Since Paul is the prominent Apostle in the New Testament, it is important to explore Paul’s conversion story and determine if we can really trust it. How was Paul’s vision different from Muhammad’s vision? Why does Christianity uphold Paul’s vision over the teachings of other disciples? How come a man who never met Jesus in the flesh, never learnt from him, never quoted him in his letters, never witnessed major events, had so much power in forming Christian thought?
I never really understood this phenomenon – how Paul had such a profound influence, a man who never met Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry. Unlike the original disciples, Paul did not walk with Jesus, hear his teachings firsthand, or witness the crucifixion and resurrection. Yet his writings and theology have arguably shaped Christian thought more than any other figure outside of Jesus himself. This raises a compelling question: how did someone so removed from the historical Jesus come to have such lasting authority?
Paul’s influence is closely tied to his dramatic conversion experience.
According to the book of Acts, Paul encountered the risen Christ in a visionary experience that radically transformed his life. Prior to this, he had been a persecutor of the early Christian movement. Originally Saul, he was a Jewish Pharisee who was persecuting early Christians. We also learn that he was full of hate towards followers of Jesus and eagerly persecuting them:
“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” Acts 9: 1-2
We can clearly see that Saul was full of hate and resentment towards followers of Christ. What I always questioned is the fact that the conversion of Paul and the change of his attitude was suspiciously quick.
As we know from our own personal life experiences, any change, whether it’s a character, a habit, or a change in the heart – takes time. It’s not a quick and easy process, not a magic wand that God uses on someone. It takes time, as we are the creatures of habit. This, however, was not the case with Paul.
Paul had a heavenly and supernatural encounter with Jesus that changed him in a twinkle of an eye:
“As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” Acts 9: 3-9
There are a few interesting facts from this conversion that I think we should challenge. First of all, Paul had no witnesses to his conversion with any testimonies. Yes, we read some men journeyed with him and heard some voice, but we do not know what they actually heard and we have no testimonies to this event apart from the words of Paul.
Second of all, this was a super quick and radical transformation – from hating Christians to becoming a leader to Christians.
The third point is that Jesus warned his disciples not to believe if anyone says they saw him: “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.” Matthew 23:26
Paul saw Jesus both in the desert and then in the inner rooms. Therefore, can we really trust his visions? We also don’t see Paul repenting for his prosecutions anywhere, and we only see him being “astonished” but not sorrowful and repentant. How come Paul’s vision was so quickly accepted?
Visions, dreams, and divine experiences were relatively common and widely accepted in the 1st and 2nd century Jewish and Greco-Roman world, as they were part of a long tradition. However, people didn’t just accept everything blindly. They had to align with the scripture, and if the life of that person showed conviction and fruits. Therefore, people would usually be skeptical at first before believing.
And this was the case with Paul, who was not automatically believed by others and met with a lot of skepticism from other disciples. In fact, Paul was persecuted by Jews due to the teachings of other Jews to leave the Law, which was viewed as blasphemy in Israel.
However, what Paul did was to show “signs” and “wonders” to prove that he, in fact, had divine encounters. This is also what Jesus warned about before leaving.
“Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.” Acts 13: 9-12
Paul performed some sort of divination or sorcery that convinced others of his gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus never used his power to blind others but to heal from blindness. Even if someone was his enemy, he would never have caused blindness. This proves that Paul performed false wonders.
“But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.” Acts 28:5-6
Paul was attacked and bitten by a snake, yet he suffered no harm. This made others to believe he was a god. I hope you can see the false wonders and signs clearly!
How was Paul’s vision different to Muhammad’s?
Christianity often criticizes Islam and the angelic encounter Muhammad had in the cave, which started the Qur’an. The conversion of Paul during his trip to Damascus somehow mirrors the conversion of Muhammad and the start of the Qur’an.
“Muhammad was meditating in a cave on Mount Hira when he saw the Angel Jibril. “The angel Jibril (or Gabriel) is the angel who revealed the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad”. Muhammad also didn’t have any witnesses or testimonies, yet people believed him.
Both Paul’s and Muhammad’s encounters were private ones with no witnesses and testimonies. While I do not doubt that they both experienced some supernatural encounters, I am definitely doubting that they were of God. Paul, after his encounter, started the New Testament, Muhammad after his encounter started Qur’an. Both Christianity and Islam came from Abrahamic religion with roots in the Hebrew Bible, but both religions changed their directions, and Christianity went towards the New Testament and Islam towards Qur’an.
However, we cannot ignore the fact how similar those events were. Both involved supernatural encounters, both were private experiences with no witness testimonies, both led to major religious movements, and both figures claimed divine authority based on revelation and the formation of their books.
In reality, if people didn’t believe in those encounters and revelations, Islam and Christianity would have been firmly rooted in the Hebrew Bible and the Law. Therefore, this was by design, this was to take people away from the Hebrew Bible.
Afterward, Paul became one of the most passionate missionaries of Jesus Christ. For Paul and his followers, this encounter was not seen as secondhand or inferior to the experiences of the original apostles but rather, it was understood as a direct commissioning by the risen Christ.
This gave Paul a sense of authority that did not depend on having known Jesus during his lifetime. In fact, during his ministry, he started to exalt himself above other disciples and above Christ:
“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 “And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.” Galatians 4:14
“From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Galatians 6:1
This was clearly boasting from Paul’s side, and eventually Paul separated himself from the other disciples, whom he didn’t see in high regard. This was noticed and recorded by the disciples:
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” 1 John 2: 19
“But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1: 11-12
Another key factor is Paul’s role as a missionary to the Gentiles. While the earliest followers of Jesus were primarily Jewish and operated within a Jewish framework, Paul carried the message into the wider Greco-Roman world. He addressed questions that the original disciples had not fully resolved, such as whether non-Jews needed to follow the Jewish Law. Paul argued forcefully that faith in Christ, not adherence to the Law, was the basis of inclusion in the people of God. This position proved relevant for the expansion of Christianity beyond its Jewish roots, making it a universal religion rather than a sectarian Jewish movement.
“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” Romans 7: 6
“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Galatians 3:24
“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” Galatians 2: 15-16
Here, I would like you to notice how Paul describes Gentiles, Jews are Jews, but Gentiles are sinful Gentiles. It gives me a taste of his disgust towards Gentiles. This is a clear sign of his dislike of the Gentiles and their lower status in his eyes.
Therefore, when we examine Paul’s conversion story, based on what Jesus warned about, Jesus was clear that he would not appear in the places that Paul saw Jesus. That is the first call for concern. Moreover, the visions people had in those times had to align with the scripture, and if the life of that person showed conviction and fruits. When looking at the Old Testament scripture, we do not see God prophesying about anyone, whom He will appoint to the Gentiles. What Paul used was the scripture from the book of Isaiah about being the light to the Gentiles:
“Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Acts 13: 46-48
However, when looking at the original text, it was not talking about Paul:
“And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” Isaiah 49: 5-6
This is actually talking about the Daughter of Zion, which we see in later verses:
“But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
And my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.” Isaiah 49: 14-16
Therefore, what Paul did was he used the fact that Gentiles had no knowledge of the Torah and the writings of the prophets, and could not correct Paul. He was believed and accepted, and his authority grew over time.
Paul’s writings also played a crucial role in shaping his influence. His letters were addressed to specific communities dealing with real issues, and therefore were preserved, circulated, and eventually included in the New Testament. Those texts provided theological frameworks for understanding Jesus’ death and resurrection. Concepts like grace, justification, and salvation, and practical guidance for Christian living, acted as a guide. Over time, they came to be regarded as authoritative Scripture alongside the Gospels. The fact that these letters were written earlier than the Gospels also contributed to their foundational role in forming Christian theology.
Therefore, can we trust Paul’s conversion story?
I think if this happened today, no one would believe him. Just because it happened in times of low education, low literacy, and no knowledge of the Torah, Paul was not challenged. Paul appointed himself specifically to the Gentiles, not to Jews who knew Torah, and most importantly, his vision happened in the places Jesus warned about.
We also don’t see his vision to be aligned with the scripture from the Old Testament and Paul twisted the scripture to serve his purpose. Looking at the fruits of Paul, we see him becoming boastful, disregarding other disciples, comparing himself to Jesus, and Jesus’ crucifixion to his troubles. He rejected God’s Law, and he was teaching everyone against the Law, which also contradicted with Jesus’ teachings. Apart from his own words and no witness testimonies, his vision holds no authoritative basis. Therefore, I personally reject Paul’s story and his claim to be the “light to the Gentiles”. If anything, he confused Gentiles and brought darkness rather than light by taking people away from the Law of God.
By Dagmara Z.