Paul’s unbounded confidence, irrepressible energy, directness, and personal charm were irresistible (though not to all), and soon there were tiny Christian communities scattered throughout the region. He was an indefatigable traveler. Given the difficulties and dangers of travel in those days and the extent of territory he covered, his success as a missionary is astonishing. The tiny band that had gathered in Jerusalem only two decades earlier was on the way to becoming a religion not only for Jews but also for gentiles—a form, as it were, of Judaism for the nations.
