Why did Saul hate Jesus of Nazareth?
Saul of Tarsus hated Jesus of Nazareth because he viewed Him as an imposter who threatened Judaism and the Mosaic Law. As a Pharisee and devout Jew, Saul believed Jesus was destroying the very foundations of his life and religion, so he persecuted Jesus' followers to stamp out this perceived threat.
Les explains that Saul was totally religious—an absolute believer in the Old Testament, Judaism, and the Mosaic Law. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Jew through and through. Yet he absolutely hated with a passion this Jesus of Nazareth, because he felt Jesus was an imposter who was trying to destroy that which to him was his whole life. Saul of Tarsus felt Jesus was destroying the very bulwarks of Judaism, and the only way he could do God a favor was to overcome it and stamp it out with persecution. Les notes he was doing this in the name of religion, and that people are no different today when their religion or hierarchy is challenged.