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Exporter
Guest
Please, can you tell me just when did Paul meet Jesus on the road to Damascus? Can you place it in time relative to Jesus’ crucifixtion? Thanks.
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Pug
Guest
Most definitely after the resurrection. Saul (Paul) had been persecuting the Church after Pentecost, and was going to Damascus to cause even more trouble when the Lord appeared to him. See an acount of the visit in Acts 9.
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Toni
Guest
The movie Peter and Paul after Saul/Paul helped with the stoning of Stephen that the particular scene you are speaking of is in. It is actually one of the beginning scenes. But as the other quote says it is biblical. He did not see Christ, he heard him.
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Todd_Easton
Guest
From the articles on Jesus and St. Paul in the 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia at www.newadvent.org, the probable dates of Jesus’ crucifixion and death and St. Paul’s conversion was A.D 29 and A.D. 35, respectively. So, it looks to be about 6 years between the two events.
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Exporter
Guest
Thanks Todd and all. What I wanted to know was if the “meeting” ( I did not say Paul SAW Jesus…I said he met Jesus) was after the Ascencion.
I know Paul was introduced to the twleve ( that;s what it says-twelve) in Jerusalem when introduced as a preacher of Jesus. Was the "encounter between Paul(Saul) and Jesus after the Ascencion. It seems to me that the twelve had been away from Jerusalem and then came back before Paul was introduced to them. Thanks.
I know Paul was introduced to the twleve ( that;s what it says-twelve) in Jerusalem when introduced as a preacher of Jesus. Was the "encounter between Paul(Saul) and Jesus after the Ascencion. It seems to me that the twelve had been away from Jerusalem and then came back before Paul was introduced to them. Thanks.
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Pug
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Yes, the encounter between Paul and Jesus was after the ascention of Jesus. The ascention is celebrated 10 days before pentecost in the Church for a reason; it has precedent in the bible. Acts 1:3 indicates that Jesus hung around for 40 days before he ascended. Then on pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down. This pentecost is 50 days after the passover, presumeably. This places the ascention between the crucifixtion and pentecost. (the passover and crucifixtion are close in time)
It is only after pentecost that the 12 apostles go around spreading the word and hence stiring up persecution against themselves. Paul was one of those persecuting the Church in that time period. Jesus asks Paul about that very persecution when they meet on the road to Damascus.
You mention the twelve. They had held a lot and replaced the missing space of Judas with another man, Matthias, I think. They did this before Pentecost if you follow the account in the book of acts.
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Plato
Guest
Hello,
I need some help here.
How do we know that Saul fell off a horse? Sacred Scripture says that he fell to the ground in Acts 9, but not from a horse. Yet, tradition says he fell to the ground from a horse .
Carravagio depicts Saul falling off a horse . Do we infer he fell off a horse because of his position as a persecutor and Roman citizenship? Is the horse mentioned explicitly elsewhere in St. Paul’s epistles?
Thanks in advance,
Plato
I need some help here.
How do we know that Saul fell off a horse? Sacred Scripture says that he fell to the ground in Acts 9, but not from a horse. Yet, tradition says he fell to the ground from a horse .
Carravagio depicts Saul falling off a horse . Do we infer he fell off a horse because of his position as a persecutor and Roman citizenship? Is the horse mentioned explicitly elsewhere in St. Paul’s epistles?
Thanks in advance,
Plato
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Fidelis
Guest
A horse is mentioned nowhere in Scripture.
That is probably how the supposition came about. The distance between Jerusalem – where Paul recieved his authorization to round up Christians – and Damascus would be a pretty far walk for someone of his social position engaged in official business. Otherwise it would take him forever, and people could more easily escape.
Again, though, this is speculation. We have no way of knowing, and it isn’t key to our faith. All we know is that it is probably where we get the expression “getting knocked off your high horse” when we speak of someone being humbled.
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Plato
Guest
Fidelis,
Thank you for your response. I understand the horse itself is not essential to our faith, but it is important to address whether Saul fell off a horse or not when teaching Sacred Scripture. I’m teaching my students how to reconcile a tradition with what is not written in the text, and the historical setting and culture of the time.
Saul’s alleged horse shows how tradition can get carried away even though it’s not a bad inference.
Here are some of the implications and questions:
(1) Did Saul fall from losing his balance from the horse, or from standing? In order words, he didn’t cause himself to fall - so, did Jesus knocked him over?
(2) Does a conversion experience of Jesus Christ come down hard on people as in the case of falling from a horse? Or, does the impact of conversion come similar to throwing oneself on to the ground? What determines the degree on impact? The degree of one’s prior sinful life?
(3) If Saul fell from a horse, then he could have been knocked unconscious, or have his wind knocked out of him at minimum. Throwing oneself to the ground would have not been as severe an impact.
(4) If Saul was walking, did he fell to the ground out of his own volition in the case of prostrating himself to Jesus?
(5) Does the impact of a conversion experience proportional to one’s misdeeds before conversion? For example, Saul was a persecutor and uttered murderous threats against Christians. He wanted to hunt them down. Did this occasion a large impact in conversion as in being knocked off a horse? If Saul simply prostrated himself before Jesus Christ, then what does this tell us? Jesus knew Saul was predisposed to conversion?
(6) Do people convert when there is a MAJOR crisis as when one is knocked of a horse? Or, the crisis may not have to be MAJOR; conversion comes when one least expects it? Saul was intent on capturing Christians.
(7) Is there such a thing as small conversions (as in my case - every day I’m re-converted to Jesus - especially in the Mass after the general absolution and subsequent receiving of the Holy Eucharist), or big conversions, as in the case of Saul?
Thanks,
Plato
Thank you for your response. I understand the horse itself is not essential to our faith, but it is important to address whether Saul fell off a horse or not when teaching Sacred Scripture. I’m teaching my students how to reconcile a tradition with what is not written in the text, and the historical setting and culture of the time.
Saul’s alleged horse shows how tradition can get carried away even though it’s not a bad inference.
Here are some of the implications and questions:
(1) Did Saul fall from losing his balance from the horse, or from standing? In order words, he didn’t cause himself to fall - so, did Jesus knocked him over?
(2) Does a conversion experience of Jesus Christ come down hard on people as in the case of falling from a horse? Or, does the impact of conversion come similar to throwing oneself on to the ground? What determines the degree on impact? The degree of one’s prior sinful life?
(3) If Saul fell from a horse, then he could have been knocked unconscious, or have his wind knocked out of him at minimum. Throwing oneself to the ground would have not been as severe an impact.
(4) If Saul was walking, did he fell to the ground out of his own volition in the case of prostrating himself to Jesus?
(5) Does the impact of a conversion experience proportional to one’s misdeeds before conversion? For example, Saul was a persecutor and uttered murderous threats against Christians. He wanted to hunt them down. Did this occasion a large impact in conversion as in being knocked off a horse? If Saul simply prostrated himself before Jesus Christ, then what does this tell us? Jesus knew Saul was predisposed to conversion?
(6) Do people convert when there is a MAJOR crisis as when one is knocked of a horse? Or, the crisis may not have to be MAJOR; conversion comes when one least expects it? Saul was intent on capturing Christians.
(7) Is there such a thing as small conversions (as in my case - every day I’m re-converted to Jesus - especially in the Mass after the general absolution and subsequent receiving of the Holy Eucharist), or big conversions, as in the case of Saul?
Thanks,
Plato
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Plato
Guest
Any Scripture scholars out there to answer my above question?
I guess I’ll have to break out with the Koine Greek:
πεσών - a participle of πίπτω, which means “fell”. The root term also can mean to prostrate onself.
Saul would have had to be walking if he prostrated himself before Jesus. Can’t see Saul prostrating himself if he fell off a horse.
Any comments?
Plato
I guess I’ll have to break out with the Koine Greek:
πεσών - a participle of πίπτω, which means “fell”. The root term also can mean to prostrate onself.
Saul would have had to be walking if he prostrated himself before Jesus. Can’t see Saul prostrating himself if he fell off a horse.
Any comments?
Plato
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thistle
Guest
It seems to me that Paul would not have been walking. Why would someone of importance (he was the leading figure in charge of the persecutions and capture of Christians) be walking long distances to persecute and capture Christians. That would not have been practical.
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