Science and Technology in World History, Vol. 2: Early Christianity, the Rise of Islam and the Middle Ages pdf

14Science and Technology in World History, Vol. 2tles. Strangely enough, that distinction goes to a man who was simultaneously a Jew, a Phar-isee, and a Roman citizen.Paul, the missionary to the gentiles, was born Saul in the city of Tarsus in present dayTurkey, on the northern shore of the eastern Mediterranean. His family was Jewish, butfrom his father he inherited Roman citizenship. In the first century A.D., Jewish commu-nities were already widespread throughout the Roman Empire. Jews constituted about sevenpercent of the Empire’s population. Outside of Palestine, they largely lived in Egypt andSyria including the great cities of Alexandria, Antioch, and Damascus.137As respected members of the Roman Empire, Jews enjoyed religious freedom and acertain amount of self-government. Paul was educated in Jerusalem. Following tradition,he learned both Jewish Law and the craft of tent-making. Conservative in his leanings,Paul was attracted to the teachings of the Pharisees and became zealous in his devotion tothe Jewish Law.Ironically, it was persecution by the Jewish authorities that caused early Christians tomigrate and thereby fostered the spread of Christianity. The first martyr of the Church wasStephen. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among thepeople. “138 Stephen was brought before the Jewish authorities and charged with blasphemy. 39He responded, Which of the prophets have not your fathers and then said,Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man [Jesus] standing on the right handof God. “141 Stephen was stoned to death. 142 Among Stephen’s persecutors was Paul the Apos-tle, then a young man named Saul.143Paul was zealous in his persecution of Christians. He searched for blasphemerseverywhere, even to the extent of entering private homes and arresting the guilty. Asfor Saul, he made havoc of the [Christian] Church, entering into every house, and haul-ing [off] men and women committed them to prison. “144 Paul’s zeal betrayed his own innerdoubts. He must have been a man tormented by a hunger for the truth. No other explana-tion is plausible for Paul’s overly zealous defense of the Jewish Law against Christian blas-phemy.So fervent was Paul in his pursuit of Christians that it was not enough to confine hisactivities to Jerusalem. Around A.D. 32, he asked for permission travel to the city of Dam-ascus to prosecute Christians there. Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughteragainst the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters toDamascus to the synagogues.145En route to Damascus, Saul was interrupted by an ecstatic experience. And as hejourneyed, he [Saul] came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him alight from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul,why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesuswhom thou persecutest…. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened,he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And hewas three days without sight, and neither did [he] eat nor drink. “146Paul believed he had received a new mission directly from Jesus Christ. In Paul’s mind,his experience with Christ was every bit as authentic as those of the Apostles who had livedwith Jesus in the flesh. In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote He [Jesus] was seen of [by] me also,as of one born out of due time.147Paul immediately converted to Christianity. And immediately there fell from his[Paul’s] eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was bap-tized…. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. “148