Paul the Apostle, Saint Augustine, and Martin Luther have been three very important figures in the Christian church. Each went through a unique personal experience that changed the course of their lives. Those experiences were important to them and they should be important to anyone of the Christian faith. In this research paper I will explore these experiences and how they do and do not relate to each other.

             Paul the Apostle.

             Paul was born with the name of Saul, in Tarsus of Cilicia, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. He was born both a Jew and a Roman citizen. He grew up in Tarsus and became a tentmaker like his father and grandfather before him. He was taught to be an orthodox Jew. He later journeyed to Jerusalem and attended the Pharisaic school. He did not become a rabbi, but became a member of the temple police. He then set about persecuting the followers of Jesus with unequaled religious zeal. "His orthodoxy, and it alone, was the reason for his hostility to Christ and his zeal as a persecutor" (Bornkamm 15). He attempted to do what he could to destroy the church of God.

             It was on a journey to Damascus to arrest followers of Christ that Paul's life was changed forever. He experienced an intense light that blinded him, and he heard a voice that said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Saul asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." (Acts 9:4,5) When Paul opened his eyes he was blind. His companions, who had also heard the voice but had not seen the light, led him into Damascus. There a man named Ananius, a follower of Jesus, placed his hands upon Paul and took away the blindness. He was baptized into the faith immediately. The beginning of Paul's new life was at hand. He would become, arguably, the most important disciple of Jesus in the early church. .

             Although this revelation happened immediately, it took three years for it to fully manifest itself.