I Appeal To Caesar!

The Tarus Mountains behind Tarsus

Since Greek was the lingua franca, the universal language of the Mediterranean World, young Saul soon became fluent in speaking, reading and writing the Greek language. This ability later enables him to present the claims of Jesus Christ to both the primitive and educated Greek- speaking population of the Roman Empire. The Jewish community in Tarsus used the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures in their synagogue. That version, called the Septuagint (LXX) became well known and fully accepted among the Jews dispersed throughout the Roman Empire. This will be the version most used by Saul in addressing both Jewish and non-Jewish audiences. Saul’s exposure to big-city life, plus education in Sabbath school, life in a strict Jewish home, and early training in a trade skill molded him into a unique individual. A door of awareness and opportunity in the Roman Empire had