"Paul of Tarsus - A Chosen Vessel"

Paul of Tarsus would have fit very well into one of our Institute classes on Long Island with his multi-cultural background and linguistic ability.

Our classes just this week finished studying the last half of Acts and have come to appreciate Paul’s conversion, stalwart missionary zeal and powerful testimony. We all sensed that we must be a little more bold in declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ to those with whom we come in contact.

The Prophet Joseph Smith gave a description of Paul on January 5, 1841, at the organization of a school of instruction: “He is about five feet high; very dark hair; dark complexion; dark skin; large Roman nose; sharp face; small black eyes, penetrating as eternity; round shoulders; a whining voice, except when elevated, and then it almost resembled the roaring of a lion. He was a good orator, active and diligent, always employing himself in doing good to his fellow man.”

As a Jew, Paul was known by the name of Saul and was educated in Jerusalem as a Pharisee under the famous rabbi Gamaliel. He was also a Roman citizen by birth, a rare privilege for a Jew at that time. Also, he was familiar with Greek language and culture through his early environment in the city of Tarsus. Therefore, he was able to deal with Jews, Romans, and Greeks on their own cultural terms-a great advantage for his later missionary work.

The Seminaries and Institute website has so many resources that are available for our use as teachers. To summarize our teaching of Paul’s life in the scriptures, we have used DVD clips offered by the Church Education System. They are beautifully done.

We've been so impressed with Paul's missionary journeys over thousands of miles to many countries, cultures and languages. He would have loved New York! Our students have truly enjoyed this 3-week segment on the teachings, travels and testimony of this great missionary apostle. Paul is a powerful example of mighty change.