Historical Evidence for the Apostle Paul

Paul of Tarsus was one of the most zealous persecutors of the Christians shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:5-6). When some people were furious at a Christian man, Paul held the coats of those people while they stoned the man to death (Acts 7:58, 8:1). Yet Jesus Christ appeared to Paul (Acts 9:4-6) and told Paul that he would be God’s chosen instrument to share the Good News about Jesus with the Gentiles all over the world (Acts 9:15-16). Paul began traveling, preaching, and teaching about Jesus Christ. There are twenty-seven books in the New Testament, and thirteen of those were written by Paul. But, was he a real man? Did he really live or were these letters just created as “fictional” religious propaganda? A quick survey yields some interesting finds about the apostle Paul.There are at least nine direct mentions of the apostle Paul in various categories of literature from the first to fourth centuries. Here is a brief look. The first category co