What did Saul see on the road to Damascus?
Acts 9:27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who spoke to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus. Acts 22:6 About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
What interrupted Paul's journey to Damascus?
The journey is interrupted when Paul sees a blinding light, and communicates directly with a divine voice. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
How did Saul go blind in the Bible?
When Saul gets up and opens his eyes, he can’t see a thing. He is blind! So the men with him take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. Jesus now speaks to one of his disciples in Damascus, saying: ‘Get up, An·a·niʹas. Go to the street called Straight.
What did Saul do to the Disciples of the Lord?
9 Then (B) Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked (C) letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
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What does Saul say when he opens his eyes?
When Saul gets up and opens his eyes, he can’t see a thing. He is blind! So the men with him take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. Jesus now speaks to one of his disciples in Damascus, saying: ‘Get up, An·a·niʹas. Go to the street called Straight. At the house of Judas ask for a man named Saul.
What does Saul say when he meets him?
When he meets Saul, he lays his hands on him and says: ‘The Lord has sent me that you might see again and be filled with holy spirit.’. At once something that looks like scales falls from Saul’s eyes, and he is able to see again. Saul is used in a mighty way to preach to people of many nations.
What does the voice say to Saul?
Suddenly a light from the sky flashes around Saul. He falls to the ground, as we see here. Then a voice says: ‘Saul, Saul! Why are you hurting me?’ The men with Saul see the light and hear the sound of the voice, but they can’t understand what is being said.
What happened after Stephen was killed?
After Stephen is killed, Saul takes the lead in hunting for Jesus’ followers to hurt them. He goes into one house after another and drags them out and throws them into prison. Many of the disciples flee to other cities and begin to declare the “good news” there. But Saul goes to other cities to find Jesus’ followers.
What did Saul know about Jesus?
Saul recognized both his sins and the Lordship of Jesus. The "light that shone around him" (Acts 9:3) wasn't ordinary light. It was "from heaven" (Acts 9:3) and had supernatural power that had knocked him to the ground. Just as Saul was wondering about the cause of what had just happened, Jesus gave him the answer: “Saul, Saul, ...
What does it mean when Saul is speechless?
Also, the men who were on the road with Saul "stood" (Acts 9:7 below) speechless, which means that they were on foot; since a group can travel only as fast as its slowest member, having had companions on foot counters the speculation that Saul rode a horse to get to Damascus faster.
Did Saul walk on the road to Damascus?
Had Saul been riding a horse or walking on the road to Damascus? Some have argued that Saul must have been riding a horse, reasoning that since the road from Jerusalem to Damascus covered over 135 miles (220 kilometers), he would have wanted to ride a horse to get to Damascus faster .
What does Saul fall to the ground from?
In Acts 9:4, Saul “fell to the ground” - not from a horse, even if Caravaggio’s glorious painting has burned the image in our minds – and the scene is coming to an end when “Saul got up from the ground” (Acts 9:8).
What is Saul's conversion?
Saul’s conversion is the classic example of conversion in the Christian tradition, joined some centuries later by that of St. Augustine, in which a religious experience brings a person into a direct and overwhelming encounter with the divine. [1]
What is the focus of Acts chapter 9?
With the beginning of chapter 9, though it might not be apparent initially, the focus of Acts is changing to Saul and the Gentile Mission. We will be told later that Saul is also called Paul (Acts 13:9), but at this point we only know that the one who was earlier persecuting the Christians is on his way to continue this persecution in Damascus when he has an experience of the risen Lord. Saul’s conversion is the classic example of conversion in the Christian tradition, joined some centuries later by that of St. Augustine, in which a religious experience brings a person into a direct and overwhelming encounter with the divine. [1]
What is the fullness of Saul's experience?
The fullness of it is a spiritual experience to which only Saul has access. This encounter, however, will be described again in Acts 22:1-21 and 26:9-18 and it will be important to pay attention to how it is outlined in these two occurrences also, for Luke himself will not be consistent in his description of the experience or who sees ...
What does "suddenly" mean in Acts 9?
Unexpectedly, the persecutor “suddenly” experiences “a light from heaven” (Acts 9:3). Johnson points out that “suddenly” ( exaiphnes) also appears in Luke 2:13 with the appearance of the heavenly choir and in Luke 9:39 when a boy is overcome by a spirit (Johnson, Acts, 162).
Did Saul have physical sight?
But “though his eyes were open, he could see nothing,” an example of the link between spiritual and physical sight. Saul is in a liminal state, still not clear about his encounter with Jesus and until he gains spiritual sight, he will not have physical sight.
Was Saul dependent on the High Priest?
According to this account Saul’ s authority is not personal, though, but dependent upon the high priest, for he “went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2).
Who commanded Saul to be baptized?
You see, Ananias recognized that Saul was still in his sins. Therefore he commanded him to be baptized and wash away his sins. A man who is still in his sins cannot rightfully be called a brother in Christ. The use of the term “brother” is not a title but rather an expression of Saul’s common Jewish heritage.
Who recognized Saul as a brother in Christ?
One of the biggest problems with the idea that Ananias recognized Saul as a brother in Christ is Ananias ’ own statement to Saul recorded by Luke in Acts 22:16. Recounting his conversion, Saul (now Paul) said that Ananias spoke the following words to him after he received his sight, “And now why are you waiting?
What is the most common error taught concerning Saul of Tarsus?
One of the most common errors taught concerning Saul of Tarsus is that he was converted and saved on the road to Damascus. The singular defense of this doctrine is Ananias’ use of the word “brother” (“ adelphos ”) in addressing Saul in verse 17.
How many times does Adelphos appear in the Bible?
Adelphos appears more than 340 times in the New Testament. Of the numerous commentaries I researched, only the IVP Bible Background Commentary gave the varied usages for the word as it is here translated “brother.”. They gave those usages as “coreligionists, fellow members of the same Greek association or fellow Jews.”.
Where in the Bible does it say "Go over to Straight Street"?
The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. Acts 9:11 (NLT)
Was Saul sold out for sin?
Saul was very much like you and I were before Christ, he was committed to his sinful lifestyle. He was all in. He held nothing back in his pursuit of followers of Christ. His mission was to find them, jail them, and if possible, even kill them. We often hear the term sold out for Jesus, well Saul was sold out for sin. Paul even acknowledged his previous condition.
What happened to Saul when he traveled to Damascus?
As he was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. As he traveled, it happened that he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him.
Who brought Saul to the apostles?
Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who spoke to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus.
What happened in Acts 9:3?
Acts 9:3 As Saul drew near to Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.
What happened to the light from heaven as he traveled?
As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. American Standard Version. And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: Aramaic Bible in Plain English.
What happened to Weymouth in the Bible?
As he traveled, it happened that he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him.
What is the Aramaic Bible?
Aramaic Bible in Plain English. And as he was going, he began to approach Darmsuq; suddenly there was light from the Heavens shining upon him, Contemporary English Version. When Saul had almost reached Damascus, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. Douay-Rheims Bible.
Where was Saul when he saw the light?
As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, suddenly a light from the sky flashed around him.
Where did Saul come to join the disciples?
Saul at Jerusalem. 26 And (Z)when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 (AA)But Barnabas took him and brought himto the apostles.
Who baptized Saul?
Ananias Baptizes Saul. 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus (G)named Ananias ; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”. And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”.
Where is the conversion of Saul?
Michelangelo 's The Conversion of Saul is housed in the Cappella Paolina of the Vatican Palace . The Renaissance Italian master Caravaggio painted two works depicting the event: The Conversion of Saint Paul and Conversion on the Way to Damascus. Peter Paul Rubens also produced several works on the theme.
Where did Ananias visit Saul?
The account continues with a description of Ananias of Damascus receiving a divine revelation instructing him to visit Saul at the house of Judas on the Street Called Straight and there lay hands on him to restore his sight (the house of Judas is traditionally believed to have been near the west end of the street).
What was Paul's conversion experience?
The Acts of the Apostles says that Paul's conversion experience was an encounter with the resurrected Christ. Alternative explanations have been proposed, including sun stroke and seizure. In 1987, D. Landsborough published an article in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, in which he stated that Paul's conversion experience, with the bright light, loss of normal bodily posture, a message of strong religious content, and his subsequent blindness, suggested "an attack of [ temporal lobe epilepsy ], perhaps ending in a convulsion ... The blindness which followed may have been post-ictal ."
What caused Jesus to rethink his beliefs?
Instead, the conversion, and the associated understanding of the significance of the resurrection of the crucified Jesus, caused him to rethink from the ground up everything he had ever believed in, from his own identity to his understanding of Second Temple Judaism and who God really was.
What is the third discussion of Paul's conversion?
Acts' third discussion of Paul's conversion occurs when Paul addresses King Agrippa, defending himself against the accusations of antinomianism that have been made against him. [Acts 26:12–18] This account is briefer than the others.
What is the purpose of the book of Acts of the Apostles?
The Book of Acts says that Paul was on his way from Jerusalem to Syrian Damascus with a mandate issued by the High Priest to seek out and arrest followers of Jesus, with the intention of returning them to Jerusalem as prisoners for questioning and possible execution. The journey is interrupted when Paul sees a blinding light, and communicates directly with a divine voice.
What does the NIV say about the Revelations of the Lord?
In verse 1 the NIV translation mentions "revelations from the Lord, " but other translations, including the NRSV translate that phrase, "revelations of the Lord.". The passage begins with Paul seeming to speak about another person, but very quickly he makes it clear he is speaking of himself.
