Acts 9: 1-25. Narrative history based on the letters of Paul

Abstract

This chapter demonstrates that the letters of Paul should not be overlooked as one of the sources of the book of Acts. It is probable that the author of Acts had the opportunity to read or hear the letters of Paul and use information from them, especially biographical information, in his own book. The chapter compares Acts 9:1-25 with Paul's letters, most notably Galatians and 1 and 2 Corinthians. It first looks at the literary pattern he used; after that, it studies the details in the story, and compares these with the Pauline letters and with the literary motifs in the Book of Acts as a whole. The focus in the chapter is on the first version of the story of Paul's calling (Acts 9:1-25); this text will be compared with the other two versions (Acts 22:3-21; 26:9-20) only when necessary. Keywords: book of Acts; Corinthians; Galatians; literary pattern; Paul's letters