road to Damascus

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Noun

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, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, addressing the CPAC in March. onenewsnow

     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, Bryan Ferry, The Observer, Sunday March 18, 2007

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

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

     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

important point of change or reversal

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 轉折點／转折点 (zh) (zhuǎnzhédiǎn), 转折点 (zh) (zhuǎnzhédiǎn)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: käännekohta (fi)
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: поворо́тный моме́нт m (povorótnyj momént)

See also

• Acts of the Apostles
• Damascene conversion

Further reading

• conversion of Paul the Apostle on Wikipedia.Wikipedia