This chapter argues that Paul does not explicitly state his origin. Luke hinted that Paul was born in Tarsus, capital of Cilica. It is a city that was prosperous and well-governed by the Romans. Paul tells us that he was a ‘Hebrew born of Hebrews’. In the first century, Greeks refer to ‘Hebrews’ as members of the Jewish people. Paul used ‘Hebrew’ to imply a positive relationship to Palestine, not just a mere synonym for Israelite. Luke accounted that Paul's father may have acquired their Roman citizenship after being freed by a Roman citizen of Tarsus. It has been suggested that the cognomen...

This chapter argues that Paul does not explicitly state his origin. Luke hinted that Paul was born in Tarsus, capital of Cilica. It is a city that was prosperous and well-governed by the Romans. Paul tells us that he was a ‘Hebrew born of Hebrews’. In the first century, Greeks refer to ‘Hebrews’ as members of the Jewish people. Paul used ‘Hebrew’ to imply a positive relationship to Palestine, not just a mere synonym for Israelite. Luke accounted that Paul's father may have acquired their Roman citizenship after being freed by a Roman citizen of Tarsus. It has been suggested that the cognomen Paulus (meaning small) was chosen as the most similar Latin name of the Hebraic name Saul. Paul had a married sister and a nephew in Jerusalem. Paul was educated under the Hellenistic educational system in Tarsus.