| | The story of a great man. Mystical and strategist, the first to realize that only addressing the pagans to Christianity, this could have a future. His name: Paul of Tarsus.
Saul was born in Tarsus, capital of Cilicia, from a family of wealthy Jews. As a Roman citizen, he had the Hebrew name of the first king of Israel and the Latin Paulus. He studied in Jerusalem at the school of master Pharisee Gamaliel, and how observant jew fought against the Christian doctrine. Going to Damascus had a vision of a dazzling light which made him fall from his horse and blinded him, and a voice said to him, "Why do you persecute me?" Received in the house of Ananias, a few days later he received his sight and was baptized. He tried to evangelize his former comrades, but had to flee from Damascus in a basket lowered down the city walls. He was received by the Apostles as their peers, and sustained with energy the separation of Christians from the requirements of the Mosaic Law. In this way, the Gospel message to the largest audience also found among non-Jews, for whom the practice of circumcision and food purity rules seemed incomprehensible and strange, and it was just preaching at the "gentiles" to merit the appellation " Apostle of the Gentiles. " Repeatedly imprisoned by the Romans at the end of the governor Festus, sent him, as a Roman citizen, to Rome, to the court of the emperor.
Paul was a jew, for a long time persecutor of Christians until the time of his conversion took place after the death of Christ. Important evangelizing the world, his life can be read in the Acts of the Apostles, was martyred in the first century.
The news of what happened in the first century Christians, in relation to the persecution started after the episode of the burning of Rome by Nero, arrives today with pagan sources only. After the fire, which was terrible and had deeply shocked the people, all suspected of Nero, and so they had to commit to find "guilty" to defend himself (Tacitus writes: "... then followed expiatory ceremonies in honor of the gods and were consulted books of the Sibyl.But the human aid, the donations of the sovereign or religious ceremonies were not enough to allay the suspicion that the fire was caused. Then, to truncate every rumor, Nero was forced to look for the culprits and tortured with the most refined tortures those whom the common people called Christians, and that they had made for their heinous crimes. Christ, the founder of this sect, was put to death by the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius . And again: "... At first those were arrested who confessed Christians, then, upon revelation, was put in prison a great multitude, not so much on the charge of having set fire to Rome, as for their hatred of the mankind. To the block was added a note of atrocious mockery: some victims were covered with the skins of wild beasts and made death by dogs, while others were crucified and burned in the night like a torch ...).
There are numerous sources that say that the apostles Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom in Rome during the persecution. The exact year of his martyrdom is not known.
So says Lactantius. "Meanwhile the disciples, who at that time had been in eleven, selected Mattia and Paul in place of the traitor Judas, scattered all over the earth to preach the gospel, as Christ had commanded their Teacher and Lord, and for twenty-five years, until the beginning of the principate of Nero, laid the foundations of the church for all the provinces and cities of the empire".
Sulpicius Severus wrote:. "In the persecution of Nero were sentenced to death the apostles Paul and Peter, the first was cut off his head with a sword, the second was crucified." Paul, beheaded with a sword, is compared, by Tertullian, to the Baptist. "Paul is crowned in the church of the same martyrdom of John the Baptist.". Origen: "Paul, who sailed from Jerusalem to 'Illyria to preach the gospel of Christ and eventually sealed his preaching and martyrdom in Rome of Nero."
[Text of the Group of Via Pienza's saints]
Paul, an apostle, saint, martyr, the body is kept under the main altar of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the work of 1285 was unharmed by the fire that almost completely destroyed the church in 1823. The head, found in the Basilica Ostiense, is venerated in the basilica of the Lateran. The relics of the distinguished heads of the Apostles Peter and Paul, mentioned in the eighth century the Holy of Holies, were transferred here by Pope Urban V, according to tradition, the ceremony took place on April 16, 1369. The Pope, in order to better honor them, had built two busts in silver-gilt, gold masterpieces, made by Giovanni Bartoli from Siena. The shrines, adorned with gems, in part donated by Charles V, the Wise branch of the Valois, were unfortunately time for the payment of 30,000 florins imposed by the Treaty of Tolentino. On 12 April 1438 some gems were stolen. A survey was made in July 23, 1823 by Cardinal Antonelli, who confirmed the authenticity of the remains: bone fragments of jaws, teeth and portions of skulls. On that occasion, they were placed in the new reliquary busts, works by Giuseppe Valadier, donated by the Duchess Maria Emanuela Pignatelli. Paul, Prince of the Apostles, who was beheaded in 67at the "Three Fountains", was buried where the basilica is named after him. The Roman ( Diary 1926) recalls here the ceremony during which he incenses the Fenestella confessionis and the kiss of the chains that imprisoned.
MR.: June 29 in Rome is the birthplace of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, who suffered in the same year and on the same day under Emperor Nero. The first of these, in the same city, crucified with his head toward the earth, and buried in the Vatican at the Triumphal Street, is celebrated with reverence all over the world, and the other, beheaded and buried on the Via Ostiense, is worshiped with equal honor. In November 18 in Rome there was the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul. The first of these, which was rebuilt in a more majestic, was consecrated on this day by Pope Urban the eighth, then the other, almost entirely destroyed by a fire and rebuilt more miserable magnificence, was solemnly consecrated on December 10 by Pope Pius the ninth , who stated that on this day he celebrated the anniversary. | |
