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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center

Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul

The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul and The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Peter are the Patron Saints of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

Most energetic persecutor of the Christians changed to the most energetic missionary of Christians

Saul of Tarsus was the most energetic persecutor of Christians.
Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ changed Saul of Tarsus into The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul.
The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul became the most energetic missionary of Christians.

Saul of Tarsus was the most energetic persecutor of the Christians.
Saul of Tarsus recieved letters from the High Priests and the whole council of elders in Jerusalem. These letters were addressed to the Synagogues in Damascus and authorized Saul to bring back Jewish converts to Christianity in chains to Jerusalem. Saul of Tarsus' aim was to destroy the Church at Antioch.
On the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus encountered the risen Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. This is an example of Holy God's mercy to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
Saul of Tarsus continued to Damascus where he was Baptized and became the Apostle Paul. Next, he went to Antioch, where he taught. Finally, from Antioch, Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul started his first apostolic journey. The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul became the most energetic missionary of Christians.

Shown in Ikons

In ikons, The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul is often shown carrying scriptures.

Famous Quote

A famous quote of The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul is “church is like one body, which has many parts”. The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul was the first person to say that the church is the Body of Christ

Biography

June 29 - The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Peter and The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul
Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul was born at Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 21:39), of a father who was a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37, 22:26-28), of a family in which piety was hereditary (2 Tim. 1:3) and which was much attached to Pharisaic traditions and observances (Phil. 3:5-6).

Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. At the time of his circumcision, Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul was given the name of Saul, probably in memory of the first king of the Jews (Phil. 3:5). As a Roman citizen, Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul also bore the Latin name of Paul. It seems usual for the Jews of that time to have two names, one Hebrew and the other Latin or Greek. These two names often had a certain assonance and were joined together in the manner used by St. Luke (Acts 13:9: Saulos ho kai Paulos). It appears to be natural, for Paul to adopt his Roman name in his work among the Gentiles.

Saul learned how to make tents (Acts 18:3) or some say to make the mohair of which tents were made.

When Saul was young, he was sent to Jerusalem to receive his education at the school of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel was one of the best and / or most famous teachers of Jewish theology and practice. Many think that Saul was considered the outstanding young Jewish scholar of his time.

Saul of Tarsus' was the most energetic persecutor of the Christians. Saul of Tarsus' aim was to destroy the Church. Saul took an active part in the martyrdom of St. Stephen (Acts, 7:58-60; 22:20).

But on the road to Damascus, Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ appeared to Saul of Tarsus with great power and changed his life.

Church of the Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Princes of the Apostles Peter and Paul

The story of the Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul is documented in the Book of The Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

Antioch was one of the first cities to become a center of the Christian faith. As the capital of the province, Antioch was to become the site of the area’s most prestigious Church.

The Church in Antoich was joined by members of the fledgling Christian community in Jerusalem, who fled during the persecution by Saul of Tarsus (Acts 11:19). (This persecution resulted in the the death of Saint Stephen, one of the original seven helpers of the apostles (Deacon) and the First Martyr (c. 35 AD) (Acts 7:58-60; 22:20)).

Later, Saul of Tarsus recieved letters from the High Priests and the whole council of elders in Jerusalem. These letters were addressed to the Synagogues in Damascus and authorized Saul to bring back Jewish converts to Christianity in chains to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2, 22:3-16, 26:2-18). Saul of Tarsus' aim was to destroy the Church in Damascus and at Antioch.
On the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus encountered the risen Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ (Acts 9:1-9, 22:6-11) in c. 37/38 AD. This is an example of Holy God's mercy to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
Saul of Tarsus continued to Damascus where he was Baptized (Acts 9:10-19a, 22:12-16). Saul of Tarsus become the Apostle Paul.
Then, Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul began preaching in Damascus (Acts 9:19b-22). Finally, in Antioch, he "met with the church and taught a large number of people" (Acts 9:26).
Still much later, from Antioch, Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul started his first apostolic journey in c. 44/45 (Acts 13:1-3).

After that, The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul travelled all over the Mediterranean world: preaching, teaching, and writing letters. We have many of the letters that The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul wrote to the Christian communities. The Church decided that these letters would be part of the Holy Scriptures.

Much later, The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Princes of the Apostle Paul brought the message of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ to the City of Rome.

In the year 67, in Rome, by order of the Emperor Nero, The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul died for his faith, a martyr. Because he was a Roman citizen, The Holy, Glorious and Illustrious Prince of the Apostles Paul had the privilege to be beheaded.

Acts of the Apostles and "Apostolos" or "Epistles

Troparion (TONE 2)

O Peter and Paul, higher in rank than any other apostle, doctors of the world, intercede with the Master of All that He may give peace to the world and great mercy to us all.

Ikon

Holy Princes of the Apostles, Peter and Paul Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Click on Feasts of Major Saints

More Information

On the Occasion of the Opening of the Year of Saint Paul, Damascus 2008, His Beatitude, Gregorios III, Patriarch / Batriyark of the cities of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem, of Cilicia, Syria, Iberia, Arabia Mesopotamia, Pentapolis, Ethiopia, of all of Egypt and the entire East, Father of Fathers, Pastor of Pastors, Bishop of Bishops, the Thirteenth of The Holy Apostles (Patriarcat Grec Melkite Catholique) 's Letter via the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts), United States