road to Damascus

From the Bible New Testament book Acts of the Apostles.^[1] Referring to the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, later known as the Apostle Paul, to Christianity while travelling to Damascus to persecute Christians.^[2]

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

road to Damascus (plural roads to Damascus)

1. (idiomatic, often attributive) An important point in someone's life where a great change, or reversal, of ideas or beliefs occurs.
   • 2007 March 5, Jim Brown, quoting Mike Huckabee, “Huckabee criticizes fellow GOP candidates over 'Damascus Road conversions'”, in One News Now‎, archived from the original on 2007-03-08:

     Today we hear a lot about those who have had what's often called Road to Damascus experiences on every issue from guns and same-sex marriage to the sanctity-of-life and taxes.

   • 2007 March 18, Will Hodgkinson, quoting Bryan Ferry, “Soundtrack of my life: Bryan Ferry”, in The Observer‎:

     […] That was my Road to Damascus moment. They played one hit after another and this is the song I remember most clearly.

   • 2010 February 14, Vernon Jones, quotee, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution:

     The candidate is aggressively branding himself as Vernon 2.0, a kinder, gentler Vernon Jones, a bridge builder, a fence mender. Asked by a Rockdale editor about his “road to Damascus moment,” Jones laughs. “I got knocked off my donkey,” he says.

• Acts of the Apostles
• Damascene conversion
• metanoia (“fundamental change of mind”)

• conversion of Paul the Apostle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia