Paul is traditionally considered to have authored 14 of the 27 books of the New Testament in the Bible. His authorship of seven of the 14 books is universally accepted, but debate remains about the rest.
Paul was born Saul of Tarsus, ethnically a Jew but a citizen of a free Roman city. This allowed Paul a greater freedom to travel than some of his Jewish contemporaries. As Saul, he persecuted the new Christian sect of Judaism, even with physical violence. The Bible says he became Paul when God revealed himself to Saul on the road to Damascus from Jerusalem. From that point, Paul became a Christian himself and began his ministry.
