Vatican City, Feb 4, 2009 / 09:53 am
The end of Saint Paul’s earthly life and his ongoing legacy was the theme chosen by Pope Benedict XVI, who concluded his series of teachings on St. Paul today. The Holy Father reflected on St. Paul’s apostolic example and his doctrine, which he said can serve as stimulus for the faithful to strengthen their Christian identity and invigorate the entire Church.
St. Paul’s martyrdom, the Pope said, "is first related in the 'Acts of Paul' written towards the end of the second century.” The Acts of Paul state that “Nero condemned Paul to be beheaded, and that the execution was summarily carried out. The date of Paul’s death varies in the ancient sources, which place it between the persecution unleashed by Nero following the fire of Rome in the summer of 64, and the last year of his reign in 68.”
According to tradition, Paul was beheaded at a place in Rome known as “Three Fountains,” and buried on the Via Ostiense, where the basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the- Walls, erected over his tomb, stands today.
Pope Benedict then turned to St. Paul’s “extraordinary spiritual heritage.” “Thanks to the presence of the Letters of St. Paul in the liturgy,” he observed, the Apostle Paul has provided, “since the very start, spiritual nourishment for the faithful of all times."