Why was Paul going to Damascus to arrest believers?
Paul, then Saul of Tarsus, went to Damascus to arrest Jewish believers because he thought stamping out anything connected with Jesus of Nazareth was doing his God a favor. As a religious fanatic, he sought to stamp out anything opposing Judaism, and later regretted persecuting those early believers.
Les explains that Saul of Tarsus persecuted the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, the Jews. On the road to Damascus, he intended to arrest those Jewish believers because he thought that to stamp out anything connected with Jesus of Nazareth was doing his God a favor. He was a religious fanatic, trying to stamp out anything that would oppose Judaism. He later regretted it, and his letters show how he persecuted those early believers. The surrounding context also discusses 1 Timothy 1:15-16 and the word “chief” as protos, but the Damascus purpose is tied to his zeal to eliminate anything connected with Jesus of Nazareth.