Dating probablyfrom the mid-2nd century,the Epistula Apostolorum in cludes afull account of the conversion of Paul, largely independent of Acts and outlined in advancebythe risen Jesusasheprepares his disciples for their fu ture mission. As in Acts and Galatians, Paul’sJewishness is emphasized here. As in Galatians but in contrast toActs, there is no indication thatPaul’sperse cuting activity originated in Jerusalem. In contrast to Galatians but with partial parallels in Acts and the Acts of Paul, human agents– here,the eleven apostles playamajor role in the process of Paul’sconversion. The author’spurpose is to integrate Paul into the apostolic group in spite of his belated call.
Paul the Jew
In both the Epistula and Mary, reassurance mayinpart be found in Jesus’ own words: “Iwill give youmypeace” (EpAp 30.4), “Receive my peace to yourselves” (GMary 8, 14–15); “Iwill be in you” (EpAp 30.3), “the Son of man is within you” (GMary 8, 18–19). In both cases, reassurance alsocomes in the form of ahuman helper, femaleormale– Mary,who “turns their heart to the good” (GMary 9, 21–22),orPaul. In the Epistula the risen Jesus informs his original disciples of their future relationship with Paul by emphasizing stronglyhis Jewish credentials (EpAp 31.1). This emphasis on Paul’sJewishness is striking in atext which elsewhereshows so little interest in Jewishthemes. Echoes of Acts and Philippians are perceptible in the references to Paul’sdouble name and his Jewish ethnicity, although on closer examination it is the differences that are more significant than the simi larities. In Acts as in the Epistula,Paulhas adouble name: he is “Saul who is also Paul” (Acts 13:9) (Daniel Marguerat, Les Actes des Apȏtres, 2.31). In this identification of Saul and Paul,Luke marks achangein his own usage. Up to this point he has consistentlyreferred to Paul as “Saul” (Acts 7:58–13:7,x14). In his Saul identity,Paul iseither the zealous persecutor (Acts 7:58–9:11) or the new convert subject to the leadership of Barnabas (Acts 9:11–13:7). In Acts 13,however, the pairing of “Barnabas and Saul” (v.7)gives way to“those who were with Paul” (οἱ περὶ Παῦλον,v.13), and “Paul” rather than “Saul” is used from here onwards.
Forthe Epistula, Pawelos is not an addi tional name but rather aGreek translation of the Septuagintal and Hebraic name rendered here as Sawel (cf. Σαούλ, שׁ א ו ל ) (Augustine, De Spiritu et Littera 7). Luke’shellenized Σαῦλος weakens the potential allusion to the first king of Israel, “Saul son of Kish [τὸνΣαοὺλυἱὸν Κίς],” although Luke is well aware of this scriptural figure (cf. Acts 13:21). King Saul is presented as Σαοῦλος in Josephus’s Antiquities, however (Ant. vi.46, etc.), and Σαούλ does occur in all three Acts accounts of the words addressed to Paul by the exalted Jesus: ΣαοὺλΣαούλτί με διώκεις (Acts 9:4; 22:7; 26:14; cf. 9:17;22:13). Josephus’s Σαοῦλος and Luke’s Σαῦλος maymake the respective Saul figures more accessibletoGreek-speaking readers. Incontrast, the Σαούλ form of the name, usedonlybythe exalted Jesus, highlights the otherness of the Hebraic linguistic sphere inhabited by Jesusand his persecutor Saul. As Acts 26:14explicitlystates, Jesus addressed Saul “in the Hebrew language” (τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ, cf. 21:40; 22:2). The Epistula too uses the scriptural Σαούλ to underline Paul’s Jewishness, presenting it as the Hebrew original of the more familiar Greek Παῦλος.
In a further parallel to the Epistula,the Paul of Philippians underlines his Jew ishness by referring to his circumcision (περιτομῇὀκταήμερος, Phil 3:5), al though here– in contrast to Acts– markers of Jewish identity and status are apparently renounced (cf. Phil 3:7–9). Yet both Acts and Philippians emphasize Paul’s exceptional appropriation of his Jewish identity: he has been “instructed in the strict observance of the Lawofour fathers,” he is “azealot for God,” he is “blameless as regards the righteousness of the law” (Acts 22:3;Phil 3:6). In the Epistula as in Acts, Paul hears the voice of the exalted Lordand is tem porarilyblinded (EpAp 31.1–2; Acts 9:4–6).
Also the Epistula is probably not dependent on Acts (Schmidt, Gespräche Jesu (see n. 1), 246–248).
Paul the Persecutor
Significant differences between the Epistula and Acts maybe seen in their depictions of Saul or Paul as persecutor and in the involvement of human agents in the conversion event. The persecuting Saul of the Epistula comes to Damascus not from Jerusalem but from Cilicia, and the apostles play a leading role in his conversion.
The Conversion of Paul
In Acts 9, the primary agent in Paul’sconversion is the exalted Lordhimself. As Paul or Saul approached Damascus, “suddenly a light from heaven shone around him, and he fell to the ground and heard avoice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, whydoyou persecuteme?’” (Acts 9:3–4). Paul will later narrate this event in very similar terms when he defends himself before the people of Jerusa lem, adding onlythat it occurred περὶ μεσημβρίαν, “at about midday” (Acts 22:6). Still later,inhis defence before King Agrippa,we learn that the light was “bright er than the sun,” that Paul’scompanions sawitand fell to the ground as he did, and that the heavenlyvoice spoke τῇἙβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ, that is, in Hebrew or Aramaic (26:13–14). It was the brightness of the light thatcaused Paul’stem porary blindness (22:11), although it did not affect his companions who now guide him into Damascus (9:8;22:11). Indeed, there issome uncertainty about what these companions did or did not experience: they “stood speechless [ἐνεοί], hearing the voice but seeing no-one” (9:7), they “sawthe light but did not hearthe voice of the one who was speaking to me” (22:9; cf. 26:13). Twonamedindividuals playasignificant role in the sequeltoPaul’sconver sion. In Damascus, Ananias lays hands on him so that his sight is restored (Acts 9:10–18); in Jerusalem,Barnabas introduces him to the apostles (9:27).
We are also informed of the name and address of the blinded Saul’shost in Damascus: Ananias is told that he will find Saul “in the house of Judas” which is located “in the street called Straight” (9:11). This Judas plays amore prominent role in the Ephesus episode of the Acts of Paul,wherePaul recounts to his Ephesian audi ence “what happened to me when Iwas in Damascus, at the time when Iwas persecutingthe faith in God” (ActPl 9.5).²¹ After God revealed his Son to him, Paul joined the church at Damascus “through the blessed Judas, brother of the Lord, who from the beginning gave me the exalted loveof faith” (ActPl 9.5).²² His new wayoflife as aChristian was enabled “through the blessed proph et [i.e. Judas] and the revelation of Christ” (9.6). The obscure Judas of Acts 9is identifiedboth with the Judas namedasone of Jesus’ brothers (Mark 6:3 // Matt 13:55) and with the prophet Judaswho plays arole in the delivery of the “apostolic decree” (Acts 15:22, 27,32).²³ In the figure of this Judas, Paul gains a more credible patron than the Ananias of Acts.