road to Damascus

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (file)

Noun[edit]

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[1], 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[2]:
      [] 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.

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Acts, chapter 9”, in World English Bible, 2000
  2. ^ The Holy Bible, [] (King James Version), London: [] Robert Barker, [], 1611, →OCLC, Acts 9:3: “And as he iourneyed he came neere Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heauen.”.

Further reading[edit]