points to the divine origin of the word that is proclaimed. And in Philippians he asserts that
he was a zealous persecutor of the church and was blameless in his observance of the Law.
But through his experience his whole life is shaped by his sharing in Christ’s death and
resurrection.
In autobiographical accounts of Paul’s conversion many scholars do not think Paul wrote
1Timothy. In this passage, he talks about the accounts of contrast between Paul’s former life
and his life in Christ. But this passage represents the Pauline tradition and is useful as
evidence of the way Paul’s conversion was understood in the Gentile churches Paul founded.
In Romans 7:7-25 is a contradictory passage of Paul’s statements in Galatians 1 and
Philippians 3. In traditional view of Paul’s conversion or call often understands this passage
as Paul’s autobiographical account of his pre Christian experience as a Jew.
The Acts Account mostly focuses on the events surrounding the conversion of Paul. In the
Acts we see three accounts. The first account is in Acts 9:1-20, which is the part of the
historical narrative, and the second account we see in Acts 22:1-21 and third is in 26:2-23
which are contained in Paul’s speeches before the Jews and King Agrippa. The narrative of
Acts 9:1-19 explains a turning point in the narrative of Acts. At the beginning of Acts 9 Paul
is persecuting the church, who completely opposes the disciples of the Lord. But as he
pursues the disciples to Damascus, his journey is interrupted. Jesus appears to Paul in a
vision. The blinding light, He called “Saul, Saul why do you persecuting me?” that moment
Saul falling to ground and the questions he asks clearly mark this extraordinary event as a
theophany, similar to his prophetic call like Jeremiah. Through this Paul changed like a
different person. Although the Acts 9:1-19 account certainly presents Paul as a person who
has experienced a dramatic reversal in his life, his call to be apostle to the Gentiles more than
the change in his life. The differences between Acts 9 and Acts 22 can be accounted for by
the emphasis on Paul as a devout Jew.
So the modern sociological definitions say that we need to be careful in applying to Paul’s
experience. We do not have much historical data about his psychological or sociological
analysis and also we do need to be careful not to reduce Paul’s unique experience to a
formula or let modern studies define his experience. He thought himself as a Jew throughout
his life and he reinterpreted the Torah in his understanding.
There is a question that whether Paul’s Damascus Road experience was a call or a
conversion is an artificial one. He is called to be the apostle to the gentiles is the central
concept to the accounts in Acts and Galatians 1. However, Paul’s call to be the apostle to the
gentiles is part of a profound and transforming conversion experience. So we can understand
that his experience as a model for Christians. He urges the Philippians to imitate him. His
experience of being transformed by Christ that he urges his readers to imitate. He understood
the transformation which leads to his conversion. His personal experience expands his theory
not simply to involve his own salvation, and the salvation of the gentiles, but also the entire
history of humanity.
Thus,Paul’s experience on the Damascus Road and his Theology, traditional view of Paul’s
conversion, justification by faith, are the center of Paul’s theology. Paul’s conversion
experience on the Damascus road was the source for both his apostolic call and theological
understanding of the Gospel. Moreover his conversion and call is the model for Christians.
