A Pharisee, Saul saw it as his religious duty to protect Judaism from apostasy. Because the Pharisees considered Christianity a heretical sect of Judaism, he viewed his persecution of Christians as an attempt to defend Judaism. Saul sought for the extermination of the Christians and was present at the martyrdom of Stephen (see Acts 7:54-60; Acts 8:1). In A.D. 33, "breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1), Saul set out to find and arrest Christians in their synagogues in Damascus and bring them bound to Jerusalem for judgment before the high priest.
While on the road to Damascus, Saul's life was changed forever. As he was walking, he saw a bright light from heaven and heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Saul answered: "Who art thou, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
"But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee . . ."
From that moment he dedicated himself to preaching the gospel, becoming one of the greatest missionaries in history. He was instrumental in taking the gospel to Jew and Gentile alike and in helping them to understand that through Christ they could be united in faith and love.
The Prophet Joseph Smith must have felt a deep kinship with the Apostle Paul. Both began their service to the Lord through a life-changing vision. Both were true to the vision they received and acted with unrelenting faith and courage to fulfill their missions, bearing testimony to a skeptical world (see JS-H 1:24-25). And both sealed their testimonies with their blood as witnesses to the gospel they had so fervently preached throughout their lives.
Joseph Smith read and loved the writings of the Apostle Paul. A scriptural index to the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith lists over 1,000 references Joseph Smith made to Paul's writings in his own teachings. 1 The Apostle Paul's language can be seen in many of the Articles of Faith: in the first principles and ordinances of the gospel listed in the 4th article (see Heb. 6:1-2), in the Church officers listed in the 6th article (see Eph. 4:11), in the gifts of the Spirit listed in the 7th article (see 1 Cor. 12:8-12), and most notably in the "admonition of Paul" paraphrased in the 13th article (see Philip. 4:8). 2
The Prophet Joseph Smith even gave us a physical description of the Apostle Paul: "He is about five feet high; very dark hair; dark complexion; dark skin; large Roman nose; sharp face; small black eyes, penetrating as eternity; round shoulders; a whining voice, except when elevated, and then it almost resembled the roaring of a lion" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 180).
Two-thirds of the book of Acts focuses on the words and deeds of the Apostle Paul,
he tirelessly traveled the length and breadth of the Mediterranean world. Finally he sailed to Rome, the center of the civilized world.
His message was met with mistrust and jealousy even by some within the Church and with violent persecution from those who were not members. He suffered many trials and tribulations. He was driven out of cities, arrested, imprisoned and tried, stoned and beaten. On one occasion he was shipwrecked and bitten by a poisonous viper. Yet through his faith, he lived to heal the sick, raise the dead, and confound the wicked.
Near the end of his life, he expressed foreknowledge of his impending martyrdom, yet he faced this knowledge with joy through his faith in the Lord: "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:6-7). Traditions and scholars alike agree that the Apostle Paul was killed in the persecutions of Nero between A.D. 64 and 68, thus sealing his testimony with his blood.
Taken from: "Untiring Witness of Christ," by David Rolph Seely and Jo Ann H. Seely
