Among the first apostles, disciples of Jesus Christ, who after his death brought the truth of his teaching to people, there is one who did not even know Jesus at the time when he lived among people in the form of an ordinary person. Nevertheless, it is he who, along with the Apostle Peter, bears the title of “the supreme one” as a sign of reverence for his great merits in spreading the Gospel teachings.
From the day of his birth, the future Paul bore the name of Saul and was a citizen of the Roman Empire, although he was born in the Jewish city of Tarsus. Its inhabitants enjoyed the rights of citizens of the Roman Empire. The boy Saul, whose name in translation from the Hebrew means "begged", "begged" was very talented and he was sent to study Gamaliel - a famous Jewish educator and teacher of the law.
Receiving a traditional upbringing, Saul grew up a champion of Roman law and laws, he served in the public service and became one of the most active persecutors of the teachings of Christ and those people who became his followers.
However, a miracle happened - during a religious procession to Damascus, Saul suddenly became blind, his eyes also ceased to see the light, like his soul, which had been blind until then. The book of Acts tells that for three whole days Saul saw nothing, could not eat or drink. After this time, the gospel grace descended on him - the eyes and soul of the apostle received their sight and he turned to Christ, changing his name to Paul. Having believed in this teaching, he became a preacher and began to read his sermons to pagans in synagogues, converting the Jews to the new faith.
Paul put a lot of effort into spreading Christianity throughout the world. His educational activities allowed this former Roman lawyer to become one of the "pillars" of the Christian church. But, like most of the early apostles, Paul was martyred at the hands of the persecutors of this faith.
According to biblical legends, he and Peter were executed in Rome in 67 AD by the order of the emperor Nero. It happened in one day. Peter was crucified upside down, and he asked his tormentors about this himself - he did not want his death to be similar to the death of the Teacher, Jesus Christ.
Since Paul was a citizen of Rome, his death was less painful - with a blow of the sword they cut off his head. According to legend, the apostle's head hit the ground three times and three holy springs were hammered on this place. The place of his death - "Three Fountains" still attracts crowds of pilgrims from all over the world. The memory of the supreme martyrs Peter and Paul is celebrated by Christians on the same day - July 12.
