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Geography relevant to Paul's life, stretching from Jerusalem to Rome. The two main sources of information that give access to the earliest segments of Paul's career are the Acts of the Apostles and the autobiographical elements of Paul's letters to the early Christian communities. [44] Paul was likely born between the years of 5 BC and 5 AD. [49]
It is therefore assumed that he had now become the sole leader of the early church. According to Gal 2:12, he apparently enforced the resolutions of the Apostles' Council outside Jerusalem and, according to Acts 21:21-25, supported the separation of the Jewish Christians from the Gentile Christians even after Paul's missionary successes.
John Knox dated Paul's conversion to AD 34–35 at the earliest. [146] Between 45 and 49, Paul founded the church in Antioch, where the term Christian was first used to refer to both Jews and Gentiles of the new faith . Paul founded churches in four Roman provinces: Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia and Asia.
The ancient Roman city of Aquileia at the head of the Adriatic Sea, today one of the main archaeological sites of Northern Italy, was an early center of Christianity said to be founded by Mark before his mission to Alexandria. Hermagoras of Aquileia is believed to be its first bishop. The Aquileian Rite is associated with Aquileia.
Paul's conversion on the Road to Damascus is first recorded in Acts 9:13–16. Peter baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius, traditionally considered the first Gentile convert to Christianity, in Acts 10. Based on this, the Antioch church was founded. It is also believed that it was there that the term Christian was coined. [17]
Paul's influence on Christian thinking is said to be more significant than that of any other New Testament author. [169] According to the New Testament, Saul of Tarsus first persecuted the early Jewish Christians, but then converted. He adopted the name Paul and started proselytizing among the Gentiles, calling himself "Apostle to the Gentiles."
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Early Christianity never openly called for the abolition of slavery, and while theologian G. François Wessels writes that it "must be conceded" that abolition was not a possibility in Paul's day, it must also be affirmed that many of the early Christians were slave owners who voiced no objection to the long–standing institution.