Stories of Paul

The stories about Paul that circulated in the decades after his death created a man of mythic proportions. The forgery known as The Acts of Paul filled in some of the historical gaps in his life. It created a folklore Paul, someone who frequently worked miracles, baptized a talking lion, and returned from the dead to confront Nero. The portrait of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles is far less mythical than the caricature found in The Acts of Paul. Luke is respectful of Paul, careful to soften his rough edges, even solicitous for Paul’s legacy of preaching and missionary journeys. The third image of Paul is in the apostle’s own letters.The autobiographical Paul admits failures, questions his ability as a speaker, experiences the “thorn in the flesh,” and is anxious about disputes and defections in the churches he deeply loves. It is likely in the letters that we meet the real Paul!