Who was the Apostle Paul?
Many scholars believe that other than Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul is the most important person in the history of Christianity. To readers of the New Testament, the Apostle's contribution is immediately clear, given that Paul wrote 13 of the 27 New Testament books. Yet the Apostle didn't just contribute to the literature of Christianity, but to it's thought, as he was the movement's first great theologian, and it's direction, because he was, by vocation, a missionary. To understand Christianity one must understand the Apostle Paul.
The Apostle Paul testifies to having personally met Jesus Christ while walking to the town of Damascus, which is when he was known by his Jewish name "Paul" and was associated with persecuting Christians. Soon Paul would travel throughout the Mediterranean world planting and strengthening churches as he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of the letters he wrote to churches in the Mediterranean world are in the New Testament; in fact, 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament are attributed to the Apostle Paul.