This aricle reflects on the significant role the metaphor of "father" played in the pastoral practice of Paul. It indicates that a major line of Paul’s use of paternal imagery can be traced back into the Old Testament and early Jewish tradition. This is noted in the manner in which he corrects his converts in 2 Corinthians 1-9. The article concludes that Paul appears to owe much more to his ancient Jewish environment for his use of the paternal metaphor than has often been assumed.