BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Paul, the Superhero

Exploring the apostle’s superhuman qualities in Acts

There are lots of miracles in the Book of Acts. To be fair, we find many “signs and wonders” in other parts of the New Testament, too, but while the Gospels report on the mission of Jesus of Nazareth, Acts reflects the situation after Jesus’s death and resurrection. Accordingly, the miracles packed into the Book of Acts are performed by Jesus’s followers as they spread the “good news” across the Mediterranean world. And there was no greater messenger than the apostle Paul.

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In the free eBook Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity, learn about the cultural contexts for the theology of Paul and how Jewish traditions and law extended into early Christianity through Paul’s dual roles as a Christian missionary and a Pharisee.

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The larger-than-life figure of Paul dominates the narratives of the earliest spread of Christianity, and so do his miraculous deeds. In the Winter 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Drew W. Billings looks into how Paul is depicted as a supernatural messenger of Christ in the Book of Acts. In his column “Paul, the Bible’s Last Action Hero,” Billings, an associate professor in religion at the University of Mississippi, recounts some of Paul’s more impressive miracles. But he goes beyond the descriptive, exploring how these depictions served to further the early Christian message.

Miracles and wondrous acts are exciting unto themselves, and people always enjoy reading or hearing about the supernatural. Since antiquity, however, miracles performed in a religious context have served to demonstrate the power (or even supremacy) of a deity and to authenticate religious figures. Beyond merely proving the existence or power of God, miracles recounted in the Bible also prove the legitimacy and the validity of those who deliver his message—whether it’s Moses addressing his fellow Hebrews or Paul founding Christian communities in Asia Minor. “These miraculous deeds garner loyalty to Christ who sits at the center of the expanding web that Paul is spinning to incorporate an ever-widening number of human beneficiaries,” writes Billings.

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Intriguingly, Billings also points to a glaring discrepancy between Paul’s self-representation in his own letters and the way he is depicted in the Book of Acts, which is commonly attributed to Luke. Whereas Acts paints the picture of an invincible superhuman, Paul in his own letters seems more interested in emphasizing the personal frailties of a dedicated servant of Christ.

To further explore the miracles of Paul and their intended effects on the nascent Christian church, read Drew W. Billings’s article “Paul, the Bible’s Last Action Hero,” published in the Winter 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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Subscribers: Read the full article “Paul, the Bible’s Last Action Hero” by Drew W. Billings in the Winter 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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Related reading in Bible History Daily

The Miracles of Jesus

Jesus Holding a Magic Wand?

Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

When Did Saul Become Paul?

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library

The Miracles of Jesus

Understanding Jesus’ Miracles

Jesus the Magician? Why Jesus Holds a Wand in Early Christian Art

How Magic and Miracles Spread Christianity

Finding Paul’s Weakness