St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles

Why was St. Paul called the Apostle of the Gentiles? St. Paul was sometimes referred to as St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles. Life of St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles are found in the life of Paul the Apostle and Apostle Paul Biography.

Why was St. Paul called the Apostle of the Gentiles?

Apostle Paul was not the first to preach to the Gentiles but St. Paul was known as St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles because he was determined stand against the dominance of Jewish law and his preaching decided the course of Christianity.

It is because of St. Paul the Apostle, more than anyone else, that Christianity rose from being a small Jewish sect to one of the world's greatest religions. The fourteen New Testament letters which come from Apostle Paul show him trying to moderate the influence of Jewish ideas and traditions on a new religion and a new spiritual age, and re-interpreting Old Testament laws by their relevance to the teachings of Jesus. St. Paul the Apostle always viewed Christianity primarily in relation to Judaism. He felt the history of the Jews and the writings of the Old Testament had prepared humanity for Christ.

Judaism, Christianity and St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles

Although St. Paul the Apostle was always conscious of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, he also regarded the Christian faith, or, as he called it: "Life in Christ" - as something entirely new.

In Judaism, the relationship between God and his followers was based solely on the Torah, the book that described God's will and law. To the Apostle Paul, the Resurrection of Jesus opened up a new kind of relationship between the people and God.

For Gentiles particularly, who couldn't benefit from the Torah, this relationship held special promise. Jesus, he felt, was a gift from God to humanity, enabling them to establish a new relationship which human effort alone could never have achieved. Paul called this new relationship Justification.