What is the meaning of Saul's blindness?

Answer 1

Paul, in his own epistles, never speaks of or even hints about having been blinded at the time of his conversion. The only mention of this event is in Acts of the Apostles, which has not one but three accounts, each slightly different to the others. A well disguised theme of The Acts of the Apostles is to minimise the importance of Paul in the early Christian community, which should be considered in deciding whether to accept Paul's own account or that of Acts.

The blindness of Paul made him helpless and dependent on the Christians who assisted him and then taught him the gospel. The symbolism of this is that Paul was placed in an inferior position, from which it would take several chapters before he was able to assert his influence in the early Church.

Answer 2

Saul's blindness is seen as a symbol of his spiritual blindness and ignorance before his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. It represents the transformation and enlightenment he undergoes as he transitions from persecuting Christians to becoming an influential apostle.