Paul

The term that is transliterated as “Paul” in English means “little.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies the many letters he wrote. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Paul” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting putting away a sword, referring to his conversion from a persecutor of Christians to a Christian leader. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Paul (and Saul)” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that is based on contemporary depictions and refers to the presumed baldness of the top of his head. The description originates from the 2nd-century apocryphal text titled Acts of Paul and Thecla , which represents the earliest and most detailed physical characterization of the apostle in Christian tradition (see also the icon below). (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Paul” in Hungarian Sign Language — note that only the first part refers to “Paul,” the second part refers to “apostle” (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Following is a Georgian Orthodox icon of Paul the Apostle from the 14th century (located in the Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi).

Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

The following is a contemporary stained glass window from the Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota by Peter Dohmen. Individual glass pieces were made in Germany in accordance with Dohmen’s design, using a technique first developed by Irish monks in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Source for the image and description below: The Stained Glass Windows of Messiah Episcopal Church

“This window is dedicated to St. Paul, the great apostle and missionary, for whom our city is named. At the top of the window is a ship which symbolizes the many missionary journeys of Paul — the Church is our ship, which carries us over the way of life. In the lower section we see Paul on the road to Damascus when he saw a great light and heard our Lord’s voice, which called him to discipleship.”

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Paul (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Paul .

complete verse (Acts 17:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 17:4:

  • Uma: “There were some Yahudi people who believed those words and they followed Paulus and Silas. There were also many Yunani people who submitted to the Lord God and also many women with big names, they also believed in the word that Paulus brought.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Some of the Yahudi believed and joined Paul and Silas. And many Girik people who worshiped God also joined. And many prominent women also joined.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then some of the Jews believed, and they followed Paul and Silas. There were also many Greeks who believed who had worshipped God before, and also there were some high women of the village who believed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There were Jews who were persuaded by what he was saying, and they followed Pablo and Silas. Many Gentiles who joined-in-worshipping God and rich women also believed.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When they heard the teaching of Pablo and Silas, many believed what they were saying. There were indeed some Jews who believed, but those who were very numerous were those who although not Jews were indeed devout-worshippers of God. Even the women of high/important blood, many of them also believed in Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 17:4

Convinced may be rendered as “believed that what Paul had said was true” or “believed Paul’s words.” The term joined must not be understood in the technical sense of joining an association but in the more informal meaning of “counted themselves one with Paul and Silas,” “took the part of Paul and Silas,” or “identified themselves as being companions of Paul and Silas.”

The Greeks who worshiped God were persons who had not been fully converted to Judaism, but who believed in and who worshiped the God of Judaism. The phrase translated as leading women (so most translations) may be translated as “important women in the town.” However, it may be understood to mean “the wives of the leading men” (Barclay).

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 17:4

17:4a

Some of the Jews: This phrase in Greek is literally “some of them.” Since Paul and Silas were in a synagogue, the pronoun “them” refers to Jews. The Berean Standard Bible probably translates the pronoun “them” as Jews to clearly indicate that this group were Jews, and not the Greeks and Greek women of 17:4b.

were persuaded: This refers to the Jews deciding that what Paul said was true. For example:

believed what Paul had said (Contemporary English Version)

joined Paul and Silas: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as joined is literally “were assigned to.” God assigned these Jews to be in the same group as Paul and Silas. They were now in God’s family as believers in Jesus, like Paul and Silas. Other ways to translate this word are:

were assigned to be with Paul and Silas
-or-

⌊God⌋ brought them into the group of Paul and Silas
-or-
became a part of Paul and Silas’s group

17:4b–c

along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women: The words along with indicate that these groups also were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas. Other ways to translate this are:

along with many of the Greeks who worshiped God and many of the important women (New Century Version)
-or-
A large number of God-fearing Greeks and many prominent women were also persuaded and joined Paul and Silas.

17:4b

God-fearing Greeks:
The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as God-fearing means “worshiping.” Here these Greek men worshiped the God of the Jews. But they had not converted completely to Judaism by being circumcised. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

Greeks who worshiped God (Good News Translation)
-or-
Greek men who worshiped ⌊the true⌋ God

Greeks: The basic meaning of this word is “people who are from Greece.” But in the New Testament the word usually refers to anyone who is not a Jew. So it includes Romans and other non-Jewish peoples. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer only to people from Greece. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Use a more general word. For example:

Gentiles (Contemporary English Version)

• Explain its meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

This word in the New Testament usually refers to anyone who is not a Jew. Most of the people here were probably Greeks, but there may have been some Romans and people from other nations.

quite a few: The phrase quite a few is a figure of speech that emphasizes the meaning of “many.”

leading women: These women had high status in Thessalonica. They were probably Greek women rather Jewish women. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

prominent women (New International Version)
-or-
important women (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
influential ⌊Greek⌋ women

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