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--Themes of Paul's Epistles Activity

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-Bible Scripture. (2018). The first letter of St Paul to the corinthians. Retrieved from http://biblescripture.net/1Corinthians.html

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-GALATIANS 5:1-12

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-ACTS 9:1-19
-St Paul and the First Christians Documentary Questions

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-ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY: PAUL'S JOURNEYS
-POWERPOINT ON ST PAUL'S JOURNEYS

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-ACTS: 21:37-40
-Erenow. (2018). Transportation and travel. In Ancient History and Civilisation (Vol. 4). n.p.

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One of Paul’s messages that I believe is significantly relevant for people today is his reoccurring reminder in his epistles that whoever has joined Christianity becomes one spirit with him and we are temples of God and the Holy Spirit. I believe this means that the more we follow Jesus and live righteously, the more we will be like Him and thus he lives in us.

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A significant challenge Paul had to address is revealed in his letter to the Galatians. It was the assumption from Gentile churches that all men were to be circumcised in order to be Christian. In Paul’s letter, he declares the freedom of all Christians and that, for Christ, circumcision does not have any value. “Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.” (Galatians 5:2)

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Romans controlled much of the Mediterranean region due to the strength of its army. Its vast empire stretched from Spain all the way to Syria, which resulted in the Roman's dominance. The Roman Empire lasted from 31 BCE to 476 CE. Germanic and Romance languages were mainly spoken in the Mediterranean region and most citizens were Greek or Hebrew jews. The Mediterranean Sea was known to be the main way of transport and trade between other continents. Some main cities of the Mediterranean region (due to their high populations) are Rome, Rijeka and Salerno as they're located along the coastline.

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The conversion of Saul of Tarsus was very significant as he started out as a persecutor of early Christians. Around this time, Jews felt that Christianity was a dangerous cult, so they tried to kill the followers. And considering Saul was a strict Jew, this is why he tortured and killed many Christians. However, in his early thirties while on his way to Damascus, a light from heaven flashed on him and the voice of Jesus questioned him on his actions towards Christians. After Saul's encounter with Jesus, he was blind for the next three days and was baptised in Damascus as soon as he regained his sight. From then on,  Saul changed his name to Paul and devoted his life to gaining a better relationship with Christ, and traveling all over the world to preach and spread the message of Jesus.

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It was after Paul’s conversion that he began many of his journeys across the Mediterranean to spread the Gospel. He began his first journey at around 46 AD and visited many cities and countries such as Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pisidia, Iconium and more. When his journey ended, he sailed all the way back to Tarsus again, travelling a total distance of 1400 miles.

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The main purpose of Paul’s letters was to give guidance and advice to early believers of Christianity. He also addressed misconceptions of Christianity and theological issues that became apparent in different towns/countries at the time. He wrote 13 letters in total that discussed various topics, however his letters often lead back to three main messages. The first message that Paul frequently wrote about was that although everyone sins, followers of Jesus are saved by faith alone. In the same way, his second message was that Christians have the freedom to do whatever they want in their life as long as they follow Jesus. Equally important, his last message was that believers of Christ will live in eternal happiness and their spirit will forever be with God even after death.