Where Was Saul of Tarsus?

About a year ago something struck me that I've never heard addressed by anybody. Where was Saul of Tarsus during Jesus' ministry and eventual crucifixion? The apostle-to-be was first introduced in Scripture as an affirming witness to Stephen's stoning at the end of Acts 7. I'm almost sure that this event occurred within only a few months of Christ's death, maybe a year.

Saul was a violent persecutor of the church, so he must have known much about Christ, and he had done great persecution to the saints in Jerusalem, yet he is not mentioned in the gospels or by Paul himself in the epistles. If he were in Jerusalem at the time of Christ and if he were a pharisee, would he have ever met Christ? He certainly would have been old enough.

This is pure speculation (and please don't start a cult with this), but I've wondered if he could have been the rich young ruler spoken of in the gospels. I wonder if we'll ever know about Saul's earlier days.

[Update: This topic is continued further here.]

Happy New Year

Last week I added a post to my blog with the unaccompanied title, "Merry Christmas." This day is in reference to Christ's birth. "Happy New Year" is also in reference to Christ's birth, the year 2006 being the approximate number of years since. Now, more of the world than ever, through using His birth as starting point for their calendar, is using Christ's life as the centerpoint of all history. That's because it is.