Why Saul Became Paul: The Name That Marks Conversion

When Saul of Tarsus encountered the risen Christ on the Damascus road, his transformation was absolute—yet his name change at Paphos reveals something profound about the nature of conversion itself. The apostle's shift from Saulos to Paulos was not mere accident or Roman courtesy. Maclaren observes that this nomenclature bore witness to a fundamental reorientation: the persecutor became the proclamator, the vessel of wrath became a vessel of mercy.…