St. Paul and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

* Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry with Practical Neurology
* Direct link to download Paper in PDF

SUMMARY: Evidence is offered to suggest a neurological origin for Paul's ecstatic visions. Paul's physical state at the time of his conversion is discussed and related to these ecstatic experiences. It is postulated that both were manifestations of temporal lobe epilepsy.

St. Pauls Disease, aka Epilepsy

St. Pauls Disease from © German Epilepsymuseum Kork - Museum for epilepsy and the history of epilepsy.

In old Ireland, epilepsy was known as 'Saint Paul'sdisease'. The name points to the centuries-old assumption that theapostle suffered from epilepsy.

To support this view, people usually point to Saint Paul's experience on the road to Damascus, reported in the Acts of the Apostlesin the New Testament (Acts 9, 3-9), in which Paul, or Saul as he wasknown before his conversion to Christianity, is reported to have a fitsimilar to an epileptic seizure: '...suddenly a light from the skyflashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying tohim: ''Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?''...Saul got up from theground and opened his eyes, but he could not see a thing... For threedays he was not able to see, and during that time he did not eat ordrink anything.'

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Epilepsy Newfoundland and Labrador

In old Ireland, epilepsy was known as "St.Paul's Disease". The apostle discreetly mentioned his epilepsy onseveral occasions. In the 2nd. letter to Corinthians (2, 7) he says"...to keep me from being puffed up with pride...I was given a painfulphysical ailment...to beat me and keep me from being proud." He againmentioned his ailment in Galatians 4, 13-14.