04_Sandnes_550-564_copia_550-564 10/12/15 10:24 Pagina 564 564 KARL OLAV SANDNES 564 22,16). Paul’s slow conversion is there turned into a quick conver- sion. The prophetic model is important for us to grasp Paul’s iden- tity and mission, but it can only explain in a piecemeal way what the Damascus event meant to Paul. The role assigned to his prophet-like apostolate by advocates of the Radical New Perspec- tive is hardly tenable. MF Norwegian School of Theology Karl Olav SANDNES Gydas vei 4, Pb 5144 Majorstuen N-0302 Oslo SUMMARY The question of Paul’s prophet-like apostolate has gained renewed in- terest due to the “Radical New Perspective”, claiming that Paul remained fully within the confines of his Jewish identity. His prophetic call to be- come an apostle (Galatians 1) serves to substantiate that. The only new thing is that Paul came to a new understanding of the time, i.e. the time for the ingathering of the Gentiles had arrived (Pamela Eisenbaum). The present article argues that the prophetic model is not sufficient to explain how the Damascus event influenced the apostle’s theology and mission. This event initiated a process of “slow conversion” as well.