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Before his conversion, Paul was known as Saul and was "a Pharisee of Pharisees", who "intensely persecuted" the followers of Jesus. Paul describes his life before conversion in his Epistle to the Galatians: For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
Paul's conversion fundamentally changed his basic beliefs regarding God's covenant and the inclusion of Gentiles into this covenant. Paul believed Jesus' death was a voluntary sacrifice, that reconciled sinners with God. [304] The law only reveals the extent of people's enslavement to the power of sin—a power that must be broken by Christ. [305]
Although the stance of "the Pharisees" towards Jesus was antagonistic, individual Pharisees who believed in him or his merits or both include Nicodemus (who said it is known that Jesus is a teacher sent from God), [6] Joseph of Arimathea, [7] an unknown number of "those of the party of the Pharisees who believed," [8] and the Apostle Paul, a ...
The narrative underlines the authority of Peter, who could see through the deception by Ananias and Sapphira (verses 3–5, 8–9) and highlights the spiritual authority of the "church" (Greek: ekklesia, first used in Acts in verse 11) in form of 'signs' of God (inducing 'great fear' in verses 5 and 11, as well as healing miracles in the next section). [6]
Paul's family had a history of religious piety (2 Timothy 1:3). [35] Apparently the family lineage had been very attached to Pharisaic traditions and observances for generations; [36] Acts quotes Paul referring to his family by saying he was "a Pharisee, born of Pharisees".
But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!" (Acts 23:6, NKJV)
Ananias of Damascus (/ ˌ æ n ə ˈ n aɪ ə s / AN-ə-NY-əs; Ancient Greek: Ἀνανίας, romanized: Ananíās; Aramaic: ܚܢܢܝܐ, romanized: Ḥananyō; "favoured of the L ORD") was a disciple of Jesus in Damascus, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible, which describes how he was sent by Jesus to restore the sight of Saul of Tarsus (who later was called Paul the Apostle ...
- Acts 5:38–39, King James Version. To prove his point, Gamaliel also notes two examples, Theudas and Judas of Galilee, who gained a large following but came "to nought". [14] According to the Bible, the other rabbis in the Sanhedrin agree with Gamaliel and decide to not kill the disciples, instead having them beaten and then released. [14]