Ananias (Damascus)

Ananias of Damascus, or simply Ananias, was a disciple of Jesus who lived in Damascus, asked by God in a vision to give assistance to Saul of Tarsus soon after his conversion. To distinguish him from other persons of the same name, he is traditionally referred to as Ananias of Damascus.

Biography
In the early years of the church, Paul (then known as Saul) persecuted it, and was sent to Damascus to arrest disciples there. On the way, Jesus appeared to him, leading him to repent, but blinding him in the process. God told him in a vision that a man named Ananias would come to restore his sight.

Meanwhile, God told Ananias in a vision to go to the street called Straight at the house of Judas to find Saul, restore his sight and announce his mission to him. Concerned, Ananias replied that Saul was the man who has been causing trouble for believers in Jerusalem and that he come to arrest believers in Damascus. God explained that Saul was the one chosen to take God's name to the Gentiles, kings, and all of Israel. Ananias thus obeyed went to the house to find him. There, Ananias cured Saul of his blindness, announced that God had chosen Saul to be a witness of what had happened to him, and told him to be baptized.