Paul+the+Apostle

Paul the Apostle– Chris Janidlo Wabler 4 April 11, 2012 Word Count– 486 Christianity is today one of the world's most powerful religions. World superpowers, such as the United States of America or much of Europe, follow the teachings of Christ over any other religion. I, Paul (originally Saul of Tarsus, and have lived from 5-67) contributed greatly to the book of our Lord, the primary vehicle for delivering his teachings. Despite being the son of God, Jesus could not possibly have been everywhere in person, and thus needed assistance. Therefore, I believe I have had the greatest impact on humanity. First, I will discuss the topic of greatness. The greatness of any leader throughout history can be measured by his or her legacy, and the effect of that on modern humanity. If a leader was simply average, he or she would likely be forgotten by all but dedicated scholars, and thus would have little effect on the world today. However, anyone with the most basic of educations know about people like myself, or Caesar, or King Henry VIII. This is because we were remembered by historians, because we were great. However, unlike many (Henry VIII comes to mind) I had a positive influence on the world, by spreading the practice of Christianity. I have many strengths, and like any human a few weaknesses. One of my biggest achievements is the spreading of the Christian word from 35 to 48 AD. Thanks to my influence on early Christianity, I was able to define what it would look like for thousands of years. I have also written fourteen of the epistles in the New Testament, which forms a large portion of the work as a whole. Since Christianity is the prominent religion of many of the world's most important countries, my influence on the thinking of these countries and therefore how they shape the world is significant. I also have some weaknesses– among them, my years before serving the Lord. Up until 31-36, I had served as a persecuted of our Lord Jesus' early followers. I did, however, learn from and overcome my mistakes to become one of His prominent apostles. Another weakness of mine is misinterpretation. Many people have twisted my teachings, such as one woman who used a darkly misread version of my ideologies to try to spread dissidence within the local church. While this is certainly unfortunate, I cannot be held directly responsible for her (or anyone who uses my teachings for malicious purposes) twisting my writings, which when read correctly can be very holistic and spiritually rewarding. Christianity is currently the most popular religion in the world, and certainly practiced by the most powerful entities. Without the moral compass of Christianity, today's leaders would be unable to make the decisions they do. Furthermore, Christianity likely would not have existed without my help. Based on this and my above arguments, the obvious conclusion is that I am and was the greatest leader of all time.

Bibliography: Bulliet, Richard, et al. The World and Its Peoples. Cengage Advantage Books. Kindle for iPad edition. Fairchild, Mary. Accessed April 11, 2012. http://christianity.about.com/od/denominations/p/christiantoday.htm. Wills, Gary. What Paul Meant. New York: Penguin Group, 2006. "Paul the Apostle." Wikipedia. Accessed April 11, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle.