# Why did St. Paul change his name from Saul to Paul?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-st-paul-change-his-name-from-saul-to-paul/733522>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 4, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-st-paul-change-his-name-from-saul-to-paul/733522 "2015-10-04T17:49:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-st-paul-change-his-name-from-saul-to-paul/733522/21 "2015-10-06T23:40:42Z")

</div>

> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> …My “Hebrew” name is Moshe–that’s what God calls me when we’re chatting–on my ketubah (wedding contract) and perhaps on my future gravestone. But such is a post-Enlightenment accommodation of secular registry and my religious/cultural one…

I would be remiss were I to let this opportunity go by:

Jewish guy moves here from the Old Country, changes his name to Kevin Christiansen.  
Crosses street, gets hit by car. Crys out, “God, how could you let this happen to me?”  
God looks down [_squinting_] “Moishe? … Is that you?”

[Actually, Jewish name-change jokes is an established niche in the repertoire. Further examples provided upon request…]

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-st-paul-change-his-name-from-saul-to-paul/733522.md?page=1)