De conversione sancti Pauli apostoli
The Meaning of the Conversion
The conversion of Paul is celebrated for its exemplary power, the joy it brought to the Church, and the miraculous transformation of a persecutor into a preacher.
The conversion of the holy apostle Paul took place in the same year that Christ suffered and Stephen was stoned—not in the natural year, but in the emergent one; for Christ [suffered] on the eighth day before the Kalends [of April]. Stephen was stoned that same year on the third of August, and Paul on the eighth day before the Kalends of April. He was converted in February. There are usually three reasons given for why his conversion is celebrated more than that of other saints. First, for the sake of example, so that no sinner, no matter how great, might despair of forgiveness when he sees how someone who was so deep in guilt was later in grace; second, for the sake of joy, for just as the Church had great sorrow during his persecution, so it received great joy at his conversion; third, for the sake of the miracle that the Lord showed him, when He made a most faithful preacher out of a most savage persecutor. His conversion was miraculous in terms of the one acting, the one arranging, and the one suffering. Regarding the one acting—that is, Christ, who converted him—He showed His wonderful power there in what He said: 'It is hard for you to kick against the goad,' and in the fact that He changed him so suddenly, from which he was immediately changed and replied, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?' Augustine says of this: 'The Lamb slain by wolves made lambs out of wolves; he who once raged to persecute now prepares himself to obey.' Secondly, He showed His wonderful wisdom; for it was a wonderful wisdom that He cast him down from the swelling of pride by offering the lowest things of humility, rather than the lofty things of majesty.
Divine Mercy and the Light of Grace
Christ's intervention through a heavenly light and a humble voice dismantled Paul's pride and audacity, demonstrating the power of divine mercy.
"I am," he says, "Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting," and so on. The Gloss says: He doesn't call himself God or the Son of God, but says, "Accept the lowest things of my humility, and put off the scales of your pride." Third, he shows his marvelous mercy there, which is noted by the fact that he converted him while he was still in the act and intent of persecuting. For although he had a deformed affection—because he was breathing out a perverse attempt at threats and slaughter, and because he went to the chief priests, and so on— as if thrusting himself into a destructive act because he was going to lead them in chains to Jerusalem, and therefore his journey was most wicked—divine mercy nevertheless converted him; second, it was miraculous by reason of the one disposing, that is, the light, which prepared him for conversion: for this light is said to have been sudden, immense, and heavenly; and "suddenly," he says, "a light from heaven shone around him." For Paul had three vices in himself; the first was audacity, which is noted in the fact that it is said: "he went to the chief priests," and so on. The Gloss says: not called, but of his own accord, with zeal inciting him; the second was pride, which is noted in the fact that it is said "breathing out threats," and so on. The third was a carnal understanding, which, of course, he had in the Law. This is why the Gloss says on that passage: "I am Jesus," and so on. I am the heavenly God speaking, whom you think is dead in the Jewish sense. This divine light was sudden, so that it might terrify the bold; it was immense, so that it might cast down the lofty and proud into the depths of humility; and it was heavenly, so that it might change his carnal understanding into a heavenly one. Alternatively, it can be said that this preparation happened in three ways: through a voice crying out, through a light shining, and through the power of divine strength.
The Transformation of the Apostle
Paul's physical prostration, blindness, and fasting served as the outward signs of his inward renewal and preparation for his apostolic mission.
Third, it was miraculous because of the one suffering—that is, Paul himself—in whom this conversion took place. For in him, these three things happened miraculously on the outside: prostration, blindness, and a three-day fast. He was prostrated so that he might be raised up, as far as his depressed affection was concerned. Augustine says: Paul was prostrated so that he might be blinded, blinded so that he might be changed, changed so that he might be sent, and sent so that he might suffer for the truth. Augustine adds: he was struck down in his rage and became a believer; he was struck down as a wolf and became a lamb; he was struck down as a persecutor and became a preacher; he was struck down as a son of perdition and raised up as a vessel of election. He was blinded so that he might be enlightened regarding his darkened intellect; that is why it is said that during those three days he remained blind, he was being taught the Gospel. For he did not receive it from any human, nor through any human, as he himself testifies, but through the revelation of Jesus. XXIX. On Saint Paula. 135 Christ. Augustine says: I call Paul the true athlete of Christ, taught by Him, anointed by Him, crucified with Him, and glorified in Him. He was worn down in the flesh so that his very flesh might be disposed toward the effect of good work; for from then on his body was perfectly disposed toward every good work, since he knew how to be hungry and how to have abundance, was trained in everything and everywhere, and willingly suffered all adversities. Chrysostom says: He considered tyrants and peoples breathing fury to be like mere gnats, but he thought of death, tortures, and a thousand punishments as nothing more than a children's game.
A New Adam in Christ
Paul's suffering and discipline are presented as a redemptive reversal of the fall of Adam.
He embraced these things willingly, and was more honored by being bound in chains than by being crowned with a diadem; he received wounds more gladly than others receive gifts. These three things are said to have been in him as a counter-balance to the three things that were in the first parent. In Adam, there was an uprising against God, while in Paul, there was a prostration to the ground; in Adam, there was the opening of the eyes, while in Paul, there was the blinding of the eyes; in Adam, there was the eating of forbidden food, while in Paul, there was abstinence from permitted food.
Read the original Latin
Conversio sancti Pauli apostoli facta est eodem anno, quo Christus passus est et Stephanus lapidatus anno non naturali, sed emergenti; nam Christus VIII cal. Aprilis passus est, Stephanus eodem anno HI die Augusti lapidatus est, Paulus vero VIII cal. Februarii conversus est. Quare aulem conversio ejus potius quam aliorum sanctorum celebratur, triplex ratio solet assignari. Primo propter exemplum, ut nullus quantumcunque peccator desperet de venia, quando tantum in culpa postmodum conspicit fuisse in gratia ; secundo propter gaudium, sicut enim ecclesia magnam tristitiam habuit in ejus persecutione, ita maximam laetitiam recepit in ejus conversione; tertio propter miraculum, quod scilicet dominus ei ostendit, dum de saevissimo persecutore fecit fidelissimum praedicalorem. Ejus enim conversio fuit miraculosa ratione efficientis ) et disponentis et patientis. Ratione efficientis, id est Christi, qui eum convertit: ibi enim ostendit suam mirabilem potentiam in hoe quod dixit: durum est tibi contra stimulum recalcitrare, et in hoc quod ipsum tam subito immutavit, unde continuo immutatus respondit: domine quid vis me facere? Augustinus super hoc verbo: occisus agnus a lupis fecit agnos de lupis; jam parat se ad obediendum, qui prius saeviebat ad persequendum, Secundo ihi ostendit ejus mirabilem sapientiam, mirabilis enim sapientia fuit in hoc, quia ipsum a tumore superbiae dejecit offerendo infima humilitatis, non sublimia majestatis.
Ego, inquit, sum Jesus Nazaremus quem tu persequeris etc. Glossa: non Deum vel Dei filium se vocat, sed humilitatis, inquit, meae suscipe infima et superbiae tuae squamas depone. Tertio ibi ostendit suam mirabilem clementiam, quod notatur ex hoc, quod ipsum exsistentem in actu et voluntate persequendi convertit. Licet enim haberet deformem affectum, quia spirans minarum et caedis perversum conatum, quia accessit ad principes etc. , quasi se ingerens, perniciosum actum, quia ibat-ut vinctos perduceret in Jherusalem et ideo ejus iter pessimum erat, ipsum tamen divina misericordia convertit, Secundo fuit miraculosa ratione disponentis, id est lucis, quae ipsum ad conversionem disposuit: ipsa enim lux dicitur fuisse subita, immensa et coelica; et subito, inquit, cireumfulsit eum lux de coelo. Paulus enim tria vitia in se habebat, primum erat audacia, quod notatur in hoc quod dicitur: accessit ad principes sacerdotum etc. Glossa: non vocatus, sed sponte zelo concitante eum, Secundum erat superbia, quod notatur in hoc, quod dicitur spirans minarum eic. Tertium erat carnalis intelligentia, quam scilicet in lege habebat.
Unde Glossa super illu: ego sum Jesus etc. Ego Deus coelestis loquor, quem moriuum putas sensu judaico. Ipsa igitur lux divina fuit subita, ut audacem terreret, immensa, ut sublimem et superbum in ima humililatis prosterneret, fuit coelica, ut carnalem ejus intelligentiam in coelestem mutaret. Vel potest dici, quod illud disponens fuit in tribus, scilicet in voce clamante, in luce fulgente, iu virtute potentiae. Tertio fuit miraculosa ratione patientis, id est ipsius Pauli, in quo facta est conversio ipsa. In eo enim haec tria miraculose exterius facta sunt, scilicet: prostratio, obcaecatio et triduana jejunatio. Est enim prostratus ut erigatur, quantum ad depressum affectum. Augustinus: prostratus est Paulus ut caecaretur, caecatus ut mutaretur, mutatus est ut mitteretur, missus est ut pro veritate pateretur.
Item Augustinus: elisus est saeviens et factus est eredeus, elisus est lupus et factus est agnus, elisus est persecutor et factus est praedicator, clisus est filius perditionis, erectus est vas eléctionis, Est obeaecatus ut illustretur, quantum ad teüebrosum intellectum; undo et in illo triduo, quo mansit, caecatus dicitur, quod doctus fuerit evangelium. Non enim illud accepit ab homine neque per hominem, ut ipse testatur, sed per revelationem Jesu Uap. XXIX. De sancta Paula. 135 Christi. Augustinus: Paulum dico verum athletam Christi doctum ab illo, unctum de illo, crucifixum cum illo et gloriosum in illo. Est in carne maceratus, ut ipsa caro disponatur ad bonae operationis effectum: optime enim deiuceps corpus ejus ad omne opus bonum dispositum est, nam esurire et abundare sciebat et ubique et in omnibus institutus erat et omnia adversa libenter sufferebat. Chrysostomus: tyrannos ac populos spirantes furorem velut quosdam esse culices aestimabat, mortem vero atque cruciatus et mille supplicia, quasi ludum putabat esse puerorum.
Haec amplexabatur libenter et magis decorabatur catena vinctus quam dyademate coronatus, ac libentius recipiebat vulnera quam alii munera. Vel ista tria dicuntur fuisse in eo contra tria, quae fuerunt in primo parente. In ipso enim fuit contra Deum erectio et e contra in Paulo ad terram prostratio, in ipso oculorum apertio et e contra in Paulo oculorum obcaecatio, in ipso enim fuit manducatio cibi vetiti et e contra in Paulo abstinentia cibi liciti.
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