Olney Hymns · Character

Paul

The persecutor blinded on the Damascus road who became the tireless apostle to the Gentiles, writing letters that still shape Christian thought.

supporting

First appearance: book i on select texts of scripture

As a supporting figure in Olney Hymns, Paul is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Imprisoned with Silas, sings praises, and directs the gaoler to look to Jesus for salvation.

In the storyThe Trembling GaolerOpen this moment free

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Paul moves through the early church as both its most feared enemy and its most relentless builder, a man whose past violence against believers haunts every congregation he later plants. His letters wrestle openly with the tension between the law he once defended and the grace that overturned him, and he never quite stops describing himself as the chief of sinners. For readers of these hymns, Paul matters because his voice supplies the theological spine — faith, justification, and the freedom of the gospel — on which Newton and Cowper hang their verses.

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See Paul in book i on select texts of scripture

Character Web

11 connections

A slice of how Paul sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Faith and Redemption Figures

+6 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional peak occurs in stanza V, where the speaker’s hope is violently extinguished as Satan obscures ev…

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In the story

Paul appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Trembling Gaoler
Imprisoned with Silas, sings praises, and directs the gaoler to look to Jesus for salvation.
The Exorcists
The apostle whose preaching and faith in Jesus' name worked wonders.
Paul's Voyage
Central figure whose voyage and faith are the focus of the poem.
My Grace Is Sufficient for Thee
The speaker references Paul's experience of boasting in weakness, aligning with the apostle's testimony.
I: Seasons
His farewell charge to the Ephesian elders is referenced, highlighting the preacher's responsibility and the hope of reunion in glory.
After Sermons to Young People on New-Year’s Evenings, Suited to the Subjects
Paul's farewell to his friends is cited as an example of the hope of reunion in glory and the responsibility of preachers.
Paul's Farewell Charge
The central figure, parting from his friends with tears but confident in future reunion.
Providences
Used as an example of a minister whose death does not leave the church without resource.
Funeral Hymns
Referenced in 'On the Death of a Minister' as an example of a minister who has run his course, with the assurance that God's resources are not exhausted.
On the Death of a Minister
Mentioned as having run his course, representing faithful ministers who finish their work.
Encouragement
Formerly Saul, who persecuted the Lord's people but was received to favor and made a child of God.

Chapter companion notes

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See Paul in book i on select texts of scripture

See Paul in The Trembling Gaoler