Jesus’ involvement in the conversion of Saul (Acts 9:3-9, 10-18)

Luke next narrates the story of Saul. Acts 9:3-9 provides the overall context of Acts in which Saul’s conversion occurs. Saul is described as a fervent persecutor of Jesus’ disciples (Acts 9:1), but he becomes one of the disciples of Jesus (Acts 9:19-22) and a missionary to the gentiles (Acts 13-28). This is interpreted as the providential activity of God (Squires 1993:60- 2). The reader/audience learns that Saul’s encounter with Jesus in the vision causes this dramatic turnaround in Paul. Therefore, Jesus’ appearance through his voice is extremely important for Saul’s conversion and the ensuing narrative of Acts (Talbert 2005:82).

According to the description, Saul is journeying to Damascus to find Jesus’ disciples (Acts 9:2-3). While on the way to Damascus, there is a flash of light from heaven and Jesus appears to Saul in a voice (Acts 9:4-5). According to Miller (2007:189), this narrative is concerned with emphasising Jesus’ words. Except for the one visual description of “a light from heaven”, only Jesus’ voice speaking to Saul is heard. This type of dream-vision is an “auditory dream- vision” (Hanson 1980:1410-2). Dream-visions in the ancient world were often regarded as a means of communication between a deity and a person (Miller 2007:51).155 _{People in ancient}

155 _{Miller (2007:51) examines both the positive and the negative attitudes towards dream-visions in Graeco-}

Roman and Jewish dream-vision examples. Miller (2007:39-73) argues that ancient dream-visions do not provide explicit evidence of divine causes, and that many ancient writers reveal a sceptical stance to divine dream-visions. As I mentioned a similar attitude among ancient historians in Chapter 3, a tension exists between

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times, especially in the Hellenistic era, therefore treated dream-visions seriously (Gnuse 1996:116).156 _{In this regard, Jesus’ voice can be understood as a divine command given to}

Saul in the dream-vision. The portrayal of “a light from heaven” also supports the idea that this is divine activity from “heaven”, a distinctive divine space, to which Jesus has ascended. Thus, it can be said that this epiphany of Jesus through the dream-vision is a typical divine activity (cf. Fitzmyer 1998:419-20).

The implication of epiphany in the dream-vision is that the divine origin of Paul’s apostleship and the instrumental role of Paul among the gentiles (McConnell 2014:249-50) begin with the event of Jesus calling him on the road to Damascus.157 _{Seyoon Kim (1984:56-6) argues}

that the encounter with the risen Lord Jesus and his speaking to Paul on the road to Damascus concerned the delegation of apostleship and the missionary calling to the gentiles. This experience is mentioned three times in Acts (9:1-9; 22:4-16; 26:9-19), which highlights the significance of this experience to Paul. Although he uses implicit expressions, Paul also refers to his experience in Damascus in his letters (Phil. 3:4-12, Gal. 1:12-17; 1 Cor. 9:1, 16; 15:8-9). However, the reader/audience can learn that Saul’s apostleship and calling to the gentiles is revealed in Ananias’ vision (Acts9:15).

The activity of the heavenly Jesus continues in the Ananias story.158 _{Jesus, from heaven, has}

the blinded Saul led to the city for the ensuing narrative (Acts 9:6). Luke describes what Jesus has purposely done in the story. Firstly, Jesus gives Saul a visual dream-vision159 _of

Ananias entering the house and the recovery of Saul’s sight (Acts 9:12). Secondly, Jesus

the strong conviction and sceptical stances regarding the role of the divine in history. Others reluctantly report divine activity behind history. However, historians frequently use the divine in their works in spite of this tension. In this regard, for ancient people it was fairly normal for a deity to play a role in human affairs. The familiarity to attributing dream-visions to divine origin should certainly be considered.

156 _{A dream-vision can signify divine providence in Graeco-Roman historiography (Squires 1993:104-12); cf.}

Acts 10:1-8, 9-23.

157 _{The event of Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus is read in relation to Paul's theological}

formation or the influence of this experience on his theology. For the debate on this topic, see Seyoon Kim (1984; 2001).

158 _{Sleeman (2009:199), in opposition to some commentators (Conzelmann1987:71; Johnson 1992:162-3;}

Townsend 1998:96; and Gaventa 2003:148), claims failure in connecting Jesus in “heaven” appearing to Saul with Jesus in Acts 1:9-11. He insists that Jesus’ appearance in a vision to Saul has a Christophanic emphasis, rather than being divine providence (Sleeman 2009:199). But I suggest that both aspects should be considered together, because Jesus standing at the right hand of God is providentially involved in history.

159 _{This dream-vision can be categorized as “visual dream-vision” in which “the one receiving the dream-vision}

only sees and does not hear any type of speech” (Hanson 1980:1412-3). Luke does not provide clear evidence that any type of voice is heard when Saul is praying.

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appears to Ananias in an auditory dream-vision which includes a command to Ananias to visit the house where Saul is staying, including are as to obey Jesus’ visionary message (Acts 9:15 NRSV); “for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel”.

In obedience to the dream-vision, Ananias goes to the house in which Saul was staying, and lays his hands on Saul, in fulfillment of the dream-vision (Acts 9:12), and Saul can see again (Acts 9:18). In the rest of the Acts narrative Saul (Paul) is portrayed as a passionate missionary almost exclusively active among the gentiles.

In the narrative of Saul’s conversion, Jesus appears in three dream-visions. In this context, the three dream-visions serve as a direct command from Jesus, which Saul and Ananias obey. Jesus’ involvement through the dream-visions thus serve multiple purposes: it causes Saul’s conversion from Judaism to Christianity; it describes Saul’s obedience to Jesus’ command and another dream-vision of Ananias visiting; it demonstrates Ananias’ piety through his obedience to the Lord Jesus; and it also provides divine sanction for the calling of Saul to carry Jesus’ name to the gentiles.

This narrative represents the activity of a divine character described in historical writing. The divine character, Jesus, is involved in human affairs from heaven, but communicates with earthly humankind in a divine testimony like a dream-vision in this narrative. Jesus’ direct calling of Saul demonstrates that he is acting providentially. And then the story providentially leads and is fulfilled by a divine (Jesus) command. Jesus is now involved in his disciples’ space for the execution of the providential divine plan. It is almost exclusively dominated by the story of Paul’s missionary journey to the end of the earth, as Jesus commanded and promised (Acts 1:8).