St. Paul

Jewish-Roman apostle who underwent a dramatic conversion from persecutor to Christian missionary on the road to Damascus — writing most of the New Testament epistles and theologically systematizing Christianity for the Gentile world.

Transformed Christianity from a Jewish sect into a universal religion by preaching to Gentiles and theologically reframing Jewish law through the framework of grace and faith — and provided the most dramatic conversion narrative in Western culture (Damascus Road) that became the archetype for radical personal transformation.