Christianity and Morals by Edward Westermarck

THERE was once a great persecution against the church at Jerusalem. A young man, whose name was Saul, then entered into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. After that he went to the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found there any disciples of the Lord, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus; and suddenly there shone round about him a light from heaven. He fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" He said: "Who art thou, Lord?" He heard the answer: "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." He said, astonished and trembling: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" The answer was: "Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." The men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no man. When Saul rose from the ground he was blind, and was led by them and brought into Damascus. There was in the city a certain disciple, named Ananias, who also had a vision in which Jesus commanded him to go and inquire for a man called Saul, of Tarsus. "He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." Ananias went to the house where Saul was staying, put his hands on him, and told him that Jesus had sent him, that Saul might receive his sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales. He arose and was baptised, and preached straightway in the synagogues that Christ was the Son of God.

There are in the Acts two other accounts of the vision and conversion of Paul, represented as speeches delivered by himself. In one of them, that addressed to King Agrippa, Ananias is not mentioned at all, but Jesus is alleged to have said to Paul: "I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." In his epistles Paul does not describe his vision, but insists that he has received the gospel by the revelation of Jesus Christ, "when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen." He also writes: "Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?" And after pointing out that Jesus was seen by all the apostles he adds: "And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time."