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I'm leaving, but where to?

… TOWARDS MY FULFILLMENT

Martyrium des hl. Paulus, Rechter, innerer Altarflügel ehem. Hochaltars Gerhard Gröninger, Münster, 1619–1622, Münster, St.-Paulus-Dom, Foto: Stephan Kube, D-48268 Greven
Martyrium des hl. Paulus, Rechter, innerer Altarflügel ehem. Hochaltars Gerhard Gröninger, Münster, 1619–1622, Münster, St.-Paulus-Dom, Foto: Stephan Kube, D-48268 Greven

Paul returns to Jerusalem on his third missionary journey. There he becomes embroiled in a serious conflict and is arrested. He is accused of unlawfully bringing a non-Jew into the Temple. As a Roman citizen, Paul asserts his right to have the case brought before the Emperor.

The journey to Rome turns into a dramatic odyssey. The biblical sources are silent on the details of his death. According to tradition, Paul was beheaded in Rome.

For Christians, however, his death is not a failure. It is regarded as the fulfilment of a life spent in the service of the Gospel. Paul remained faithful to Christ until the very end. His testimony does not end with his death; it points beyond him. In the hope of the Resurrection, his journey finds its fulfilment: in communion with God.

Inscription Tablet Temple Jerusalem (Cast of a Stone Tablet)

"No foreigner may step beyond the barrier and the enclosure around the sanctuary. Whoever is caught doing so bears responsibility for the death that…

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Paul in Prison

After his arrest in Jerusalem (around the year 57 AD), Paul initially awaits his fate behind prison walls in Caesarea. Even in captivity, Paul…

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o. T. (Andries van Eervelt)

Paulus wird als Gefangener von Cäsarea nach Rom gebracht. Er weiß auf der Fahrt sein Schicksal in Gottes Händen. Auf See gerät das Schiff in einen…

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The Martyrdom of Paul

The counterpart to the left altar wing on the ground floor depicts the martyrdom of Paul outside Rome's city walls. The composition is focused on the…

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Reliquary statuette of St. Paul with relics

According to tradition, Paul was beheaded in Rome. The figure of Paul depicts him with the sword as a symbol of his martyrdom. The statuette serves…

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Relic inventory from 1622

The first surviving relic inventory from 1622 lists 40 reliquaries. They contain more than 280 relics. These originate from over 120 different…

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