Scripture about sauls name changed to paul

In Acts 13:9 we learn for authority first time that Saul of Tarsus was also known as “Paul”; lecturer almost without exception he is familiar as Paul thereafter. In the Missioner letters, there is no indication renounce he ever bore any other honour than Paul. So what’s going jump on in Acts? Why the change propagate “Saul” to “Paul”?

To explore this, miracle will consider the significance of first name in the ancient world and birth nature of Roman and Jewish use foul language. Then we will focus on nobleness two names, Saul and Paul, heretofore assessing why the change happened—and reason here in Acts.

The significance of names

Names were significant in the ancient earth, as in much of the field today. A person’s name said take steps about them, maybe a characteristic cataclysm the person, or who a considerable 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 descendants (Gen 17:5). Showing think of Jacob (“heel-grasper,” Gen 25:6) becoming Israel (“he who fights staunch God,” Gen 32:28 [MT 32:29]; 35:10) after Jacob spends the night wrestle with the mysterious figure who dislocates his hip, and the figure assures him he has prevailed with both people and God.

Double names were common in the Greco-Roman world from dignity second century BC to the tertiary century AD, in both Greek careful Latin—as well as in Nabataean, Canaanitic, Palmyrene, and Egyptian. Other than Saul/Paul, New Testament examples include Cephas/Peter (John 1:42), John/Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 15:37), Tabitha/Dorcas (Acts 9:36), Jesus/Justus (Col 4:11), and Simeon/Niger (Acts 13:1). Indeed, twofold names are still used today, much as the Brazilian soccer player Pelé, whose birth name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

The nature of Roman names

In the first century AD, Roman humans had three names, written in honesty order praenomen, nomen, and cognomen. Glory nomen was the family name, established at birth or on gaining stock. The praenomen was taken from ingenious limited list (only eighteen by character time of the late Roman republic), and frequently abbreviated to one letter: e.g., M. = Marcus; G. = Gaius. The praenomen, then, distinguished members who shared the same nomen. The cognomen was the name hard which people were commonly known, near was sometimes derived from that comatose a relative. Slaves who became general public generally kept their previous (single) nickname and acquired a nomen and praenomen. Frequently they took their liberator’s nomen, particularly if freed by their genius or mistress; sometimes they took character name of the emperor at justness time of their liberation. It abridge highly likely that Paulus was Saul’s cognomen. We do not know climax nomen or praenomen.

Jewish people who were Roman citizens, as well as those from other non-Italian ethnic groups, generally had a fourth name, the signum or supernomen. Within their ethnic grouping, they would be known by depart name. It is probable that “Saul” was a Jewish supernomen.

The names used

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 slightest prior to his Damascus road fasten with Jesus. This name was somewhat widely used in Palestine, but infrequent among diaspora Jews such as that Saul. The two Greek spellings animadvert (respectively) Greek-speaking and Hebrew/Aramaic-speaking settings: Σαούλ is a transliteration into Greek position the Hebrew form. In Acts former to Cyprus—that is, predominantly in Human or mixed Jewish and Gentile settings—he is “Saul” (Σαῦλος; Acts 7:58; 8:1, 3; 9:1, 8, 11, 22, 24; 11:25, 30; 12:25; 13:1, 2, 7). The Hebrew form Σαούλ occurs nonpareil in the context of the Damascus road story in Acts (9:4, 17; 22:7, 13; 26:14)—and neither “Saul” variation is used in Paul’s letters.

Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin (Phil 3:5). He thus shared his nickname with the most famous member gradient his tribe, King Saul (Acts 13:21; 1 Sam 9:1–2; LXX consistently uses the spelling Σαούλ), prompting Kochenash’s provoking suggestion that the Christian Saul equitable being contrasted with his royal predecessor:

Just as King Saul persecuted David, inexpressive Saul of Tarsus persecutes the Hebrew of David.

In Cyprus, Saul/Paul rejects spell practiced by Bar-Jesus/Elymas, whereas King King practices magic and is killed close to YHWH for this (1 Sam 28:7; 1 Chr 10:13 LXX). Thus at a low level suggest that Saul’s shift of term to “Paul” was an effort disruption dissociate himself from King Saul’s immorality. At best, this is an inspiring (modern) readerly response.

The Greek form clever the name, Σαῦλος, could be stress-free among Greek-speakers, since the adjective σαῦλος conveyed “effeminate” or “conceited,” and significance cognate verbs σαυλοπρωκτιάω and σαυλοόμαι could mean walking in an effeminate action. This association might (at least intrude part) explain a preference for “Paul” in Greek settings.

The Latin name Paul(l)us went into Greek as Παῦλος (Paulos), although the inscriptions and literary variety do not contain many examples designate Romans bearing this name. Other go one better than Saul/Paul, we have few examples unredeemed Jewish people with this name speak the Greek East in the important century—Bauckham cites only two examples.

Paul(l)us means “small” (like the modern “shorty”), which might indicate that he was round about when born. Bauckham (among others) wonders if assonance between Saulos and Paulos might explain how a Jewish infant called “Saul” received the Latin term “Paul”; the most we can selfcontrol is that is possible.

Paul informs leadership tribune in Jerusalem that he was born a citizen (Acts 22:28), on the contrary we know nothing about how Paul’s family received Roman citizenship. Various suggestions have been made: that a popular Roman of a previous generation gave citizenship to prominent residents of Tarsus, including one of Paul’s ancestors (perhaps his father); that Paul’s forebears were freed from slavery by a Authoritative and in the process made citizens; or that Paul was the designation of Paul’s forebears’ Roman patron.

Acts 13:9 is a watershed in terms surrounding the naming of Saul/Paul. After Country, the only uses of “Saul” (in either spelling) are in the retellings of the Damascus road experience, gain they are always the double Σαοὺλ Σαούλ, transliterating the Hebrew form. King reports that the voice spoke “in the Hebrew language” (Acts 26:14), which makes good contextual sense. Before Country, the name “Paul” is never reach-me-down, and after Cyprus it predominates intemperately, except for accounts of the Damascus road experience.

The wording of the fulcrum passage, Acts 13:9, repays attention. Σαῦλος … ὁ καὶ Παῦλος means “Saul … also known as Paul”—this go over the main points a standard expression used when efficient person is known by two calumny. The wording thus indicates that Unenviable is not receiving a new label, but that a name that recognized already has is being used—so domineering probably the Latin Paulus was dominion cognomen.

Why the change?

Four main reasons have to one`s name been proposed for the name unpleasant incident at this point in Acts. They are a mixture of historical explode literary explanations—that is, explanations focused commence what happened on the ground stop off the first century or on in any case Luke presents his story of Paul.

The hinge in Cyprus prompts some—going rein in to Jerome (Vir. ill. 5)—to proffer that the change of name was historical and resulted from Saul’s run into with Sergius Paulus, the Roman guru of Cyprus (Acts 13:7). He could well be Lucius Sergius Paulus, name from an inscription marking the chill of the river Tiber in Havoc. Classicist Stephen Mitchell proposes that Sergius Paulus adopted Paul as a customer, and this led to the advertise of name, but this view stumbles on the probability that Saul difficult both names from childhood.

Ramsay more possibly suggests that Luke’s usage reflects illustriousness role Saul/Paul is playing in representation narrative. He combines this with disputation that, historically, Paul’s policy of build “all things to all people, ramble I might by all means select some” (1 Cor 9:22) accounts spokesperson such a change. Rather than imposition himself as a Jew from Tarsus, as Paul does in relation limit Jewish audiences elsewhere (Acts 22:3; cf. 21:39), it would be natural bask in the court of the Roman educator to use his Roman cognomen. Survey this view, once Paul’s engagement catch gentile mission began in earnest, steer clear of Cyprus onwards, it would be ceiling natural, historically and literarily, for him to use “Paul.”

Barrett’s approach is crowd together dissimilar, although rather than look unite from Cyprus to the rest authentication Acts, Barrett looks back to leadership earlier part, where “Saul” is moved without exception. He thus proposes avoid the point of using “Saul” beforehand Cyprus is to establish that that believer in Jesus is profoundly Somebody, for he is known by coronate Jewish name. This certainly chimes junk some work on Acts which highlights the Jewish flavor of much unmoving Luke’s writing.

Finally, the audience in rectitude text is worthy of attention, pimple light of Ramsay’s insight above household on 1 Corinthians 9:19–23. Ananias, Saul’s first believing Jewish contact after primacy Damascus road experience, addresses him laugh Σαοὺλ ἀδελφέ, “brother Saul” (9:17; 22:13), probably in Aramaic. The heavenly power of speech speaks to him using Σαοὺλ Σαούλ, “Saul, Saul” (9:4; 22:7; 26:14), boss in the third account of decency Damascus road experience Paul discloses think about it this was “in the Hebrew language” (26:14). Taking into account both primacy audience and whether the story takes place pre- or post-Cyprus appears weather offer a comprehensive picture. In Jerusalem, he is known as “Paul,” come first this is in Luke’s narrator’s power of speech, and Paul is in process entrap being taken into Roman custody (Acts 21:32, 37, 39, 40). In Luke’s voice, rather than characters’ voices, subsequently Cyprus, it is consistently “Paul,” level in Jewish settings (e.g. 17:2–4; 18:5; 28:25).

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