Paul, citizen and prince

Paul has been seen either as someone from the lower classes because of his status as an artisan, or as someone who because of his citizenship, was a member of the upper classes. In order to determine which is more likely this study focuses on his status and how he attained this status. Using Paul's letters in the New Testament and the Acts of the Apostles as a starting point and then supporting our findings through other ancient writers, Paul's social status is analyzed through several different factors: his citizenship, his education and the city where he was obtained his schooling, what types of people he comes in contact with through his missionary journeys, and by using Robert Eisenman's suggestion that Paul was a member of the long time ruling family in Palestine, the Herodians, his connections with this family are explored to find out what kind of ties he may have had with them. The main findings of this investigation show that Paul was able to achieve the success that he does for three central reasons. First, it can be surmised that he came from a wealthy family because of the Roman citizenship he was born into and the exceptional education he received. Second, it can be determined that Paul had close connections with people who were both affluent and influential members of both Jewish and Roman societies. Lastly, he was connected to the Herodian family not merely as an acquaintance or even as a close family friend, but instead, perhaps as a member of that royal family by blood. The conclusion is that through these three aspects of his status it can be established that Paul's recognition and success were not inadvertent.