Paul, an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, holding a Hebrew name, Saul, and a Roman name, Paul, chose to use his Roman name in view of his commission to declare the Gospel to the non-Jews.
Paul was born in Tarsus, a prominent city of Cilicia. His parents were Hebrews and he was a Roman citizen from birth. He learned the trade of of tentmaker from his father, and at Jerusalem, he received instruction from the learned Pharisee Gamaliel. Language-wise, Paul was versed in Greek and Hebrew.
At the time Paul travelled as a missionary he was unmarried. He had a sister and a nephew who resided in Jerusalem.
The Biblical record introduces Saul (his hebrew name) as the young man at whose feet the false witnesses who stoned Christ's disciple Stephen laid their "outer garments." Because of misdirected zeal for tradition, he began a campaign of vicious persecution against Christ's followers. He extended his persecution to cities other than Jerusalem as far as North of Damascus, and in Syria.
As Paul neared Damascus, Christ Jesus revealed himself to him in a flashing light and commissioned him to be an attendant and a witness of the things he had seen and would yet see.
Paul wrote :"Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago -whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows -such a man was caught up to the Third Heaven. And I know How such a man -whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows -was caught up to Paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell." 2Cor. 12:2-4
Who were the "super apostles" that Paul referred to? This is the title that the false apostles used to call themselves, because the title tends to misguide the Truth. This term is found in 2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11.
Paul made reference to them as "a lot (apostles) that defied the authority of the apostleship on what was then the theocratic authority. They even ridiculed on criticized Paul in respects to his speech. 2 Cor 10.
That is why he sarcastically referred to them as "super apostles."
Paul had divine backing as an apostle and that is the main reason that through divine inspiration Paul was able to indicate to the congregation in Corinth that these "super apostles" were not speaking Truth.
Just as Eve was seduced by the cunning serpent so the congregation was in danger of being corrupted in their minds.
Paul had not proved himself being inferior in his apostleship in comparison to them. he had endured so much: imprisonment, beatings, shipwreck 3 times, so many dangers, going often without sleep or food.
Yet through it all he never lost sight of the needs of the congregations and always felt compassion when someone stumbled.
The true measure of a man of God does not lie in his claims of visions and experiences with God, or the force of his personality, or the size of his ministry, or his educational degrees, or any other human criteria.
A true man of God is marked by how much he had suffered in the war against the kingdom of darkness, how concerned he is for people, how humble he is, and how accurately he handles the supernatural revelation found in God's work. (2 Timothy 2:15).
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