Was Saul a Roman soldier?

Question

During the time when Jesus Christ lived, the region was under Roman rule. Palestine, where Jesus was born and preached, was part of the Roman Empire. Therefore, the military presence in the region was predominantly Roman. Roman soldiers served as an occupying force and maintained order in the province.

The Roman soldiers at the time were recruited from different regions of the Roman Empire and were not necessarily all from Italy. The Roman Army consisted of Roman citizens, as well as soldiers from other parts of the empire. Legionaries, who were the backbone of the army, were primarily recruited from Roman citizens.

Roman army

According to the biblical account, the apostle Paul was a Roman citizen. This information is mentioned in various places in the New Testament of the Bible. In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 22, Paul speaks about his Roman citizenship when he is detained by a crowd in Jerusalem. He says:

So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, 'I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.' And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.

This highlights the fact that Paul was a Roman citizen, which granted him certain rights and privileges under Roman law. Later on, this Roman citizenship becomes relevant in various situations narrated in the Scriptures.

This passage is part of the account of the conversion of Saul (later known as the Apostle Paul) on the road to Damascus:

Acts 9:4-6 New King James Version

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. [a]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.”

Footnotes [a] Acts 9:5 NU, M omit the rest of v. 5 and begin v. 6 with But arise and go

John 19:33-37 is a passage from the Bible, specifically from the Gospel of John in the New Testament. This passage describes an event during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ:

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken,' and, as another scripture says, 'They will look on the one they have pierced.'

The apostle Paul said in his First Letter to the 1 Corinthians 10:4, that Jesus Christ was the Rock (which was smitten) source of water for God's people.

They all drank the same spiritual drink, because they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them; and the Rock was Christ

Was Saul a Roman soldier?

Answer 1

If Paul served as a Roman soldier it would have been during his teens. However, we can rule out the OP's suggestion of his membership in the Roman Legion since this required a long term of service.

• Paul is described simply as a "young man" in Acts 7:58, when Stephen was stoned. He would have been even younger when Jesus was crucified.

• Paul's career after the stoning of Stephen does not allow time for him to have become a Legionnaire between this event and the beginning of his acting as a persecutor of the church. (Acts 8:1)

Thus, if Paul had been a Roman solider, his term of service must have been brief. However, sources indicate that even non-Legionnaires served lengthy terms. Another source indicates that Roman auxiliary soldiers could not be recruited from Judea, which is where Paul was raised according to Acts 22.

A final objection to the idea of Paul as a Roman solider is the fact that he describes himself as having been an observant Pharisee (Philippians 3:5) and Acts 22:3 quotes him as saying "I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God." A strictly observant Pharisee would avoid service in the Roman army, for this would require assimilation into Roman culture, working on the Sabbath, eating non-kosher food, and other behavior inconsistent with Pharisaic tradition.

For the above reasons, it is virtually impossible that Paul was ever a Roman solider.