The Apostle Paul was undoubtedly a Jew. Though he was born in the city of Tarsus, located in modern day Turkey, Paul tells us himself that he was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5). This firmly establishes his Jewish lineage. As a devout Jew, Paul would have been raised with a thorough knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures and zeal for following the Mosaic law. Before becoming a follower of Jesus, Paul was a Pharisee and persecuted the early Christian church. His background as a Jew is an essential part of understanding his later work as arguably the most influential missionary for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Though some might point to Paul’s emphasis on salvation by faith rather than works of the law as evidence that he forsook his Jewish heritage, the testimony of Acts and Paul’s letters thoroughly refute this. Acts 23:6 records that even after becoming a Christian, Paul continued identifying himself as a Pharisee. In Romans 9-11, Paul passionately argues that God has not rejected ethnic Israel and still has promises to fulfill specifically to the Jewish people. This would have been an odd stance for Paul to take if he was not still firmly retaining his Jewish identity. Throughout his ministry, Paul continued leveraging his background as a Jew to connect with fellow Jews and reach them for Christ. In Acts 22, Paul gives his testimony to a Jewish crowd and emphasizes his extensive training under the famous rabbi Gamaliel. To those without the law, like Gentiles, Paul adapted his approach as needed without compromising the gospel. But he never disowned his Jewishness.
The beginning of Galatians provides additional autobiographical details that establish Paul’s Jewish credentials. Paul states he “advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers” (Galatians 1:14). Though he does go on to describe his conversion to faith in Jesus, he specifies that he did not immediately consult with other apostles but instead went to Arabia then back to Damascus. Paul makes it clear he is not dependent on the original Jewish followers of Jesus but received the gospel directly from revelation. This demonstrates that his faith in Jesus was not a denial of his Judaism. Rather, he considered it the fulfillment of the messianic hope professed in the Hebrew scriptures.
Skeptics may also point to Paul’s supposed rejection of circumcision for Gentile converts as evidence of his break with Judaism. It is true that Paul adamantly opposed requiring Gentiles to be circumcised and take on the full burden of the Mosaic law in order to be saved (see Galatians 2:3-5). However, this was not rooted in rejection of Judaism but rather because Paul recognized that circumcision was given as the sign of the Abrahamic covenant specifically for Abraham’s physical descendants. Abraham was declared righteous by faith before he was circumcised (Romans 4:9-12). Those who belong to Abraham’s spiritual family through faith are children of the promise, like Isaac, not physical children like Ishmael (Galatians 4:21-31). Although Paul recognized that Gentiles did not need to take on culturally Jewish customs in order to follow Jesus, he still affirmed their value for Jewish believers.
Paul made it clear that Jewish believers in Jesus were not required to forsake their Jewish way of life, culture, customs or identity. In 1 Corinthians 7:17-20, Paul instructs Jewish and Gentile Christians to remain in the state they were called unless called to something else by God. For Jews, this would mean continuing to live as Jews. In Romans 14:1-15:3, Paul urges the church in Rome to accept Jewish believers who continued observing dietary restrictions and holy days. To maintain Jewish dietary laws, Paul even carried out a vow at the temple in Acts 21:17-26. Though Paul adamantly opposed requiring Gentiles to become culturally Jews, he defended the right of Jewish believers to maintain their ancestral customs.
Beyond Paul’s own autobiographical statements and handling of Jew/Gentile issues, the overall Jewish nature of his thought and teaching provide powerful evidence that he remained a Jew after embracing Jesus as Messiah. Paul’s letters are saturated with references, allusions, metaphors, imagery and quotations from the Hebrew scriptures that would only be readily grasped by a Jewish audience fluent in the Old Testament. His extensive argumentation from the Hebrew scriptures to demonstrate Jesus as the fulfillment of Jewish messianic prophecy reflects a mind steeped in Judaism. Even when addressing Gentile audiences unfamiliar with the Hebrew scriptures, Paul structured his teaching and theology around the divine story of redemption revealed to Israel.
For instance, in Ephesians 2:11-22 Paul metaphorically refers to Gentiles as “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise” who have now been “brought near by the blood of Christ.” He goes on to describe Christ as having “made both groups [Jews and Gentiles] into one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” referring to the temple courts dividing Jew and Gentile. Such nuanced mixed metaphors echoing temple architecture, Old Testament language of promised covenants and Israel’s unique identity would have resonated deeply for a Jewish mind. But their full significance would likely be lost on Paul’s Gentile audience. Yet Paul continued to couch his teaching in Jewish categories and precedent throughout his ministry because he thought and lived as a Jew.
The thoroughly Jewish nature of Paul’s background, training, ministry approach, communication style, biblical interpretation and theological thought make it undeniably clear that he remained a Jew after embracing Jesus as the foretold Messiah. Far from abandoning or abrogating his Jewish identity and heritage, following Jesus only deepened Paul’s understanding of God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel revealed through Christ. Ethnically, religiously and culturally Paul lived and died a Jew, even as he opened wide the doors of salvation to the Gentiles by proclaiming justification comes through faith alone on account of Christ.