Acts 9:1

People's Bible Notes for Acts 9:1

Ac 9:1 The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus SUMMARY OF ACTS 9: Saul's Journey to Damascus. The Lord Meets Him on the Way. Called to Be a Witness to the Gentiles. Baptized by Ananias. Preaches Christ to the Jews in Damascus. They Seek His Death. His Escape to Jerusalem and Meeting with the Apostles. Departure to Tarsus. Peter Heals Aeneas at Lydda. Raises Dorcas at Joppa. Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter. See Ac 8:3, from which the narrative is now resumed. As the great change in the life of Saul is now recorded, it is proper to state what can be known of him before his conversion. Probably about a year before he appears in the history at the death of Stephen. He was of the tribe of Benjamin (Php 3:5); his father, though a Jew, had been admitted to Roman citizenship, and Paul was therefore a "Roman" (Ac 22:26,28); he was born at Tarsus (Ac 22:3), a Grecian city, the capital of Cilicia; there he had become familiar with Grecian literature, as well as educated in the law; at what time we know not, but while still young he went to Jerusalem to study in the great Rabbinical schools, and had the celebrated Gamaliel for his teacher (Ac 22:3); he had, according to Jewish custom, learned a trade, being a tent-maker (Ac 18:3); he was a Pharisee after the strictest manner of the sect (Ac 23:6). How long he had been in Jerusalem when he appears in this history, whether he was there for the second time, or had not returned after his attendance at the school of Gamaliel, is uncertain, but when we first behold him he is a "young man" (Ac 7:58), prominent and influential, active in his opposition to the church, and a trusted leader of its enemies. Went unto the high priest. Probably Theophilus, the son of Annas, who was made high priest by the Romans in A.D. 37. He was a Sadducee.