Why did Paul change his name from Saul to Paul?

Answer 1

Acts of the Apostles says that Saul's name was changed to Paul on what has been termed Paul's First Missionary Journey. However Paul, in his own epistles, never mentions the name Saul. Some scholars believe that the name Saul may have been a literary invention by the author of Acts, based on another person called Saulus.

Answer 2

Historical records suggest that he likely used both names simultaneously, with Saul being his Jewish name and Paul being his Roman name. There is no definitive reason given in Scripture for the shift in emphasis, but it is commonly believed that he began using Paul more prominently as his ministry spread beyond Jewish circles to Gentiles.

Answer 3

If you are referring to Kevin Jonas, his real name is Paul, you are right about that. He was named after his father Paul Jonas Sr. Kevin's full name is Paul Kevin Jonas Jr. I am not sure if he legally changed his first name to Kevin, but I know he is referred to as "Kevin" in his and his brothers' band, The Jonas brothers. His family also calls him Kevin, so I am guessing it has been legally changed, but only Kevin could answer that.

Answer 4

It is strange for Saul to have changed his name as an adult, especially in the context described in the Book of Acts. Had he, as a young adult, adopted a second name in addition to his original name in order to conform to the society around him, this would have had no particular significance, but this is not as described in Acts of the Apostles.

In his own epistles, Paul never mentions having any other name than Paul. However, Acts describes Saul as also being named Paul while on the mission to Cyprus, a journey that can not be found in Paul's own epistles. Acts 13:7-9 talks of "Saul (who is also called Paul)" at the moment that he met the deputy called Sergio Paulus, almost as if the author was inspired to name Paul after his new convert (or named his character 'Sergio Paulus' after Paul). Having once called 'Saul' by the name Paul, Actsthereafter refers to him as Paul, thus identifying this as a real change of name.

Perhaps the real significance is in the name Saul. The first-century Jewish historian, Josephus talked of a riot in Jerusalem, led by a 'Saulus', after the stoning of James. This historical account is so similar to Act's account of the riot involving Saul, at which Stephen was stoned, that some scholars query whether the story of the stoning of Stephen was inspired in part by the account in Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews. Elsewhere, Josephus portrayed this Saulus as a collaborator with the Romans and the Herodians, a role that would be very damaging to the reputation of anyone identified with him, even by association. Thus, it is plausible that the author of Acts chose the early name 'Saul' in order to associate him with Saulus and depict him as wholly disreputable before his conversion to Christianity.

Answer 5

There's a common assumption that Saul's name was changed to Paul when he was converted to Christ following his encounter with the glorified Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), but the New Testament reveals that this was not the case. In fact, he continued to be known as Saul for several years after his conversion, and Scripture doesn't call him Paul until the first in a series of turning points in his ministry, during his first missionary journey.

Rather than his name being "changed," it appears to have been more of a decision on his own part to go by the Greco-Roman name of Paul(us), which means "small" or "little," rather than the Jewish name Saul (after the first king of Israel), which means "desired."

Scripture suggests at least three reasons why Paul would have chosen to go by the different name. One is the meaning of the name itself - "small."

Paul expressed a very clear, self-deprecatory view of himself and his ministry for Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:9, he wrote: For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. He also expressed this view in Ephesians 3:8 - To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. For one so aware of his humble standing before both the Lord and his fellow man, an appellation meaning "little" would have been highly appropriate.

Another reason was the nature and purpose of his calling to be an apostle.

Even from before the beginning of his ministry, it was obvious that Paul's mission would be focused on those outside his race. When the glorified Jesus sent Ananias to Saul in Damascus, He told him, "...he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel." (Acts 9:15). Note the order - Gentiles first, then "kings" (those in authority), then "the children of Israel." If Israelites would respond to Paul's preaching, that was all very well and good, and Paul recognized the importance of the Jews getting the first opportunity to respond to the gospel of Jesus (see Acts 26:23 and Romans 2:10). However, the Jews were not the primary object of Paul's mission...the Gentile world was. For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry (Romans 11:3; see also Galatians 2:9).

A third reason, and the one that appears to be the catalyst for the change, was Paul's ever-increasing estrangement from the Jews. This relates to the "turning points" mentioned in the first paragraph above.

While Scripture still called him "Saul," he and Barnabas arrived at Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, during the first missionary journey. There they encountered a false prophet, a Jew who called himself Bar-Jesus ("son of Jesus"), who stood opposed to the truth of the gospel. It was in the midst of their contentious encounter with this man that Luke, the author of Acts, first notes that Saul "also is called Paul" (Acts 13:9), and henceforth, Scripture never again calls him by his Jewish name.

Later in the same chapter, Paul faces rejection of the gospel from an audience of Jews in Pisidian Antioch who were envious of the large number of Gentiles expressing an interest in the word of God (Acts 13:44). In response to the Jewish opposition, Paul and Barnabas declared: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles." (Acts 13:46).

It would appear that his "turning to the Gentiles" was exemplified in part by a permanent abandonment of the Jewish name of Saul in preference to the "Gentile" name of Paul, and that it was by his own choice.

[Quotes from NKJV]

Answer 6

Other answers from our community:

In Acts of the Apostles, Paul was originally named Saul, which is certainly possible, although Paul himself never mentions this name. Acts tells us that Saul travelled to Cyprus, where he blinded Elymas (Bar-jesus) the sorcerer, for trying to frustrate his attempts to convert Sergius Paulus. Afterwards, he became known as Paul.

Scholars find problems with the itinerary described in Acts, in which case there could be problems with the explanation of why Saul changed his name, or even whether he was ever called Saul at all. In his Epistle to the Galatians, Paul said that after his conversion, he travelled to Arabia, and only then went to Damascus (bypassing Jerusalem), then Jerusalem, Syria and Cilicia, and, after a period of fourteen years, back to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:17-2:1). On this evidence, we could reasonably say that he probably never went to Cyprus.

To know why Acts says that Paul's name was originally Saul, we should investigate where this name could have come from. The historian Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews) talked of a riot in Jerusalem, led by a 'Saulus', after the stoning of James. This is remarkably similar to the story in Acts 7-8, in which Saul played an important role in the riot in which Stephen was stoned. Josephus' Saulus was an intermediary between the Chief Priests and the Pharisees, the Herodian king and the Romans, a role that would have him seen in an unsavoury light by Jews and Christians alike. The name may well have been a literary device used by the author of Acts to aid in developing the portrayal of the young Paul as an equally unsavoury youth before he became a Christian and an apostle.

A:

The Bible doesn't say he changed it. Saul was his Hebrew name, but because he was a Roman citizen, he also had a Latin name, which was Paul. The Lord DID change Peter's name, and many people assume that Paul's name was also changed, but it wasn't. Paul's ministry was to the Gentiles, and he may have begun using Paul more because of that, but he already had that name as a citizen of Rome.

Answer:

He changed his name because this was prophesied in the Book of Judges chapters 19-21. Paul was a Benjamite, he says so in his letters. The name change from Saul to Paul represents the change of heart that the Jews had not wishing to see the remnant of the Benjamites become extinct. The remnant and the kidnapped wives represent the surrogate Brides of Christ (The Gentile Christians and Churches). So this makes sense, it should also be mentioned that the concubine in the story is Jesus and the husband is God. God threw Jesus out of Heaven (so to speak) and locked the door so that evil men could ravage Jesus to death (not sexually of course). The 12 pieces of the concubine represent the 12 Disciples cutoff from the main vine Jesus at his death. They are sent out to the 12 tribes of Israel who don't like what they hear and see just like they didn't centuries later like seeing the Miracles and hearing the Gospel. A concubine is an earthly woman who belongs to a man and has no inheritance, whereas Jesus (a reverse concubine) is a heavenly man who belongs to God and inherits everything from him. In this story, 65,000 Israelites are killed to avenge the death of 1 concubine. In contrast, The many did not die for Jesus, but Jesus died for the many.

Possibilities: Paul continued to be known as Saul for several years after his conversion, and Scripture doesn't call him Paul until the first in a series of turning points in his ministry, during his first missionary journey.

Scripture suggests at least three reasons why Paul would have chosen to go by the Greco-Roman name of Paul(us), which means "small" or "little," rather than the Jewish name Saul (after the first king of Israel), which means "desired."

One is the meaning of the name itself - "small."

Paul expressed a very clear, self-deprecatory view of himself and his ministry for Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:9, he wrote: For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. He also expressed this view in Ephesians 3:8 - To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. For one so aware of his humble standing before both the Lord and his fellow man, an appellation meaning "little" would have been highly appropriate.

Another reason was the nature and purpose of his calling to be an apostle.

Even from before the beginning of his ministry, it was obvious that Paul's mission would be focused on those outside his race. When the glorified Jesus sent Ananias to Saul in Damascus, He told him, "...he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel." (Acts 9:15). Note the order - Gentiles first, then "kings" (those in authority), then "the children of Israel." If Israelites would respond to Paul's preaching, that was all very well and good, and Paul recognized the importance of the Jews getting the first opportunity to respond to the gospel of Jesus (see Acts 26:23 and Romans 2:10). However, the Jews were not the primary object of Paul's mission...the Gentile world was. For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry (Romans 11:3; see also Galatians 2:9).

A third reason, and the one that appears to be the catalyst for the change, was Paul's ever-increasing estrangement from the Jews. This relates to the "turning points" mentioned in the first paragraph above.

While Scripture still called him "Saul," he and Barnabas arrived at Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, during the first missionary journey. There they encountered a false prophet, a Jew who called himself Bar-Jesus ("son of Jesus"), who stood opposed to the truth of the gospel. It was in the midst of their contentious encounter with this man that Luke, the author of Acts, first notes that Saul "also is called Paul" (Acts 13:9). Following this, Scripture never again calls him by his Jewish name.

Later in the same chapter, Paul faces rejection of the gospel from an audience of Jews in Pisidian Antioch who were envious of the large number of Gentiles expressing an interest in the word of God (Acts 13:44). In response to the Jewish opposition, Paul and Barnabas declared: "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles." (Acts 13:46).

It would appear that his "turning to the Gentiles" was exemplified in part by a permanent abandonment of the Jewish name of Saul in preference to the "Gentile" name of Paul.

[Quotes from NKJV]

If you are referring to New Testament Saul, he changed his name to Paul.

Answer 7

According to Acts of the Apostles, Paul's name was Saul before he became a Christian. This is possible, since some cosmopolitan Jews are known to have had a Jewish name and a second name. However, in his epistles Paul never mentions ever having been called Saul nor gives any suggestion that he had changed his name.

Acts, written some decades after the time of St Paul, is regarded by some scholars as being subtly anti-Paul. If so the name, that the author of Acts attributed to Paul in his early years, may be based on another person mentioned by the Jewish historian, Josephus. In his Antiquities of the Jews,Josephus talked of a riot in Jerusalem, led by a 'Saulus', after the stoning of James - remarkably similar to the story of the stoning of Stephen, an account which Raymond E. Brown (An Introduction to the New Testament) says we can never verify. Elsewhere, Josephus portrayed this Saulus as a collaborator with the Romans and the Herodians.

Thus, without risking a charge of character assassination, Luke could have been implying an ill-deserved history for the otherwise saintly Paul, among the early Christians who knew of the notorious 'Saulus'.

Answer 8

Acts 13:9 - this was the first reference to Saul being known as Paul. Acts 13:9 - this was the first reference to Saul being known as Paul.

Answer 9

Matthew (the Apostle that replaced Judas Iscariot) was the tax collector. Paul was a tent-maker.

Answer 10

Paul's original name was Saul, upon conversion to Christianity,he changed his name to Paul.