Paul’s Background

Paul grew up in Tarsus. Later he evidently went to Jerusalem. As a pious Jew, he tried to eradicate the Jewish followers of Jesus Christ. He worked as an artisan for a living.

The city of Tarsus in Asia Minor had a Hellenistic, Graeco-Roman atmosphere. The lingua franca was, as in many cities of the extended Roman Empire, Greek. It is probable that the Jewish community in Tarsus to which Paul belonged, was heavily influenced by the dominant Greek culture of those days.
Paul spoke Greek, wrote Greek and was happy to participate in this Greek culture. According to Acts 21:40 and Acts 22:2 Paul also spoke Hebrew.

In the book of Acts, Paul says in one of his addresses that he moved to Jerusalem soon after his birth. There he took instruction from the famous Jewish legal scholar Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Paul makes no mention of this in his letters.

Paul was a Pharisee (Acts 23:6; Acts 26:5; Philippians 3:5). Pharisees strictly observed all the regulations of the Jewish law. They studied the law, interpreted it, and helped people to apply the law in their daily lives.
Paul tells us that before his conversion, he too followed the Jewish regulations, laws and traditions meticulously and tried to fulfil all God’s commandments (Galatians 1:14).

Paul’s piety even went so far as to see the Jewish followers of Jesus Christ as a threat to true Judaism. So he set out to eradicate this group completely (Acts 8:3; Acts 9:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; Philippians 3:6).

In Acts 18:3 we read that Paul was a tent-maker and a leather-worker. He himself notes in his letters only that he provided for his own living by hard work (1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:9). So he feels independent and free to proclaim the gospel as he wishes (1 Corinthians 9).