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Archaeological Evidence for Paul
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| Biblical Chronology, The Life of the Apostle Paul | ||||||||
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Outline of Presentation for this Page
The Apostle Paul went to Jerusalem at least 4-times after his conversion. And it is possible that the Scriptures infer that Paul may have went to Jerusalem 5-times after he was converted. The Scriptures below and evidence surmise when these visits occurred. After showing the surmised dates of Paul's visits to Jerusalem, we will discuss which visits Paul was referring to in the book of Galatians. Do we have the correct understanding of what Paul meant when he wrote about his trips to Jerusalem. |
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| Paul's Visits to Jerusalem | ||||||||
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Paul's First Visit to Jerusalem: The Apostle Paul writes that after his conversion, he did not immediately go to Jerusalem until after three years had passed. Consider what Paul wrote to the Galatians. "Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas [Peter], and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother" (Galatians 1:18-19). According to Paul, on this trip he stayed with Peter and also got acquainted with James, the brother of Jesus. But it appears that after staying with Peter for 15 days, [However, it is possible that Paul may have left Jerusalem and returned a short time later based on the Scriptures in Acts 9:26-30.] Paul went out into the city to get acquainted with the other believers living in Jerusalem. But they were afraid of him. To calm the fears of everyone, Barnabas, a man that knew the Apostle Peter, assured everyone that Paul was now a Christian. This detail is found in the book of Acts. "When he [Paul] came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus [Cilicia]" (Acts 9:26-30). It is important to understand that Paul used the Scriptures effectively to support that Jesus is the Messiah, but this got him into deep trouble with the Grecian Jews. They wanted to kill Paul. When the other Christians learned of this problem, they took Paul to Caesarea and sent him to Tarsus, which is the capital city of Cilicia. Paul stayed in that region and Syria as noted by his own writing as shown below in the book of Galatians. "Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia [Tarsus]. I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but only, they kept hearing, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy." (Galatians 1:22-23). Paul's Second Visit to Jerusalem: After Paul left Jerusalem to reside in Tarsus, several years passed. We find that Barnabas had gone to Antioch to preach. Barnabas had become acquainted with Paul and knew that he used the Scriptures well. And Barnabas knew that Paul was living in Tarsus. Barnabas went to Tarsus to find the Apostle Paul and bring him to Antioch. This occurred about the year AD 44 to 45 based on the famine that occurred during the reign of Claudius Caesar. "he (Barnabas) left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Based on the Scriptures above, we know that Barnabas and Paul went to Jerusalem together during the famine of AD 44 to 45. And it is apparent that they returned to Antioch after leaving Jerusalem based on Acts chapters 13 and 14. In these two chapters, Barnabas and Paul go on their 1st missionary journey. When they return, they are residing in Antioch. While there, a problem occurs that requires Paul to go to Jerusalem to address the issue of whether the Gentiles will be required to follow the laws of Moses. And it is certain that this is the visit to Jerusalem that Paul is referring to as occurring 14 years after his visit to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter. Paul goes on this third trip with Barnabas and Titus. Paul's Third Visit to Jerusalem: "Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue" (Acts 15:1-2). The Apostle Paul wrote about this third trip to Jerusalem in his letter to the Galatians. "Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage" (Galatians 2:1-5). Paul's Fourth Visit to Jerusalem: The final visit by The Apostle Paul to Jerusalem occurred about the year AD 57. Luke wrote about this trip in the book of Acts. "After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples. When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry" (Acts 21:15-19). |
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Evidence that Paul became a Christian in Late AD 32 or Early AD 33 |
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According to the Apostle Paul, he went to Jerusalem 3-years AFTER he was converted. This viewpoint is accepted by all people. But it is necessary to discuss the Greek word that is translated as "THEN" in the King James Version. This word and two unique Greek words that are translated as "AFTER" are the keys that give us the correct interpretation as to when Paul went to Jerusalem. In Galatians 1:18 and 2:1, Paul uses "THEN" as shown below. This Greek word is Strong's number 1899 as shown in the Scriptures below: "{Then 1899} {after 3326} three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days" (Galatians 1:18). "{Then 1899} fourteen years {after 1223} I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with [me] also" (Galatians 2:1). Consider the definition for Greek word #1899 as defined below.
The meaning of the Greek word means that AFTER a list of events, the succeeding event occurs. In this case, after Paul's conversion, he went to Arabia and then returned to Damascus. After these things, which took 3-full years, Paul went to Jerusalem to visit Peter and James, the brother of Jesus. Additional Evidence Supporting the 17-Year Sequence In Galatians 2:1, Word# 1223 is often translated into English as the word "AFTER". However, this is not the true meaning of the word as shown below: "Then fourteen years after 1223 I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with [me] also" (Galatians 2:1). The definition for Greek word #1223 is given below. However, it is also important to understand that the true Greek word for AFTER is recorded in Galatians 1:18 where Strong's word #3326 is used.
What does the Apostle Paul truly mean by using this word? The most common meaning of this word is that Paul's visit to Jerusalem after 14 years is for the same reason he visited after 3-years. For example, in the box above, the definition is most likely, "because of for this reason." Or you could insert the definition, "on this account" or "the ground or reason by which something is or is not done." "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel -- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ" (Galatians 1:6-7). It is certain that the Apostle Paul knew that he was called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles from the very beginning. Consider Paul's words as written in verses 11 to 17 as follows: "I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. In the verses above, we learn that the Apostle Paul did not got to Jerusalem to consult with men. He already knew that God had called him to preach to the Gentiles. Along this same subject, Galatians 2:2-4 reveals that Paul went to Jerusalem to discuss his preaching to the Gentiles. Furthermore, Paul took Titus, an uncircumcised Gentile along with him to emphasize his viewpoint and calling. There was no need for the Gentiles to follow the Old Testament laws because we have liberty in Messiah's death and resurrection. "I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves" (Galatians 2:2-4). |
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| Time Sequence for the Apostle Paul | ||||||||
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Based on the Scriptures, Paul was in his 17th year as a Christian in the year AD 49. The information as presented by the Apostle Paul supports that he became a Christian in late AD 32 or early AD 33. More than three years later, Paul went to Jerusalem. He met Peter and James in the year 36 AD. The purpose of the trip is related to Paul's call to preach to the Gentiles. Paul relayed this information to Peter and James. After this trip, Paul went back to Tarsus and lived there until AD 44 to AD 45. Barnabas searched and found Paul in Tarsus in AD 44 or AD 45. Both Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem at that time. The purpose of the this trip was to bring monetary support to Christians that were hurt by the famine. After their 1st missionary journey, Barnabas and Paul returned to Jerusalem to resolve the issue as to whether the Gentiles were to keep the laws of the Old Testament. This took place in AD 49. The purpose of the trip is related to the salvation of the Gentiles. A few years later in AD 51 to AD 52, Paul was on his 2nd missionary journey and stood before the Proconsul Gallio in the city of Achaia. The Archaeological discovery can be viewed in Delphi, Greece. It is certain that many people will not accept this viewpoint since they are convinced that Jesus was crucified in the year AD 33. If you choose to believe that Jesus was crucified in the year AD 33, I choose not to offend or argue with anyone. That is simply your choice and I hold nothing against anyone who is willing to study the Bible as God's word. On a slightly different note, if you would like to review archaeological and other evidence that supports the life of Paul, click here |
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