Did someone teach St. Paul about Jesus

[SonCatcher]

But does God speak to us “without” instructing us??

In Paul’s case, the introduction may very well have been all the “instruction” he needed at the time. He should have already known much about Jesus so as to refute Him (since Paul had misidentified Jesus as a false messiah). By meeting Jesus as the true messiah, Paul would have been able to apply all he already learned in proper context.

Sounds as though there is not just one answer to this question. I have asked this question to two different priests, with two different answers being given. I am going to be reading, and re-reading a lot of Scripture this weekend it looks like!!

Quite right. We don’t really know what isn’t recorded.

 

[po18guy]

Fortunately, we have the Apostolic Traditions and the Magisterium of the Church to carry us through places where the bible is silent. No matter how Paul was taught, it is clear from scripture that he made sure that his teaching was correct by consulting with Peter and the others (Galatians 2:1-10).

 

[Hboggs]

I don’t know where I first heard this and/or if it is even true, but I was taught that Jesus spoke directly to Paul during those 3 years that he spent in the desert “out of sight”

 

[Heuchler]

I would assume that he would have known about Christ since he was condemning Christians. Anything else he probably learned from one of the twelve or from Christ himself through revelation. A funny claim I have heard from a protestant was that Paul was privately taught by Christ for fourteen years.

 

[Verbum]

Hi Maryj,

the Bible was not compiled until well after Paul was martyred

The Books of the Bible existed before they were “compiled”. St Paul wrote his letters and as he wrote he was inspired. The Church did not “approve” his letters. The Church found them to be part of God’s revelation.

Verbum

 

[Dorothy]

The short answer is Jesus did. Paul was selected directly by Christ. Throughout Paul’s letters you can see him struggle to describe divine revelation. You can see this in Ephesians, Galatians, Romans, and other places – Paul will refer to things like the “height and width and breadth and depth” of the faith, and the “peace that transcends all understanding.”

The term was never used, but this is scriptural evidence of contemplative prayer.

I agree! Paul’s experience, obviously, was a profound experience of knowing the Lord (what we call infused contemplation), which caused him to do a complete 180 as to how he saw Christianity. God’s grace was tremendous to Paul, and filled him with fervor.