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 inten

Wilson, A.N. Paul: The Mind of the Apostle. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1997.

Paul would spend his remaining years attempting to teach the new Way in the synagogues of the region. He would be rebuffed, sometimes violently, and was frequently jailed. His final arrest brought him to Rome to answer charges where, after two years of imprisonment, he died about 64 AD.

Luther's early years in the monastery were a time of deep spiritual trouble, filled with fears of his own worthlessness and sinfulness. Though he lived a Christian life and performed many good works, he did not feel saved. Then he discovered his own salvation, and the beginning of his Protestant vision, in a passage in St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Salvation, he suddenly understood Paul to be saying, was "the free gift of God" and came "by faith," not through the good works. Martin recorded following the experience that he felt that he had been born again. The whole Scripture now had new meaning for him.

His 95 Theses, nailed to the door of the Wittenburg church, spoke against indulgences. If a person contributed to the church monetarily, God would spare him from experiencing Purgatory. By selling indulgences, the church made a lot of money. Luther fought back, saying that the church was tricking the German people. He told them that salvation was possible through repentance alone. Indulgence sales dropped off almost instantly.

Segal, Alan F. Paul the Convert. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990.

For many years, the people had been told that the Scripture, church councils, and pronouncements of the popes were all divinely influenced by the will of God. Luther stated that only the Scriptures were divinely inspired. The priests were also supposedly in possession of the ability of "laying on of hands". This power came from the Apostles and was passed on to priests by the bishop. Luther argued that all Christians had access to God through prayer, and that the priests were to be nothing more than full-time spiritual caregivers.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Martin Luther, Jesus Christ, God Luther, Saul Lord, Paul Anthony, Gentiles Murphy-O'Connor, Catholic Church, Jew Roman, Herakles Hercules, Emperor Charles, martin luther, saint augustine, christian jew, luther york, faith christ, augustinian monk, morning july 17th, morning july, 17th 1505, july 17th, augustinian monk monastery, norton co, 1505 augustinian monk, july 17th 1505, 17th 1505 augustinian,
Approximate Word count = 2290
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)