非洲中心論

使徒聖保羅(10年～67?年)

Paul,St.，原名Saul。

基督教早期的傳教士和神學家，非猶太人稱之為使徒。出生於小亞細亞的塔爾蘇斯，為猶太人，原被訓練為拉比，但後來以製作帳篷維生。他是熱誠的法利賽派，曾迫害第一批基督教徒，直到他有一次在大馬士革途中見到耶穌的幻影，才轉而皈依基督教。三年後他遇見聖彼得和耶穌的兄弟雅各，此後被認為是第十三使徒。他從基地安條克出發，開始四處旅行，向非猶太人傳教。藉著主張基督的非猶太規定不必遵守猶太法律，有助於讓基督教成為一個獨立的宗教，而非猶太教的支派。在前往耶路撒冷途中，他引起猶太人的敵意，致使暴民聚集起來將他逮捕並囚禁了兩年。他的死亡情況不明。保羅的職務和觀點大致見於《新約》中所收集的書信或使徒書信，這本書是基督教第一部神學著作，也是基督教許多教條的出處。基督教成為世界性宗教，最要歸功於保羅。

English version：

10年～67?年

Paul,St.

Early Christian missionary and theologian,known as the Apostle to the gentiles. Born a Jew in Tarsus,Asia Minor,he was trained as a rabbi but earned his living as a tentmaker. A zealous Pharisee,he persecuted the first Christians until a vision of Jesus,experienced while on the road to Damascus,converted him to Christianity. Three years later he met St. Peter and Jesus' brother James,and was henceforth recognized as the 13th Apostle. From his base in Antioch,he traveled widely preaching to the gentiles. By asserting that non-Jewish disciples of Christ did not have to observe Jewish law,he helped to establish Christianity as a separate religion rather than a Jewish sect. On a journey to Jerusalem,he aroused such hostility among the Jews that a mob gathered,and he was arrested and imprisoned for two years. The circumstances of his death are unknown. Paul's ministry and religious views are known largely from his letters,or epistles,collected in the New Testament,which are the first Christian theological writing and the source of much Christian doctrine. It was due to Paul more than anyone else that Christianity became a world religion.