Who Named Him "Paul"

Biblical name changes are important.

God changed Abram's name to Abraham: No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham.^{Genesis 17:5} Why? For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.^{Genesis 17:5}

God changed Sarai's name to Sarah: And God said to Abraham, As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name"^{Genesis 17:15} Why? I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.^{Genesis 17:16}

God changed Jacob's name to Israel: Then he said, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel.^{Genesis 32:28} Why? For you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.^{Genesis 32:28}

Paul also had a name change: Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.^{Acts 13:9}

That's the story of Saul's name being changed to 'Paul.' No divine being told him to change his name. There was no reason given for his name change. It was changed out of season. If there was a time to change Paul's name, it would have been during the Damascus experience, when Paul claims Jesus (or Ananias, if he is in the mood to credit him) gave him the mission to go to the Gentile. Not weeks (or years, if you believe his three-year stint in Arabia occurred) after.

In fact, if we dig deeper into history, we find that Paul did not change his name. Paul was a Roman citizen of Tarsus. Paul replied, I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.^{Acts 21:39}

As a Roman citizen,^{(Acts 22:27, 28.)} he was required to have a Roman name. His Roman name, from birth, was Paul. His Jewish name, from birth, was Saul.

Saul switched his name to his other name, to make him seem important, just like Abram, Sarai, and Jacob. But the truth is his name change was not a name change, was not given by God, and there was no legitimate reason for it.

Value of this Evidence

This is excellent evidence against Paul's character, which is decent evidence against Paul being a true apostle. We would expect the apostles to be as exemplary as Jesus was, since Jesus was the Way. But since Paul is sly, even with his name, his claim to apostleship becomes weaker.