Anyone familiar with the New Testament will be aware of perhaps the most important events in the whole of Christianity, namely the conversion experience of a Pharisaic Jew named Saul. The Bible informs us that Saul was a man who persecuted Christians and was present at the murder of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. (Acts 7:58)
We are informed that Saul persecuted Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1) :
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
and in his zeal to persecute as many as he could, he asked the high priest for letters to take to synagogues in Damascus so that he could get help to round up Christians there, bind them and bring them back to Jerusalem for sentencing, which included being put to death. (Acts 9:1-2)
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
So, complete with letters in his sweaty little hand, Saul sets off for Damascus to round up Christians. However, on the way this happens:
Acts 9:3-5
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
So, to cut a long story short, Saul, who went blind for three days, arrived at Damascus, and his blindness was lifted when a man named Ananias put his hands on him. Saul was so convinced that this experience was real that he immediately went and preached Christ in the very synagogues that he as going to take the letters from the high priest to. (Acts 9:20)
And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
Saul of Tarsus thus became Paul, who was clearly the most fervent evangelist in the New Testament.
So, what problems do I have with this?
Well, the conversion experience itself really cannot be investigated, as it was a personal religious experience, and as such it cannot be investigated by using the normal tools employed by historical research. However, the circumstances surrounding this event can be investigated for historical plausibility.
Now, as every historian knows, we cannot deny that something happened just because there is no external evidence to support what is claimed, but if we are asking others to accept the plausibility of an event we do have to provide some supporting evidence.
Therefore, in this thread I would like to hear the supporting evidence for the following:
1. That it was historically plausible that under Pax Romana for a Jew to be permitted to persecute Christians, or any religious group to be permitted to persecute another religious group.
2. What authority did the sanhedrin have in Damascus, when the whole of Syria was a Roman province?
3. What evidence is there that Paul did indeed persecute Christians?
4. If Paul had went to the synagogues to get help to persecute Christians, why did the Jewish authorities allow Paul to preach Christianity in the very same synagogues?
One or two other issues may arise, but, for the time being, I think there is enough to be going on with.
So, what evidence can Christians offer to support the historicity of Paul's Damascus Road conversion.?
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