Acts 22:1-11 The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus, Apostle of the Lord

 

The Conversion of Saint Paul. 1600. Oil on canvas, left side. Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi)

The Conversion of Saint Paul on the Road to Damascus. 1601. Oil on canvas, right side. Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi)

"Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence [which I make] now unto you.

(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) I am verily a man [which am] a Jew, born in Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, [and] taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told of thee all of the things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus." (Acts 22:-11, KJVB)

To see Caravaggio's artwork on display, click here. To see additional works by Caravaggio, click here. I have always loved the scriptural account of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Saint Paul; the name Saul means "prayed for," but Paul may be translated as "humble" or "small". The name change is ushered in at Acts 13:9, although it is most probable that it had been initiated by himself (Paul was wont to say he was "least of the Apostles," in which case smallness would apply), and not per the directive of God, as in the case of Jacob's name being changed to Israel after having wrestled an angel. If Paul is responsible for the conversion of his name, it may be that it is intended to signify the pious humility which the Lord so greatly prizes, because it affords all glory to God (and rightly so). Indeed, pride is a deadly sin---arguably the original sin, in that Satan's excessive pride results in his great fall, which, of course, precipitates the sin in the Garden of Eden. (Can you imagine the amount of chutzpah it takes for one to think he has what it takes to dethrone God and assume His place?!) Caravaggio had been commissioned to depict the transformational incident, and his first version of the account was rejected; the second rendition is much better known, and I do believe it is an example of when a "do over" really is warranted. In the first, disapproved version (1600), the event is somewhat tumultuous; Saul has been thrown from his horse, with hands over his eyes; the horse and its attendant appear to be looking in the direction of Christ, whom is held aloft by a supporting angelic being. Saul, being shirtless and without a tunic, is barely dressed, although there is a bright red cloak of some kind beneath him--a compositional tactic which draws the eye of the viewer downwards to the central figure of the narrative and the canvas. The painting makes considerable use of chiaroscuro, and the colors are rich, bold, and sumptuous, with a substantial amount of black in the background area. (For a more detailed examination and examples of chiaroscuro, click here.) In the second. approved version (1601), the scene is much more serene than that presented in the initial rendition; Saul's eyes are closed, and he is splayed on his back with his legs apart, hands outstretched and upwards. The horse assumes a prodigious amount of the canvas, rendered as a mild-mannered, powerful creature led by Saul's attendant; both the horse and servant seem indifferent to Saul's altered condition. Saul is fully clothed in this version, with his weapon lying to the side. He is a clean-shaven young man in this variation, and an elder, bearded man in the other. The painting employs much softer hues for the colors, there is less of a contrast between light and dark areas, and the background utilizes more of a brown than black undertone than does the original work. I much prefer the "improved" version, because it seems to me to more a winning combination of mood, message, and method to convey this very special event. In the first rendition, Saul covers his eyes, which seems an unnecessary act if one already has been blinded; in the preferred version, Saul reaches out as if grasping in the dark to regain his bearings by searching for his surroundings (context) in light of the unanticipated event. In the first version, Saul has fallen to his knees and is a bit off kilter, but in the second one, he is lying prostrate, flat on his back, legs apart--the most vulnerable position for a man, because his genitals are exposed to danger. Moreover, the huge equine is standing above him with a raised leg, although one never gets the sense that Saul is in any danger herein, as there is great nobility, poise, strength, reserve, and tranquility signified in the horse's massive size and gentle demeanor. In the first version, Saul seems stricken with horror, but in the second one, there is almost a peacefulness to the calm, probing outreach of the man suddenly and unexpectedly struck off his horse. In the initial version, Saul is not readily identifiable as a dignitary by means of his apparel, but the second version has him outfitted in a fashion more becoming of an official of the religious authorities and how a man of serious business would be, if encountered on the road, weapon at hand for the bloody deeds he had been bound and determined to commit. In the first rendition, the attendant and the horse appear to be fully cognizant of the presence of the heavenly beings (wherein the text avers that none could see God), but Christ is signified in the second version only by a soothing light which is diffused throughout the painting (hence the shift from strong black background to softer brown tones), rather apropos, considering Jesus had identified himself as being "the Light"---and the absence of the body (which Saul would not have been able to see whilst blinded, anyway) lends itself to a more spiritual representation of the act. In fact, the scriptural account attests that he had been blinded by the intensity of the light which fell upon him, thus the prodigious amount of black in the first version seems less accurate or faithful a rendition of the religious text. As for his age and his facial hair, the second variation is probably more accurate, as the conversion transpires when Saul is younger (and he preaches until he is older), and, whereas Jewish men did wear beards, as Saul had been a Roman citizen, it is possible that he had been clean-shaven to blend in better in the secular realms in which he had traveled in order to carry out his ecclesiastical duties on behalf of the Pharisees, as the Roman soldiers, when he his taken into captivity, are stunned and frightened to learn that they have disabused a fellow Roman citizen (although there is no way of knowing for certain, as there are no known authenticated portraits of him). In short, the second version is my favorite of the two, because it seems better able to illustrate that the conversion was not the result of a violent overthrow (accomplished not by the sword, but by the Word, which is mightier), and that it had been a loving, internal one, in which the Light is shown to be all-encompassing, and able to warm the heart (which is where true conversion begins). It shows, methinks, that the answers sought out will be provided and that the Lord will reveal himself to those whom will seek him and ask of him what they need. It shows that the Lord is no respecter of persons, i.e., that no matter how important you might think you are in this world, God can still knock you on your ass to get your attention and remind you that HE is in charge, and that it is HIS work which you should be doing, and not merely your interpretation of it. And it symbolizes, via the magnificent example of his wondrous creation, the horse, all of the aforenoted traits which we expect our Lord and Savior to possess--amen, amen, amen!