Meddle writes:
wondering if one of Paul's parents could have been a freed slave?
It sounds plausible based on the one line statement in the article you cite
"Their children had no prohibitions" but I would need more information about Roman law before I could venture an answer to your question. I wonder whether both parents would have to be emancipated before their child could be considered "free born." I also wonder whether a female child born to an imancipated pair would enjoy the same status as a male child. Do you know anything about women's rights in ancient Rome?
These are interesting questions but I don't feel compelled to answer them. I no longer consider Paul's gospel important to my salvation, so I'm not very concerned about his status with Rome.
At any rate: I wouldn't fault him for lying about it in order to save his neck from that mob of angry towel-heads.
Theology is the science of Dominion.- - - My God is your god's Boss - - -