Paul’s Early Life: Paul’s Parentage and Education, and His Anti-Christian Activities | Primary 6 (Basic 6) First Term Week 1 Christian Religious Studies

PAUL’S EARLY LIFE: PAUL’S PARENTAGE AND EDUCATION, AND HIS ANTI-CHRISTIAN ACTIVITIES 

CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS)

PRIMARY 6 – FIRST TERM – WEEK 1

THEME – NATIONAL RELIGIOUS STUDIES 

PREVIOUS LESSON – First Term, Second Term and Third Term Christian Religious Studies (CRS) Plan Lesson Notes and Scheme of Work for Primary 5 (Basic 5)

TOPIC – PAUL’S EARLY LIFE 

LEARNING AREA 

1. Introduction

2. Paul’s Parentage and Education

3. Paul’s Anti-Christian Activities

3. Reasons for Paul’s Anti-Christian Activities

4. Lessons from Paul’s Early Life

5. Weekly Assessment: Test Questions and Answers/Assignment

6. Summary

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

1. Describe Paul’s parentage.

2. Explain Paul’s education.

3. Mention some of Paul’s anti-Christian activities.

4. Explain why Paul opposed Christians.

5. State lessons from Paul’s early life.

ENTRY BEHAVIOUR

Pupils have learned about God’s salvation and how God can change people’s lives.

This lesson builds on that knowledge by introducing pupils to the early life of Paul, his family background, education and activities against Christians.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The teacher will teach the lesson with the aid of:

1. Holy Bible and Story illustration

2. Pictures of Paul

3. Map of Paul’s early-life locations

4. Charts

5. Flashcards

METHOD OF TEACHING

Choose a suitable and appropriate methods for the lessons.

Note – Irrespective of choosing methods of teaching, always introduce an activities that will arouse pupil’s interest or lead them to the lessons. 

REFERENCE MATERIALS

1. Scheme of Work

2. 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum

3. CRS Course Book

4. Holy Bible – Acts 7:58; Acts 8:1–3; Acts 22:3–5; Acts 26:9–11

5. Relevant teaching materials

6. Online information

CONTENT OF THE LESSON

INTRODUCTION

Paul was one of the most important missionaries in the early Christian Church. Before he became a follower of Jesus Christ, he strongly opposed Christians.

Paul was originally known as Saul. He was a Jew who was born in Tarsus. He was well educated in Jewish law and was a Pharisee.

His early life shows that a person’s past does not prevent God from giving that person a new purpose.

LESSON 1 – PAUL’S PARENTAGE

Paul was born as Saul of Tarsus. Tarsus was a city in Cilicia.

Paul was a Jew and belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. He was brought up according to Jewish traditions and was a Roman citizen by birth.

His family followed the Jewish religion, and Paul became deeply committed to the traditions of his people.

Paul’s background helped prepare him for his later work because he understood Jewish teachings and was also familiar with the wider Roman world.

PAUL’S EDUCATION

Paul received a good Jewish education. He was trained in the Jewish law and traditions.

According to Acts 22:3, Paul was educated in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, a respected teacher of Jewish law.

Paul became a Pharisee and was very knowledgeable about Jewish law. His education made him a strong speaker and teacher.

He later used his knowledge and skills in preaching and teaching about Jesus Christ.

LESSON 2 – PAUL’S ANTI-CHRISTIAN ACTIVITIES

Before his conversion, Paul strongly opposed the followers of Jesus Christ.

His anti-Christian activities included:

1. Persecuting Christians.

2. Arresting Christian men and women.

3. Entering houses to look for Christians.

4. Taking Christians to prison.

5. Supporting the persecution of believers.

6. Trying to force Christians to abandon their faith.

Paul was present when Stephen was stoned to death. Acts 8:1–3 describes how Saul approved of the persecution of Christians and went from house to house dragging believers away and putting them in prison.

Paul believed that he was doing the right thing by defending Jewish religious traditions, but he was actually persecuting followers of Christ.

LESSON 3 – REASONS FOR PAUL’S ANTI-CHRISTIAN ACTIVITIES

Paul opposed Christians because:

1. He strongly believed in Jewish religious traditions.

2. He believed that followers of Jesus were acting against the Jewish faith.

3. He wanted to protect the traditions of his ancestors.

4.He did not yet understand that Jesus was the Messiah.

4. He was determined to stop the spread of Christianity.

6. Paul’s actions were later changed completely when he encountered Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.

LESSONS FROM PAUL’S EARLY LIFE

Paul’s early life teaches us that:

1. Education can be useful when used for good purposes.

2. People can make wrong decisions even when they are educated.

3. We should not persecute or hate people because of their beliefs.

4. We should seek the truth before judging others.

5. God can change a person’s life and give the person a new purpose.

6. Our abilities and education should be used to serve God and help others.

WEEKLY ASSESSMENT: TEST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS/ASSIGNMENT 

A. Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was Paul called before his conversion?

A. Peter

B. Saul

C. Stephen

D. Barnabas

2. Where was Paul born?

A. Jerusalem

B. Bethlehem

C. Nazareth

D. Tarsus

3. Who taught Paul Jewish law in Jerusalem?

A. Gamaliel

B. Peter

C. Stephen

D. Barnabas

4. What was one of Paul’s anti-Christian activities?

A. Teaching the apostles

B. Building churches

C. Persecuting Christians

D. Feeding the poor

5. Why did Paul oppose Christians?

A. He wanted to become a fisherman

B. He wanted to protect Jewish traditions

C. He disliked travelling

D. He wanted to become a Roman soldier

B. Fill in the Gaps

6. Paul was originally called ______.

7. Paul was born in ______.

8. Paul was educated in Jerusalem at the feet of ______.

9. Paul was a member of the Jewish group called the ______.

10. Paul ______ Christians before his conversion.

C. True or False

11. Paul was born in Nigeria.

12. Paul received Jewish religious education.

13. Paul supported Christians before his conversion.

14. Paul persecuted followers of John the Baptist.

15. Gamaliel was Paul’s teacher of Jewish law.

D. Matching

16. Paul — A. Teacher of Jewish law

17. Saul — B. Paul’s original name

18. Tarsus — C. Paul’s birthplace

19. Gamaliel — D. Persecuted Christians

20. Pharisee — E. Jewish religious group

ANSWER KEY

1. B 2. D 3. A 4. C 5. B

6. Saul 7. Tarsus 8. Gamaliel 9. Pharisees

10. persecuted

11. False 12. True 13. False 14. False 15. True

D — Persecuted Christians

B — Paul’s original name

C — Paul’s birthplace

A — Teacher of Jewish law

E — Jewish religious group

SUMMARY

Pupils learned that Paul was originally called Saul and was born in Tarsus. He was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin and was a Roman citizen by birth. He received a good Jewish education in Jerusalem under Gamaliel and became a Pharisee.

Pupils also learned that Paul strongly opposed Christians before his conversion. He persecuted believers, arrested them and put them in prison. His early life teaches us that people can change and that our education, abilities and knowledge should be used for good purposes.

PRESENTATION

To deliver the lesson, the teacher adopts the following steps:

Step 1: Introduction

The teacher asks pupils:

• Who was Paul before he became a follower of Jesus Christ?

• Where was Paul born?

• What do you think Paul did to Christians before his conversion?

The teacher explains that Paul was originally called Saul and that he had a Jewish background and education. However, he later became a strong opponent of Christians.

Pupils’ Activities: Pupils answer the questions and share what they know about Paul.

Step 2: Paul’s Parentage

The teacher explains that Paul was originally called Saul and was born in Tarsus. He was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin and was also a Roman citizen by birth. Paul was brought up according to Jewish traditions.

Pupils’ Activities: Pupils listen and mention Paul’s original name, birthplace and background.

Step 3: Paul’s Education

The teacher explains that Paul received a good Jewish education in Jerusalem. He was educated at the feet of Gamaliel, a respected teacher of Jewish law and also became a Pharisee and was knowledgeable about Jewish laws and traditions.

Pupils’ Activities: Pupils mention where Paul was educated, who taught him and what he studied.

Step 4: Paul’s Anti-Christian Activities

The teacher explains that Paul strongly opposed Christians before his conversion. He persecuted Christians, entered their houses, arrested them and took them to prison. Paul was present when Stephen was killed and approved of the persecution of Christians.

Pupils’ Activities: Pupils listen and mention some of Paul’s activities against Christians.

Step 5: Reasons for Paul’s Anti-Christian Activities

The teacher explains that Paul opposed Christians because he strongly believed in Jewish traditions and thought he was defending the Jewish faith. Paul did not yet understand that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and wanted to stop the spread of Christianity.

Pupils’ Activities: Pupils state reasons why Paul opposed Christians.

Step 6: Lessons from Paul’s Early Life

The teacher explains that Paul’s early life teaches us to seek the truth, avoid persecuting others and use our education and abilities for good purposes.

The teacher also explains that being educated does not mean that a person cannot make wrong decisions.

Pupils’ Activities:. Pupils mention lessons they have learned from Paul’s early life.

Step 7: Group Activity

The teacher divides pupils into four groups:

• Group 1: Mention five facts about Paul’s parentage and background.

• Group 2: Mention five facts about Paul’s education.

• Group 3: Mention five anti-Christian activities of Paul.

• Group 4: Mention four lessons learned from Paul’s early life.

The teacher guides the groups and allows each group to present its answers.

Pupils’ Activities: Pupils discuss, write and present their answers to the class.

Step 8: Lesson Summary and Evaluation

The teacher reviews Paul’s parentage, education and anti-Christian activities. The teacher gives pupils a different set of 20 questions to assess their understanding of the lesson.

Pupils’ Activities: Pupils answer the questions individually or in groups and summarise what they have learned.

CONCLUSION

To conclude the lesson for the week, the teacher revises the entire lesson and links it to the following week’s lesson.

NEXT LESSON

Paul’s Conversion: Meaning of Conversion, Reasons for Paul’s Mission, and His Experience on the Way to Damascus | Primary 6 (Basic 6) First Term Week 2 Christian Religious Studies

LESSON EVALUATION 

Teacher asks pupils,

1. What was Paul’s original name?

2. Where was Paul born?

3. Who taught Paul Jewish law?

4. Mention four anti-Christian activities of Paul.

5. State four lessons from Paul’s early life.