Was Paul married or not ??

[stillfocused]

I had many different takes on whether or not Paul was married or not. Some have said that because he was a Pharisee - he had a wife. Some have used the a statement found in I Cor. 7 to say that he was wasn't. I just believe that this would be a good bible study topic.

[chosen]

hmmmmmmm very good question??? I always thought he wasn't but the Bible really don't say Yay or Nay I found this article very interesting.

Answer: The Bible never says whether Paul was married or not. Some think that he was at one time based on what he said in 1 Corinthians 9:5, "Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas?" If Paul was married at one time, his wife likely passed away considering he never mentions her in any of his writings. Paul declared that he had the gift of celibacy in 1 Corinthians 7:1-7.

Some believe that the Apostle Paul was married because history tells us that a member of the Sanhedrin was required to be married. However, Paul never stated that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. He definitely seemed to be on the path, "I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers" (Galatians 1:14). However, Paul might not have advanced that far before He converted to Christ. So, was the Apostle Paul married? It is possible that he was at one time, but again, the Bible does not specifically say.

[giantsdodie]

stillfocused said:

I had many different takes on whether or not Paul was married or not. Some have said that because he was a Pharisee - he had a wife. Some have used the a statement found in I Cor. 7 to say that he was wasn't. I just believe that this would be a good bible study topic.

The assumption is that Paul was either married at one time and his wife passed or that he was never married. The scripture tells us that Paul was a Pharisee. Acts 23:6, Acts 26:5, Phillipians 3:5.

History tells us that it was expected that Jewish men were married by their mid twenties and of course there were many arranged marriages. History also shows that there is some evidence that one had to me married to be a Pharisee and also a part of the Sanhedrin ( the Jewish Council )

The Bible itself never declares Paul marital status. However it is reasonable to assume that at the time of his conversion and subsequent call to ministry Paul is not married. His missionary journeys required that Paul would spend years away from family and his latter days of imprisonment would also be very very stressful on a wife. There is no mention of a wife by scripture at all.

It is commonly thought that Paul was once married and possibly a widower.

[stillfocused]

thanks..Giants !!