What's in a Name?

During our small group meeting this past Sunday night we talked about the Apostle Paul...or was he Saul of Tarsus? We discussed his story, about how he went from a blood thirsty killer of Christians to the greatest missionary. How after "a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground..." (Acts 9:3-5 BTW: there is no mention of a horse) Then someone asked, "When in scripture did God change his name?" The challenge was set, we all decided over the coming week to search the Bible for the answer.

Well, it didn't take Rachel but 2 days to dig it up. See her links below. Way to go, Rachel!

http://journals.aol.com/shirlmcarp/food-for-thought/entries/2007/08/16/a-new-name/1491
http://www.gotquestions.org/name-change.html
http://members.tripod.com/~robertwells/saul.html

After reading through those links I read the book of Acts. Indeed he was referred to as Saul after meeting the Lord, in Damascus & in Jerusalem. (Acts 9:7 - 31). Then Acts 13:9 says, "Then Saul, who was also called Paul..." From then on he is referred to as Paul by Luke (the writer of Acts).

So here's the scoop in a nut shell...
God didn't change his name. His Jewish name was Saul. Being born in a Roman city & claiming Roman citizenship, Paul (Paulos) was his official Roman name. Prior to Acts 13:9 he's referred to as Saul, after Acts 13:9 he referred to as Paul.

There you have it, that's what's in a name.