With this phrase, Paul identifies himself as a zealot, in the same category as Simon (Mark 3:18).1 Inspired by the example of Judas Maccabees, Phinehas (Numbers 25:11), and Elijah (1 Kings 19:10, 1 Kings 19:14), zealots sought to ensure that the Mosaic laws and Pharisaic traditions were strictly practised and kept in Israel.
14 et comment j'étais plus avancé dans le judaïsme que beaucoup de ceux de mon âge et de ma nation, étant animé d'un zèle excessif pour les traditions de mes pères.