Divine Ritualizing and the Transformation of Paul in Acts 9

Abstract

The narrator's account of Saul's experience on the road to Damascus in Acts 9:1-20 is particularly rich in detail characteristic of rites of passage recorded elsewhere in Luke-Acts and in Greco-Roman narrative. This study will examine
the account from the standpoint of ritual studies to consider the validity of such an approach and what it can tell us about the narrator's presentation of this event and its significance in the work of Luke-Acts as a whole.

Key Words: Paul, rite of passage, Acts, Luke, Josephus, Apuleius