Two inscriptions dating to the mid-first century have been found at Cyprus. They refer to a proconsul by the name of Paulus or Sergius Paulus. Saul convinced the proconsul to convert to Christianity on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:6–12). Some interpreters suggest that Saul changed his name to Paul in honor of this man. Regardless, from Acts 13 and onward, the writer of the book refers to the apostle as Paul, a more common and acceptable name in gentile culture. The name Saul was more acceptable to Jews, and it remained as a classic Jewish name since the time of Israel’s first king.
