SAINT PAUL
JUNE 30
from The Golden Legend¹


Paul is translated trumpet's mouth, or a mouth of men, or the one wondrously chosen, or the wonder of choice; or Paul comes from pausa, rest; or it means small. These interpretations denote six especial gifts which Saint Paul possessed above all the other apostles. First, his fruitful preaching, when he spread the Gospel from Illyria to Jerusalem, and that is why he is called the trumpet's mouth. Second, his great charity, for he said: 'Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am not on fire?' And that is why he is called a mouth of men, that is, of men's hearts. He himself has said: 'Our mouth is open to you, 0 ye Corinthians, our heart is enlarged.' Third, his miraculous conversation, and that is why he is called wondrously chosen. Fourth, his active hands are the reason why he is called the wonder of choice, for it was a great wonder that he chose to earn his bread with his hands and nonetheless to preach without ceasing. Fifth, his contemplation, for he was rapt to the third heaven; that is why he is called the rest of the Lord, for in contemplation there is rest. Sixth, his great humility, and that is why he is called small.

There are three opinions as to the name of Paul. Origen believes that he always had two names and was called Saul and Paul. Rabanus says that he was first called Saulus after the proud King Saul, but that after his conversion he was called Paul, meaning the small one, because of his great humility. Of this he himself said: 'For I am the least of the apostles.' Bede, however, is of opinion that he took the name of Paul from the proconsul Sergius Paulus whom he converted. The passion of Saint Paul was written by Pope Linus.

Following his conversion, Paul the Apostle was made to undergo many persecutions, which Saint Hilary states briefly in these words: 'At Philippi he was beaten with rods, imprisoned, and tied by the feet to a wooden bar; at Lystra he was stoned; at Icona and Thessalonica, falsely accused; at Ephesus, thrown to the beasts; at Damascus, cast from the top of a tower; at Jerusalem, arrested, beaten, bound, assaulted; at Caesarea, put in gaol; during his voyage to Italy, exposed to storms; and finally, at Rome, under Nero, judged and put to death, and so his life ended.'

We should add that at Lystra he cured a paralytic, restored to life a young man who had fallen from a window, and wrought many an other miracle. At Mitylene a viper bit him in the hand without doing him any harm; and it is said that all the descendants of the man who was his host are immune from the poison of serpents, so that when a child is born of this race, serpents are placed in its crib, to prove whether it be indeed the son of its father. And Haymon tells that Paul labored with his hands from cockcrow to the fifth hour, then engaged in preaching well into the night, and deemed that the few hours remaining to him were quite sufficient for his eating, his rest, and his prayers. When he came to Rome, Nero, who was not yet confirmed in the imperial office, learned that the Jews sought to dispute with Paul, and to set their faith against the Christian faith; but he gave no heed to this, and left Paul free to go about as he wished. Saint Jerome states that in the twenty-fifth year after the. Passion of Our Lord, and the second year of Nero's reign, Paul came a prisoner to Rome, but remained at liberty for two years, and then was released by the emperor and went to preach in the West, finally being beheaded the same day that Peter was crucified, in the fourteenth year of the reign of Nero.

His learning and his piety were so inspiring that he even had as disciples and friends several members of Nero's household, and some of his writings were read in Nero's presence. One evening when he was preaching, a youth named Patroclus, who was much beloved of Nero, climbed upon a windowsill to hear him the better; and he fell from the window and was killed. When knowledge of this came to Nero, he was aggrieved at the young man's death, and chose another to take his place. But Paul had the body of Patroclus brought to him, raised him to life, and sent him back to Nero with his comrades. And Nero, affrighted at the appearance of the man whom he knew to be dead, refused at first to receive him. Then, when he had admitted him, he said: "Patroclus, art thou alive? 'Yes, Caesar!' 'Who then restored thee to life?' 'Jesus Christ, the King of ages!' Then, in a rage, Nero cried - 'And so it is this king that thou servest!' And he answered: 'May I indeed serve Him who brought me back from the dead!' At that very moment five others among the emperor's familiars, being present, said: 'Why art thou angered, Caesar, at a youth who tells thee the truth? Know that we too are soldiers of this invincible King!' Hearing this, Nero had them all imprisoned, despite his affection for them. Then he caused all Christians to be sought out, and condemned them without hearing to the most dreadful tortures. And when Paul came before him in chains, he said to him: 'Thou who art the servant of a great king, and yet my prisoner, why turnest thou my officers from their duty?' And Paul replied: 'Not only in thy court do I gather my soldiers, but in the whole world. And if thou thyself art willing to submit to our law, thou shalt be saved! This King is so mighty that He will come to judge all men, and will destroy the world by fire!' Nero was so wroth at these words that he had all the Christians save Paul burned alive: and he condemned the apostle to be beheaded for the crime of treason. And so great was the slaughter of the Christians that the people of Rome broke into the palace and threatened revolt, saying: 'Caesar, put an end to the massacre, for the men whom thou sendest to death are our kinsmen, and the staunchest supports of the empire!' At this the emperor took fright, revoked his edict, and proclaimed that he alone would be the judge of the Christians.

Thus Paul was brought before Nero a second time. And Nero, was again stirred to wrath at the sight of him, and cried: 'Take this criminal away and behead him!' And Paul said: 'Nero, my suffering will endure but an instant, and then I shall live for all eternity with my Master, Jesus!' 'Cut off his head,' cried Nero, 'and let him know that I am stronger than his Master! And then we shall see if he lives thereafter!' And Paul responded: 'That you may know that I am still alive after the death of my body, I shall appear living before thee after they have cut off my head!' Then he allowed himself to be led to the place of execution.

On the way, the three soldiers who led him asked: 'Who is this King whom thou so lovest, and what reward awaitest thou of Him?' Paul discoursed so well to them about the Kingdom of Heaven that he converted them. They besought him to flee. And he replied: 'No, my brothers, I am not one to flee, but a soldier of Christ. When I am dead, the faithful will come and bear away my body, to carry it to a certain place. And come ye thither tomorrow morning. There you will find two men in prayer, named Titus and Luke. Tell them wherefore I have sent you to them. They will baptize you, and you will be admitted to the Kingdom of Heaven!' Then two other soldiers came up, having been sent by Nero to see whether his sentence had been carried out. And when he sought to convert them likewise, they said: 'If thou returnest to life after thy death, we shall believe in thy words; but now make haste, and receive the punishment that is due thee!' A little farther on, at the Ostia gate, he met a Christian woman of the name of Plautilia, who was also called Lemobia, and this woman entreated him with copious tears to pray for her. And Paul said to her: 'Plautilla my dear daughter, lend me the veil with which thy head is covered. I shall cover my eyes therewith, and then thou shalt take it back.' And the executioners mocked her, and said, 'How canst thou give this precious object to such an impostor?'

When he arrived at the place of execution, Paul turned to the East, raised his eyes to Heaven, and prayed for a long time. Then, having said his farewells to his brethren, he tied Plautilla's veil about his eyes, knelt, offered his neck to the knife, and was beheaded. And when his head was already severed from his body, his mouth pronounced in Hebrew the name of Jesus, which in life it had so often repeated, with so much sweetness. From the wound came forth first a spurt of milk, which fell upon a soldier's mantle. Then the blood flowed, and a most sweet perfume emanated from his body. And when all these miracles were made known to Nero, he was sore affrighted, and locked himself in his apartment with his inmates. And of a sudden, all the doors being closed, Paul entered and said to him: 'Caesar, behold me, the soldier of the eternal and invincible King! And thou, wretched man, shalt die the everlasting death, for having unjustly put to death the servants of this King!' With these words he disappeared. Beside himself with terror, Nero no longer knew what he was doing: and upon the counsel of his friends he freed Patroclus, Barnabas, and the other Christians.

Meanwhile the soldiers who had led Paul to execution came on the morrow to the tomb of the martyr. There they found Titus and Luke in prayer, and Paul standing between them. At the sight of the soldiers Titus and Luke took flight, and Paul disappeared. But the soldiers called after the two disciples: 'We come not to persecuted you, but to be baptized by you, as Paul, who but a moment ago stood by you, has commanded us!' At these words the disciples retraced their steps, and baptized the soldiers with great joy.

Paul's head was thrown into a ditch with a great many others, so that it was impossible to find it. But one day, as the ditch was being emptied, a shepherd picked up a skull on the end of his staff, and put it in his stable. And for three nights the shepherd and his master saw an unearthly light shining above the skull. Hearing of this, the bishop and the faithful knew that this must be Saint Paul's skull. It was therefore borne away with great solemnity, and they were about to Place it above the body, when the patriarch said: 'So many holy martyrs have had their heads thrown pellmell into that ditch, that we cannot be sure that this is indeed the head of Saint Paul. Let us therefore put it at his feet; and if it be truly his, let the trunk turn about, so that it will be upon the shoulders!' So it was done, and to the astonishment of all, the body turned in the coffin, And all, praising God,, acknowledged that it was surely Paul's head. This at least is what we read in the letter of Saint Dionysius to Timothy.

Gregory of Tours declares that Saint Paul's chains work many miracles. When the faithful desire a few filings from these chains, a priest rubs them with a file; and sometimes the filings drop at once, while at other times, long and hard as the priest may file, not a grain falls from the chains.

We read in the same Gregory of Tours that a certain man, yielding to despair, was preparing a noose wherewith to hang himself, and yet repeated over and over: 'Saint Paul, help me!' Then there appeared to him an ill-boding shade, that said to him: 'Ha, my friend! Be quick to finish what thou art about!' But he, continuing to make ready the noose, still repeated: 'Saint Paul, help me!' And when he had completed the.noose, another shade appeared, and addressed the one that had exhorted the man to kill himself, saying: 'Begone, wretch, for behold, Saint Paul is come!' At once the ominous shade vanished, and the man, coming back to his senses, threw away his noose and did penance.


1. From: The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine, trans. and adapted by Ryan, Granger and Helmut Ripperger. (Arno Press: Longmans, Green & Co) 1941. pp. 341-346.