Why Did Saul of Tarsus Persecute Christians?
Why did Saul of Tarsus, the pre-Christian Paul, persecute the church (see 1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13, 23; 1 Tim 1:13)?
Persecutions which Luke alleges included pursuing Christians as far as adjacent territories, seeking their extradition, making murderous threats against them, voting for their execution, inflicting imprisonment and punishment, and vicious attempts to force them to commit blasphemies against Jesus (see Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-2; 22:4-5; 26:9-11). Saul of Tarsus probably persecuted Christians for the same reason that Saul, in his persona as the Apostle Paul, was himself persecuted by the Jews: Jewish Christ-believers were considered “a rogue cult” (to quote E.P. Sanders) that was leading Israel astray.
But there’s even more to it.
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