Why do you call Rav Shaul the Apostle Paul?
Paul, or Paulos, as it appears in the Greek, was the name which the Apostle most frequently called himself in his letters. Shaul or “Saul” was the original name given to this Jew, who was born in the city of Tarsus. Like Diaspora Jews of the Second Temple era, he was given two names: one Hebrew or Aramaic, and then another Greek or Latin. This is plainly attested by Acts 13:9, which speaks of “Saul, who was also known as Paul” (NASU).
It is not incorrect to refer to the Apostle Paul as Shaul, but we mainly refer to him as the Apostle Paul because this is what he actually called himself, as the vast majority of his audience was Greek-speaking. There are definitely people within the Messianic sphere of influence, who fail to recognize the First Century reality of Shaul or Saul having two names. The Scriptures (2009), a Sacred Name Only Bible, actually states,
“Who changed the name of Sha’ul to Paul (Paulus)? We find no evidence in Scripture as to why, when, and by whom this change of his name was instigated. All we could find was this: The ancient Romans had a national hero named Paulus. Was this change from ‘Sha’ul’ to ‘Paulus’ done in order to appease the Roman people?”[1]
This kind of reasoning is without any historical basis at all. The name of Shaul was not “changed” by some sordid, evil conspiracy, as some might try to make the naïve believe.
It is true that many Christian laypersons believe and teach that prior to his dynamic encounter on the Damascus Road, this person was known as “Saul,” and subsequent to this he had his name changed to “Paul.” Many contemporary Christians are just as uninformed, as are those who falsely believe that the name “Paul” was a fabrication of the Romans. Among the many resources one can access, The Ryrie Study Bible, a dispensationalist Christian source, correctly acknowledges in its commentary for Acts 13:9,
“Saul was his Jewish name and Paul his Roman or Gentile name. Both were given him at the time of his birth, but he now begins to use his Gentile name in this Gentile environment.”[2]
This is by no means an indication that Shaul had his name changed to Paulos by “evil scribes,” as some have insinuated, but a recognition of the reality that he had two names. Most Jewish people throughout the West today are given a Hebrew name, and then a comparable English name.
The Salkinson-Ginsburg modern Hebrew New Testament translation actually uses the Hebrew form of Paulos, Polos, in its translation of the Greek. Using Paulos is appropriate both for recognition of the fact that the Apostle had two names, and to be true to the source text of the Apostolic Scriptures.
NOTES
[1] The Scriptures, third edition (Northriding, South Africa: Institute for Scripture Research, 2009), 1226.
[2] Charles C. Ryrie, ed., The Ryrie Study Bible, New American Standard (Chicago: Moody Press, 1978), 1669.
