Acts reports that after his encounter on the road to Damascus, Paul entered the city (Acts 9:8, 9:10-11; 22:11; 26:20) where he remained for a few days (Acts 9:19). Paul states in Galatians that after his conversion he "immediately" went into Arabia (Galatians 1:17; see also I Corinthians 15:8). The sense is "without delay" not "at once" nor "instantly." This infers that Paul made no side trip to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles at that time but rather, after but a few days in Damascus, he withdrew into Arabia without any delay. Three years after his conversion, and the sojourn in Arabia, he is again found in Damascus  from where he hastily departed for Jerusalem.

At Jerusalem he "stayed with Peter fifteen days" (Galatians 1:18). This detail is consistent with the practice of the ancient church in observing the weekly Sabbath. Fifteen days permitted Paul to attend the mother "headquarters" Sabbath services on three separate Sabbaths. An arrival just before sunset Friday evening would permit his residing with Peter a Sabbath, then a full week including a Sabbath, followed by another full week including a Sabbath. Paul had freedom of movement in Jerusalem and spoke boldly in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This upset Hellenistic Jews who attempted to kill him. When the church learned of the conspiracy to murder Paul, presumably just before the third Sabbath, they took him to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus (Acts 9:28-29).

His hurried departure would have occurred after sunset Saturday night. There is no New Testament evidence suggesting apostolic travel on the Sabbath. Quite the contrary, the apostles did not travel on the Sabbath as the Sabbath was the public day of worship in the first-century Church of God. While there is no evidence of such travel on the Sabbath, one should not confuse this issue with the Jewish halakha concerning the Pharistic "Sabbath Days journey" teaching rejected by Jesus and his apostles. Note, however, that there is hard evidence of apostolic travel on Sunday in Acts (Acts 20:7, 13-14. Paul's companions left Troas by ship for Assos. Paul remained at Troas to spend more time with the brethren and to have a Saturday night meal with them. Paul left Troas on Sunday morning and it would seem walked the 19 plus miles to Assos to meet his companions).

Acts 9:19-22 provides the account of what Paul did at Jerusalem during those few days (Acts 9:18). The Holy Spirit coupled with Paul�s great rabbinic knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures permitted him to "proclaim Jesus in the synagogues" to the amazement of everyone (Acts 9:19-21). The details of the visit to Arabia does not occur in Acts of the Apostles. Verse 23, however, picks up with the events following Paul�s return from Arabia. The trip presumably occurred between the events of Verse 22 and Verse 23. Paul then returned to Damascus following his Arabian visit. During that stay he generated sufficient opposition among the local Jews that they attempted to kill him necessitating his escape to Jerusalem.

There is no hint in Galatians 1:11-17 that Paul had to escape to go into Arabia. This suggests that there is no linkage between his leaving Damascus to go into Arabia and this escape from Damascus for Jerusalem. Nevertheless, this data in Acts of the Apostles harmonizes into the Galatians 1:11-17 description of his leaving for the Arabian desert and then returning "once more" to Damascus. Paul�s later escape from Damascus (Galatians 1:17) occurred during the rule of Nabataean King Aretas (Harithat IV) who died in CE 40 (II Corinthians 11:32-33).

Josephus rendered an account providing the details of Aretas� boundary dispute with Herod Antipas. He describes Aretas as the "king of Arabia and Petrea." The Roman emperor Tiberias came in on the side of Herod Antipas and ordered Vitellius, proconsul of Syria, "to make war with Aretas." On the way Vitellius received communications informing him of the death of Tiberius and he recalled his army. Tiberius died March 16, CE 37 and at that time Damascus was under the control of imperial Rome and administered by Vitellius. As King Aretas died in CE 40 Paul�s escape from Damascus would have had to occur between 37 and 40 and accordingly Paul�s conversion between 34 and 37. This is consistent with a CE 35 conversion date for Paul and his escape from Damascus in CE 38 during the Aretas� administration. The question remains open as to when Aretas received Damascus from Caligula in the imperial settlement of the affairs of Syria.

The Aretas� administration in Damascus may have begun as early as CE 37 based upon archeological evidence in the form of a single coin. This was the view of Dosker who wrote:

As Tiberias died in A.D. 37, and as the Arabian affair was completely settled in 39, it is evident that the date of Paul�s conversion must lie somewhere between 34 and 36. This date is further fixed by a Damascus coin, with the image of King Aretas and the date 101. If that date points to the Pompian era, it equals A.D. 37, making the date of Paul�s conversion A.D. 34. (T. E. Mionnet, Description des medailles antiques greques et romaines, V [1811], 284f.). (Dosker 1986:288.)

While this coin evidence, for whatever it is worth, infers that Paul�s conversion could have occurred as early as CE 34 it does not lessen the possibility of a CE 35 or later conversion. It merely strengthens the case for the conversion between 34 and 37. The account in Acts of the Apostles continued:

^9:26When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. ³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

Caesarea Maritima was the port city for the Roman province of Judea. Paul�s being brought there would infer a boat trip rather than preparation for a journey by costal overland route. Traveling from Caesarea, Paul would have booked passage and journeyed by boat to Tarsus in Cilicia.

Page last edited: 04/13/06 07:40 PM

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