The available patristic testimony is unanimous on the authorship of the Pauline corpus. Even liberal scholars believe that Paul wrote at least a few of the New Testament books attributed to him. The fact that there is any discussion regarding Paul as a historical figure presupposes his existence.
It is because of Paul that the gospel was spread to the Greeks and the Romans. Early church tradition was unanimous that he had founded churches in cities such as Corinth and Ephesus. Paul was martyred around AD 65 under the reign of Nero. Men such as Clement (Philippians 4:3), Linus (2 Timothy 4:21), and Peter (2 Peter 3:15-16) would have known him.
We have no argument from the first century disputing his existence. The church could not have reasonably fabricated a character named Paul out of thin air. He was known and written about by the Christians of the first and early second centuries.
It is because of Paul that the gospel was spread to the Greeks and the Romans. Early church tradition was unanimous that he had founded churches in cities such as Corinth and Ephesus. Paul was martyred around AD 65 under the reign of Nero. Men such as Clement (Philippians 4:3), Linus (2 Timothy 4:21), and Peter (2 Peter 3:15-16) would have known him.
We have no argument from the first century disputing his existence. The church could not have reasonably fabricated a character named Paul out of thin air. He was known and written about by the Christians of the first and early second centuries.
