Paul  The Apostle  Paul

(i)  Paul: The Apostle in titles of Pauline Epistles to churches (except Hebrews & Revelation)
(ii)  Paul: an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God (2Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1; 2Tim 1:1)
(iii) Paul: his witness unto all men (including To The Hebrews; as prophesied in Acts  22:15)
(iv) Paul: his angel in Revelation 1:1 & 22:6 (plays the last trump it: Grace with you all. Amen.)
(v)  Paul: a faithful "steward" of the mysteries of God (both a revelator and a clever concealor)
(vi) Paul: revelator of two Revelations(Uncoverings): Apokalupsis Iohnnou & Ienou Christo
(vii) Paul: Above a Servant (but formerly "Saul Saul": double minded: chief sinner, a zealous legalist)

- header and footer greet and salute "brethren" with an "holy kiss" of "grace",
  which is also called the holy kiss of Charity: Never Faileth; Never Forsakes
- Paul's salutation is by his own hand in every epistle (1Cor 16:21; Col 4:18; 2Thes 3:17). Such sign-ifies The Apostle Paul is both author of Hebrews and author of Revelation.
- Paul's conclusion ("salutation", "token in every epistle" written by his own hand) is as if he plays the last trump it, allegorically the ticket to heaven (all grace, no law at all).
- since all are "brethren" (Hebrews 2) we are to greet and salute all as such, even when fighting (the good/God fight), or debating (as politicians do), or competing (as sporting opponents do), or even when ripping them a new asshole cause theirs seems plugged (as he does in Galatians), or teaching babes (as in 1Cor; Heb 5). Although Paul calls Corinthians "childish", and Galatians "bewitched", and Hebrews "babes", he never fails to address all such as "brethren" (Heb 2), even calling Hebrews "holy brethren", for all are one, and of one: God our Father. All are a heavenly family, having a hallowed name.

Paul is writer of more NT writings than all six other NT writers combined. He wrote 15 of the 27 NT books, which is more than 50%. Paul is also dominant in Acts, which talks little of the other apostles.

Six other New Testament writers: Matthew writes 1 (Matthew), Luke writes 2 (Luke, Acts), John writes 5 (Mark, John, 1John, 2John, 3John), James writes 1 (James), Peter writes 2 (1Peter, 2Peter), Jude writes 1(Jude) ... Six other NT writers write a total of 12;

But Paul, as if the seventh of 7 NT writers (similar to the Holy Bible being the seventh), who also made seven journeys (not three or four), and was imprisoned seven times (not six), writes more "better testament" writings than all the six other New Testament writers combined.

Paul writes: 1. Romans;  2. 1Corinthians;  3. 2Corinthians; 4. Galatians; 5. Ephesians; 6. Philippians; 7. Colossians; 8. 1Thessalonians; 9.  2Thessalonians; 10. 1Timothy;
11. 2 Timothy; 12. Titus; 13. Philemon; 14. Hebrews, 15. Revelation... a total of 15 NT writings (not 13 as many say).  In addition Paul is the dominant apostle in Acts of the Apostles, which talks little of other apostles. All Paul's epistles are also mentioned by Converted Peter; Who seems to have gotten converted by the Pauline Epistles, and mentions the kiss of  charity.

  Majority of Titles of Pauline Epistles denote Paul as "The Apostle":

- Example: Title of Galatians is "The Epistle of Paul The Apostle to the Galatians" - So Bible Translators not only give Paul a clear majority of NT writings, but denote him "The Apostle", the one God chose; for others, especially the twelve, were like a hung jury. When it came to law or grace, others mixed such; But Paul kept his law awful lawful, and his grace grace us.

Pauline epistles are canonized prior to James, Peter, John, Jude ... for the Pauline stated purpose: "to the end ye may be established in grace":

The gospel, of grace and peace ("that gospel" of this/that  gospels), is called the gospel of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of Christ (the end of the law), and the gospel of Paul. Other gospel accounts are clarified as being the gospel "according to" Matthew, the gospel "according to" Luke, the gospel "according to" John (whose surname: Mark); Not to mention the gospel according to John is the only "verily verily" gospel account. Also "another gospel" is a perversion of the gospel (Gal 1); a polluted perverted oxymoron mixture of grace + law which is as blessed + cursed = accursed. It's the reason pure religion paid a visit (not a ransom) to those "afflicted" by such, because grace + law  was all vanity and vexation of Spirit, and was as life(grace) + death(law) = a dead end. But thanks to God, who chose Paul to be The Apostle who plays the last trump it, the Holy Bible has no such dead end.

From Acts, Galatians, 2Peter, we may conclude Peter (called Satan) was converted by the epistles of Paul, especially Hebrews: a mini bible itself:

Peter, the only man called "Satan" in the Bible, was also told: "when thou art converted, then strengthen thy brethren". In 2Peter, we find mention that he read all the epistles of Paul, and his exhortation to "grow in grace" speaks of "the same" (JC = "the same": Heb 13:8) things.

Holy Kiss is unique to Pauline Epistles, his "token" in every epistle:

Paul is well noted for use of the "holy kiss" unto "brethren" all (Heb 2), which he uses in all his epistles (including childish Corinthians, bewitched Galatians, babe Hebrews and in Revelation). Converted Peter mentions said kiss as a "kiss of charity" (kiss of pure grace unto brethren), and no other NT writer speaks more about "charity"(never faileth) than The Apostle Paul.

Of epistles written by apostles, only Paul is noted "The Apostle" in titles.
Paul seems to be chosen of God and apprehended by Jesus Christ to be the ongoing spokesman of the gospel of Christ. The main reason he's chosen of God is he was the most lawful of the law folk, and upon conversion the most graceful of grace folk; the point being law and grace do not mix. His grace did not compromise with law at all, rather abolished it.

  His (Saul Saul) conversion to Paul is from extreme law to extreme grace:

No Pharisee kept the law to the letter killeth more than Saul of Tarsus; and no Apostle is more extreme grace than Paul The Apostle, an apostle of Jesus Christ  by the will of God; the will of God being all mercy and no sacrifice at all, which is all grace and no law at all... extreme grace.


Paul The Apostle spent 2/3 of his 75 yrs as Saul of Tarsus. He was raised in Tarsus until his bar mitzva. Tarsus was not only a major sea port on the main trade route from east to west, but a notable center of learning and home to stoic philosophers. So he lived among the learned and traveled while young. He was multicultural himself, an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin (as was his namesake King Saul  also: Acts 13:21), circumcised the eighth day; Yet also a Roman citizen fluent in Aramaic, Greek, and  Hebrew.

Although there was a university at Tarsus, Saul took his secondary education at Jerusalem under tutelage of rabbinical Gamiliel. No doubt Saul excelled at such, for he was not only a Pharisee, but exceedingly more zealous (awful lawful) than his peers. He became renowned for persecuting the Christians, especially Jews who converted to Christ: the end of the law. Jews who fled could be extradited back to Jerusalem for punishment. Saul excelled at fetching them. When Stephen was stoned Saul not only consented, but stoners laid their raiment at his feet.

It seems Saul was also a young orator (preacher, teacher) of renown who traveled east and west; mostly east while Saul, mostly west while Paul. Perhaps Saul went as far east as Babylon, was even the star (angel, minister) of the east Babylonian Jews spoke of seeing when such magoi (enough to stir up all Jerusalem and Herod) later came to worship the (child) king of the Jews (Jesus of Nazareth) at Nazareth. For no doubt Saul's close association with temple priests and elders at Jerusalem would have made him privy to remarks by Simeon and Anna about Jesus (Lk 2) at his circumcision. If so, then Saul's birth was at least 20 yrs prior to the birth of Jesus; also living several years after the crucifixion as "Saul", perhaps past 40AD, then ministered about 25 yrs as "Paul". So his life would have spanned over 70 years.

Contrary to popular belief, Saul's trade (besides preaching, teaching, and persecuting Christians) was not so much a tent maker, but a maker of Jewish prayer shawls, which he continued doing during missionary journeys as Paul, to support himself, his extensive travels.

Paul's Damascus Road experience is mentioned in Acts 9:1-22. Yet what I find interesting, and concerning Saul -> Paul conversion, is he is still spoken of as "Saul" beyond Acts 9, even into Acts 13 which places "Saul" (not Paul) at Antioch, Selucia, Cyprus, Salamis, and Paphos; Then he's spoken of as "Paul" thereafter (except when retelling the Damascus Road story in Acts 22:4-19 and 26:9-15). So according to Luke (writer of Acts, companion of Paul, perhaps his personal physician) "Saul" became "Paul" when John (Johnny Law) departed from Saul and Barnabas to return to Jerusalem, and such is many years after his Damascus road experience.

More clarification (especially concerning visits to Jerusalem and limited association with other apostles) is given in Galatians (Gal 1:13-24). Such might explain the possible contradiction of Acts 9 and Gal 1, where Acts 9 leaves readers with the potential erroneous impression he went to Jerusalem shortly after the Damascus Road experience and some preaching in their synagogues. Gal 1 clarifies he made only two Jerusalem visits thereafter, and the first was more than three years later, the second visit fourteen years after the first visit. The point of such clarification is to note he didn't agree with nor get any teaching from other apostles, whose gospel he called "another gospel", noting such was a perversion of the gospel of Christ: the end of the law; in fact no gospel (good news) at all. Another point would be he abandoned his belongings and Pharisee career at Jerusalem when the religious blinders (as if scales) came off, and long enough that he was later unknown by face unto the churches of Judea (Gal 1:22).

As biblically recorded Paul had several more than three journeys (which is traditionally taught). From Damascus he went to Arabia for an unspecified time, perhaps even visited "Mt Sinai in Arabia" (Gal 4) to begin his own grace walk from Sinai to Sion (from faith to faith, and from glory to glory). Perhaps the reason he mentions in 2Cor 11:32 Arabian King Aretas IV (9 B.C.-A.D. 40) consorted with Damascus Jews against him was fear he'd tell others Mt Sinai was in Arabia, and possibly start a war; For it is only customary for Jews to claim holy sites.

From Arabia The Apostle Paul returned to Damascus prior to going to Jerusalem to visit Peter (Apostle to the circumcised). As Paul The Apostle notes the gospel of Christ is "to the Jew first" (Acts 13:46; Rom 1:16), so everywhere he went as Apostle to Gentiles he visited synagogues (Acts 14:1; 17:2; 18:19). No doubt he realized Jews under law at Sinai well said accusation all law should not be spoken to them again (Deut 5:25; 18:16; Heb 12:19), which many Jews also overlook today.

In addition to the traditional three missionary journeys noted in Acts, and a fourth to Rome (since he appealed unto Ceasar when accused by Jews of Jerusalem on his second visit there), Paul The Apostle also went to Spain (Rom 15:24), France (Gaul), and Britain (isles of the Gentiles) after his two years of house arrest in Rome. Such accounts for time gap between early and later dates of his death at Rome: some say 62AD, some say 68AD. As for some saying he was crucified, it's notable he was a Roman, thereby exempt from crucifixion. It seems more likely he was beheaded during Nero's persecution of Christians, which ended when Nero died in 68AD.