Search results
Jan 4, 2022 · The answer is that Saul’s name was also Paul. The custom of dual names was common in those days. Acts 13:9 describes the apostle as “Saul, who was also called Paul.” From that verse on, Saul is always referred to in Scripture as “Paul.” Paul was a Jew, born in the Roman city of Tarsus.
- The Significance of Names
- The Nature of Roman Names
- The Names Used
- Why The Change?
- Related Articles
Names were significant in the ancient world, as in much of the world today. A person’s name said something about them, maybe a characteristic of the person, or who a significant ancestor was. Changes of name were particularly significant, such as Abram (“exalted father”) becoming Abraham (“father of many”) because of God’s promise to him of many de...
In the first century AD, Roman citizens had three names, written in the order praenomen, nomen, and cognomen.2 The nomen was the family name, received at birth or on gaining citizenship. The praenomen was taken from a limited list (only eighteen by the time of the late Roman republic), and frequently abbreviated to one letter: e.g., M. = Marcus; G....
Σαῦλος/Σαούλ (Saulos/Saoul), “Saul” in Hebrew (שׁאול šʾwl, meaning “[the child] asked for”), was his Jewish name, and he would be known thus among Jews—at least prior to his Damascus road encounter with Jesus. This name was relatively widely used in Palestine, but rare among diaspora Jews such as this Saul.4 The two Greek spellings reflect (respect...
Four main reasons have been proposed for the name change at this point in Acts. They are a mixture of historical and literary explanations—that is, explanations focused on what happened on the ground in the first century or on how Luke presents his story of Paul. The hinge in Cyprus prompts some—going back to Jerome (Vir. ill. 5)—to propose that th...
Jan 29, 2024 · In summary, Saul’s name was changed to Paul in Acts 13:9 when he was filled with the Holy Spirit and pronounced judgment on the Jewish sorcerer Bar-Jesus. This represented his new identity and calling in Christ to be the apostle to the Gentiles.
Aug 9, 2023 · In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul’s story begins under a different name—Saul of Tarsus (Acts 8–9). When, exactly, did Saul become Paul? Did the prolific missionary and Apostle to the Gentiles change his entire identity from Saul to Paul?
The spirit which led the Apostle to change the name of Saul, with its memories of the royal dignity which, in the person of its great wearer, had honoured his tribe, for a Roman name is the same which he formally announces as a deliberately adopted law of his life.
Jul 17, 2024 · One of the frequently discussed “name changes” in the Bible is that of Saul to Paul. The transformation is often associated with Saul’s conversion on the Damascus Road, where the Lord Jesus instructed him to bring the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1-19).
People also ask
Why did the Apostle change the name of Saul?
Did Saul have a name other than Paul?
When did Saul become Paul?
Did Jesus change his name from Saul to Paul?
What was Saul's name?
Why did Paul change his name to Paul?
The spirit which led the Apostle to change the name of Saul, with its memories of the royal dignity which, in the person of its great wearer, had honoured his tribe, for a Roman name is the same which he formally announces as a deliberately adopted law of his life.
