REMEMBERING THE CONVERSION OF ST PAUL ON 25 JANUARY
The conversion of St Paul has been told by Luke in the book of the Acts of
the Apostles. He told the event so vividly that it is one of the most frequently
painted story of the New Testament. But it is rather doubtful that it really did
happen like this historically, Luke might not have heard it from Paul
personally, and Paul could not have read it in this form, since it was written
about a decade after his death.
Luke tells us that Saul (as he was named prior to his epiphany) was on his
way to Damascus, from whence he wanted to bring back in shackles to
Jerusalem those ‘traitors to the Jewish faith’, the followers of the ‘New Way’.
Shortly before reaching Damascus he was suddenly blinded by a light and,
falling down, heard a voice calling his name. And when he asked who was
speaking, the answer was “I am Jesus whom you persecute”. He then was
given instructions to go to the city where he would be told what to do.
It is quite a spectacular happening in Paul’s life, one could be envious if,
when faced with important decisions in our life, we could be told by God
what to do. But Paul in his letter to the Galatians tells the story differently. He
writes: God called me by his grace and was pleased to ‘reveal his Son in me’
(Gal 1:16). He does not mention a light or a voice speaking to him. It was an
event that happened within him yet led to a turning point in his life.
What are we now to do with Luke’s story? Should we say it was a good yarn,
rather well invented, but without value? Not at all, since there are some
important factors in it which we should look at. In Acts 9,7 he writes that the
men travelling with Paul ’heard the sound but did not see anyone’, while
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