Paul of Tarsus

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Saints Mark and Paul by Albrecht Dürer (1526)

Paul of Tarsus (GreekΠαῦλος Paûlos; Hebrewשָׁאוּל Sha'ul Saul; LatinSaul; * probably before the year 10, † after 60, probably in Rome) was the first and most important theologian in the history of Christianity and, along with Simon Peter, the most successful missionary of early Christianity.

As a Greek-educated Jew and law-abiding Pharisee, Paul initially persecuted the followers of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth, whom he had never met. But since his Damascus experience, he saw himself as God's called apostle (Gal 1:15f). As such, he proclaimed the resurrected Jesus Christ, especially to non-Jews. To this end, he travelled the eastern Mediterranean region and founded several Christian congregations there. He remained in contact with them through his Pauline epistles.

These oldest preserved writings of the New Testament have influenced not only theologians such as Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther and Karl Barth, but also philosophers such as Sören Kierkegaard and Karl Jaspers, and have thus strongly influenced European intellectual history. Since the Enlightenment, many thinkers - including Friedrich Nietzsche or Hannah Arendt - see Paul as the actual founder of Christianity.

Literature

References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated.
Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com.
Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books
A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works
Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English.
Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold
steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA)
Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.