St. Paul was born Saul in Tarsus, Silicia (south-central Turkey). He was the child of Jewish parents and followed the teachings of the Pharisees. He was a tentmaker by trade. A zealous persecutor of the early Christians, he is recorded as holding the cloaks for the crowd which stoned St. Stephen, the first martyr. However, while on the road to Damascus to eradicate the Church from that city, he was struck from his horse by a blinding light and encountered Christ. As a result, he was blinded and sent to see Ananias. Ananias restored his sight, and that day Saul was baptized and changed his name to Paul. Paul then became a missionary spreading the Gospel message.
Paul's early time as a Christian involved several disputes with the established leadership in Jerusalem. Understandably, they were at first reluctant to accept the fact that their most ardent persecutor had suddenly become one of their most zealous advocates. Paul also engaged in theological battles with the Church in Jerusalem, arguing that gentiles should be allowed to convert without following all of the Jewish laws, especially circumcision. Finally, a council was held in Jerusalem in which Paul and the leaders of the Jerusalem Church came to a decision. At this council, Peter, James and John accepted Paul's mission to the gentiles and declared that they need not keep all of the Laws of Moses, but only a few specific dietary laws and laws against fornication and idolatry.
The second journey sees a split between Paul and Barnabas. The two argued about whether John Mark should travel with them. They split with Barnabas taking Mark and Paul traveling with Silas. Paul and Silas traveled to Tarsus, Derbe and Lystra where they met Timothy and decided he should come with them. In Philippi, Paul cast a demon out of fortune-telling servant girl, causing the leaders of the city to turn against him and throw him in jail. However, an earthquake opened the gates of the prison and brought about the conversion of his jailer. Also on this journey, Paul met Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth who then followed him to Ephesus.
Paul's third journey took him to Galatia, Phrygia and Ephesus. He remained in Ephesus for three years, performing miracles, healing people and casting out demons. He then traveled to Macedonia, Achaea and other Greek cities before ending his journey in Jerusalem.
Paul's final journey took him to Rome. While in Jerusalem, he was arrested and imprisoned in Caesarea. From there, Paul and his companions set sail for Rome, where he preached for two years while under house arrest. It is this preaching which caused Roman Christians to declare Paul (along with Peter) a founder of the Church in Rome. Tradition also holds that Paul traveled to Spain during this period of time. Finally, Paul was martyred in Rome by beheading and his remains were buried where the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls now stands.
Like Peter, Paul is an important figure in the life of the early Church. He serves as an example that God can use anyone to spread his message. For who could have imagined that the Church's greatest persecutor would become Her greatest defender?