The Dual Citizenship of Paul

In general opinion, the Acts of Apostles presents Paul as a very peculiar figure among the first century people. Paul had the citizenship of Tarsus, was a member of the Pharisees, and had the citizenship of the Roman Empire. In the first century, there were few people who met all three conditions.However, among the statements of the Acts of Apostles, the claim that Paul had the ‘πολιτης’ of Tarsus was misinterpreted. In general, the word ‘πολιτης’ meant the citizenship. However, in the first century, Jews formed a local autonomous government which was called πολιτευμα and called its member ‘πολιτης’. Thus ‘πολιτης’ of the Acts of Apostles does not mean a formal citizen, but a free man born in Tarsus.On the question of whether Paul was a Roman citizen, scholars are gradually agreeing. Scholars who claimed that Paul was not a Roman citizen, argued that Paul would not have had citizenship because he was poor. They also argued that Jews would not have Jewish citizenship in the diaspora because they had to obey Jewish law. However, these claims are groundless. We can’t deny that Paul went to Rome and was tried in the emperor’s court. If Paul were not a Roman citizen, we can’t explain this fact.