Paul is the Christian apostle who spread the gospel of Jesus after his radical conversion. He planted church communities across Asia Minor and Europe, raised people from the dead, and was jailed for Jesus. But this is the Christian Paul. What about before that?

To draw the Philippian church away from confidence in the flesh, Paul gives them his miniature autobiography (Philippians 3.3–6). If anyone was able to boast in themselves, he says, it would have been him. Before he was confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul (also known by his Jewish name, Saul) was ticking a lot of boxes.

Paul's heritage

First, he establishes his Jewish credentials to the Philippians by referencing both his descent from the tribe of Benjamin and his circumcision. He wasn’t from some random family of unknown origin. He was a Benjamite, circumcised eight days after his birth, as was the custom. He was, as he says in verse 5, ‘a Hebrew of Hebrews’.

As for his circumcision, this Jewish tradition wasn’t just a rite of passage for the Hebrews, but a sign of their covenant with God. It was a physical act of such importance that one of the prominent debates of Paul’s time was whether Gentiles also needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. Many Jews believed it was necessary – their law commanded it.

While Paul would go on to say that circumcision was no longer necessary for salvation, and instead teach about a circumcision of the heart (Romans 2.25–29), he notes his circumcision to the Philippians because it confirmed his Jewish heritage and was another way in which he had perfectly followed the law.

Paul, the Pharisee

Not only was Paul a Pharisee (verse 5), we know from historical texts that he studied at the school of Gamaliel, one of the most well-known teachers of Jewish law at that time. This prestigious education would have meant he was honoured and respected in his circles. He would have known the Torah like the back of his hand, and according to verse 6, was ‘faultless’ when it came to following its 613 commands.

Later on, this self-sufficient righteousness would become the exact thing Paul would preach against. With Christ, we’re saved by grace through our faith in him. But back then, keeping the law was what Paul’s righteousness relied upon.

We spoke about this on The Rooted Podcast recently.You can check out the latest series of The Rooted Podcast if you want to learn even more about Paul and his letter to the Philippians.

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Paul's guide to Christian living

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