According to Acts chapter 9, Paul was visited by the risen Christ -- the well-known "Road to Damascus" encounter. Has any other Christian, of good repute, claimed to have experienced a similar physical visitation by Jesus Christ Himself? I'm looking for post-NT examples, from any time in church history.

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**Was Paul's encounter with Christ physical? What do I mean by "physical"?**

That's a good question. By "physical" I mean an encounter in which Jesus intervenes in the physical realm, in the space-time of the person being encountered, causing physical effects. This is different, in my view, from a mere dream or vision where everything happens either in the person's mind or in the spirit realm through some sort of out-of-body experience (although OBEs would be a controversial one for advocates of soul sleep, since they do not believe that consciousness can exist outside the body.)

Paul had at least two clear encounters with the Lord, and there is scriptural evidence to think that physical effects were involved:

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> 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly **a light from heaven shone around him**. 4 **And falling to the ground, he heard a voice** saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 **The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one**. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 **And for three days he was without sight**, and neither ate nor drank. (Acts 9:3-9 ESV)
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From the passage we notice that Paul (formerly Saul):

* saw a light,
* heard a voice,
* fell to the ground,
* went blind for 3 days as a result of the experience.

Moreover, Paul's companions also heard the voice (v9).

Therefore, although we don't know all the intricacies of how the spiritual and the physical work and interact (not even science has everything figured out about the physical, let alone the spiritual), I think it would be reasonable to say that Paul's encounter in Acts 9 had elements of both. The fact that both Paul and his companions were able to hear the same voice is consistent with the view that actual mechanical sound waves were produced during the encounter, reaching everyone's ears. Similarly, the fact that Paul went blind for three days seems to indicate that the light he saw affected his physical eyes. However, the exact nature of this light would be a mystery, since the eyes of Paul's companions couldn't perceive it. This nuance may indicate that it is possible for God to create complex experiences in which some aspects are physical, others are spiritual, and God can selectively choose who sees or perceives what.

A second encounter is reported in Acts 23:

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> 11 **The following night the Lord stood by him and said**, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” (Acts 23:11 ESV)
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At face value, a plain interpretation of the verse would seem consistent with an actual physical visitation: Jesus stood literally by Paul's side and spoke audibly to him. But, was that really case? Did Jesus really stand next to Paul, touching the ground with his feet? Couldn't this simply have been a vision that Paul saw? We are not told.

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**Related or similar questions**

* [Besides Paul, have there been any other Christians who had both a scholarly background and overtly supernatural experiences?](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/86550/50422)
* [Has anyone claimed to have had a "Damascus Road" calling to ministry, which later received trust and ministerial support from fellow Christians?](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/85942/50422)