Did God change Saul's name to Paul?

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Most message followers consider William Branham to be an infallible interpreter of scripture. It is the widely held view of message followers that, if we want to know what a passage of the Bible actually means, William Branham is the best source on all counts.

When encountering a passage in scripture that seems to be at odds with William Branham's interpretation, message preachers generally encourage message followers to simply put it "on the shelf" until God reveals to them why William Branham has the correct view.

But there are a number of biblical issues that William Branham seems to have messed up badly:

• Did God change Saul's name to Paul?
• Elijah and Elisha did pray
• Marriage and Divorce
• Was King Saul the people’s choice by democratic vote?
• Can you lose your salvation?
• How hard do lilies work?
• Did John weep for joy or because no one was worthy?
• Were Women were designed by Satan?
• Were Enoch and Noah alive at the same time?
• Is Jesus really Michael the Archangel?

You are currently on the article that is in bold. William Branham said that God changed Saul's name to Paul. Is this Biblically correct?

What does the Bible say?

As is well known, God prominently changed the names of two Old Testament patriarchs: Abram to Abraham (Gen. 17:5) and Jacob to Israel (Gen. 32:28). William branham thought that something similar happened to Paul when he encountered Jesus on the Damascus Road (Acts 9).

There is no scriptural evidence, however, to support a name change for Saul/Paul. Here are six pieces of biblical evidence that prove the popular notion wrong:

Jesus addresses him as “Saul, Saul” in Acts 9:4

In Acts 9:4, we read:

And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Nothing in the narrative suggests Jesus subsequently changed Saul’s name. In Galatians 1:15–17, Paul speaks of being set apart before birth to preach to the Gentiles, but there is no mention of any name change.

Ananias addresses him as “Saul” after his conversion

Acts 9:17 states:

So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

There is no mention of a name change, and he is still calling him “Saul” after Christ appears to him.

The Holy Spirit calls him “Saul” before his first missionary trip

Acts 13:2 says,

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

It would be odd for the Holy Spirit to keep calling this man by his “persecutor” name if Jesus had changed it to his “apostle” name four chapters earlier.

After the conversion experience, he is called “Saul” 14 more times

Please refer to:

1. Acts 9:8
2. Acts 9:11
3. Acts 9:17
4. Acts 9:19
5. Acts 9:22
6. Acts 9:24
7. Acts 9:26
8. Acts 11:25
9. Acts 11:30
10. Acts 12:25
11. Acts 13:1
12. Acts 13:2
13. Acts 13:7
14. Acts 13:9

Again, this would be odd if Jesus had changed his name to Paul.

The decisive shift from “Saul” to “Paul” in Acts happens only once Paul sets off on his missionary journeys away from Jerusalem.

This subtle shift occurs in Acts 13:13: “Now Paul and his companions set sail.” The person who “changes” his name is not Jesus, but Luke.

Saul and Paul were two names for the same person all along

Acts 13:9 is the clincher: “But Saul, who was also called Paul, [was] filled with the Holy Spirit.” Here the converted person is being called both Saul and Paul—not “Saul the tyrant who was renamed Paul the Christian.” Saul and Paul are dual names of one man, both before and after his conversion.

Paul Is Saul

As it turns out, “Saul”—derived from the famous first king of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, to which Saul/Paul himself belonged (Phil. 3:5)—is simply the Hebrew name for this person. “Paul”—a normal koine name—is his Greek name, derived from the Latin surname Paulus.

For someone born in Tarsus (Acts 21:39) but educated under Gamaliel in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3) in a strict form of Pharisaism (Gal. 1:14; Phil. 3:5–6), this is not unusual. Much as many immigrants to English-speaking worlds take an Anglicized name on top of their ethnic name, many Greek-speaking Jews in Paul’s day would have a Jewish/Hebrew name and a Hellenistic/Greek name.

Here’s the smoking gun: When Paul recalls his conversion, he specifically notes that Jesus was “saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” (Acts 26:14). Paul draws attention to how Jesus addressed him in his Hebrew name, and makes no mention that it is now abandoned.

When Saul/Paul launches his Gentile-focused ministry among primarily Greek-speakers (beginning with Acts 13:9), it’s natural for Luke, the author of Acts, to begin referring exclusively to him by his Greek name. Nor is it surprising that he’s later referred to as “Paul” in Jerusalem, since there were Greek speakers there too. Indeed, Luke could be making a thematic point by shifting from Saul to Paul around chapter 13, given the broader theme of Acts (e.g., 1:8). After all, the church’s nucleus is shifting from predominantly Jewish-centered Jerusalem to the Greek-centered “ends of the earth,” such as Rome.

The apostle’s two names is not unique. Several other figures in the New Testament have two given names: Joseph, later called Barnabas (Acts 4:36); Simeon, also called Niger (Acts 13:1); and Thomas, also called Didymus (John 21:2); among others.

Why It Matters

Theological ideas not rooted in God’s Word—even if attractive and useful—are ultimately unwarranted. I can imagine how easy it is to draw powerful applications from the notion that Saul the persecutor met the risen Jesus and was so transformed that Jesus gave him a new name. That will preach, especially given how closely connected naming and identity are in Scripture. Nevertheless, without biblical evidence for such an idea, we should not use it. Even if it spoils the fun.

This principle applies well beyond this situation, of course. Another common error is the conflation of the magi with the shepherds at the manger. The magi were not there at the same time; they found Jesus months later. We can derive the right doctrine from the wrong text, and we can derive the wrong doctrine from the right text.

As God’s people we should endeavor to read God’s Word closely and be as faithful to it as possible, in every area. Application that appears to draw on Scripture but isn’t actually scriptural—even if it’s “useful” or “cool”—can easily undermine someone’s faith once they realize they’ve been misled all along.

Quotes of William Branham

If there isn't something in a name, then why as long as Jacob was called Jacob, which means "supplanter, deceiver," that's what he was? But when he wrestled with the Lord all night, and the Lord changed his name, and about… when he was about sixty years old. He changed his name from—from—from Jacob to Israel, "a prince before God," and that's what he was. Why was Abram called… had to be called "Abraham" before the baby could be born? Why was Sarai called "Sarah" before the baby could be born?

Why was Paul… or call… his name was Saul, but when he met Jesus, He changed him from Saul to "Paul."

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