I think I may have come up with a novel explanation for the title (remember even in the Catholic tradition it isn't the apostle's birth name and is never fully explained in Acts) 'Paulos.' The Islamic tradition of Ibn Abbas (8th century) has the apostle as a 'king' and a 'general' whose persecution of the Church was very violent. In his study Anthony ignores the most important ancient witness - the story in the Clementines about Paul as a violent 'warrior'
[The preceding chapters describe a debate in Jerusalem between the apostles and the leaders of each of the Jewish sects.] * * *And when matters were at that point that they should come and be baptized, some one of our enemies,20 entering the temple with a few men, began to cry out, and to say, What mean ye, O men of Israel? Why are you so easily hurried on? Why are ye led headlong by most miserable men, who are deceived by a magician?' While he was thus speaking, and adding more to the same effect, and while James the bishop was refuting him, he began to excite the people and to raise a tumult, so that the people might not be able to hear what was said. Therefore he began to drive all into confusion with shouting, and to undo what had been arranged with much labour, and at the same time to reproach the priests, and to enrage them with revilings and abuse, and like a madman, to excite every one to murder, saying, 'What do ye? Why do ye hesitate? Oh, sluggish and inert, why do we not lay hands upon them, and pull all these fellows to pieces?' When he had said this, he first, seizing a strong brand from the altar, set the example of smiting. Then others also, seeing him, were carried away with like madness. Then ensued a tumult on either side, of the beating and the beaten. Much blood is shed; there is a confused flight, in the midst of which that enemy attacked James, and threw him headlong from the top of the steps; and supposing him to be dead, he cared not to inflict further violence upon him.
“But our friends lifted him up, for they were both more numerous and more powerful than the others; but, from their fear of Elohim, they rather suffered themselves to be killed by an inferior force, than they would kill others. But when the evening came the priests shut up the temple, and we returned to the house of James, and spent the night there in prayer. Then before daylight we went down to Jericho, to the number of 5000 men. Then after three days one of the brethren came to us from Gamaliel, whom we mentioned before, bringing to us secret tidings that that enemy had received a commission from Caiaphas, the chief priest, that he should arrest all who believed in Jesus, and should go to Damascus with his letters, and that there also, employing the help of the unbelievers, he should make havoc among the faithful; and that he was hastening to Damascus chiefly on this account, because he believed that Peter had fled thither. And about thirty days thereafter he stopped on his way while passing through Jericho going to Damascus. At that time we were absent, having gone out to the sepulchers of two brethren which were whitened of themselves every year, by which miracle the fury of many against us was restrained, because they saw that our brethren were had in remembrance before God.”
A marginal note in one of the manuscripts identifies the 'enemy' as Saul and the beginning of the Letter of James to Peter confirms that. But what is so interesting in my mind is the parallel with the Aramaic Targums and the use of the transformed word πολέμαρχος 'general' or 'king.' In proper Greek:
πολέμαρχ-ος , ὁ,
A.chieftain, war-lord, Κνωσίων, Ἀχαιῶν, B. 16.39, A Ch.1072 (anap.), cf.Th.828 (anap.).
II. the title of high officers in several Greek states:
1. at Athens, the third archon, Hdt.6.109, Ar.V.1042, IG12.16.10,49.7, al.; ὠφληκέναι παρὰ τῷ π. in his court, Lys.23.3; at Sparta, a military commander, Hdt.7.173, Th.5.66, X.HG4.4.7,4.5.7, etc.; at Thebes, officers of chief rank after the Boeotarchs, supreme in affairs of war, ib.5.4.2 sqq., Michel 232 (ii B.C., found in Crete), etc.; at Orchomenos, IG7.3175.5, etc.; at Mantinea, Th.5.47; in Arcadia, Plb.4.18.2; “π. ἐπιμήνιος” SIG402.1 (Chois, iii B.C.).
2. simply, chief, leader, “συνεφήβων” IG22.2055.
But in Jewish Aramaic the term is used for just the type of figure Paul is described as in the Clementine literature. For instance it is used in the Targums to denote the 400 men who accompany Esau against Jacob in Genesis 32:7:
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: 'We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.'
וַיָּשֻׁבוּ, הַמַּלְאָכִים, אֶל-יַעֲקֹב, לֵאמֹר: בָּאנוּ אֶל-אָחִיךָ, אֶל-עֵשָׂו, וְגַם הֹלֵךְ לִקְרָאתְךָ, וְאַרְבַּע-מֵאוֹת אִישׁ עִמּוֹ
In the Targums the '400 men' are described as 'פולמוסין' the plural of פולומרכא = πολέμαρχος
Pseudo Jonathan:
ותבו עזגדיא לות יעקב למימר אתינא לות אחוך לעשו ואוף אתי לקדמותך וארבע מאה גוברין פולומרכין עימיה
Neofiti:
וחזרו מלל{{ה}}יה לוות יעקב למימר מטינן״אתינן#2#״ לוות אחוך לוות עשו והא הוא אתא לקדמותך וארבע מאה דגברין פולמרכין״פולמוסין״ עמה׃
FTP Gn
איש עמוְ פולימרכין עימיה
The same terminology is used to describe Goliath (1 Samuel 17:4) in the Targum. In the Hebrew:
And there went out a champion from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
וַיֵּצֵא אִישׁ-הַבֵּנַיִם מִמַּחֲנוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים, גָּלְיָת שְׁמוֹ מִגַּת: גָּבְהוֹ, שֵׁשׁ אַמּוֹת וָזָרֶת
In the Targum:
ונפק גברא פולומרכא דאיתיליד מביני תרתי גניסן מן שמשון דהוה מן שיבט דן ומן ערפה דהות מן בני מואב גלית שמיה׃
What is so interesting though is that פולומרכא could well break down into the two names of the Christian convert who, in the heretical tradition, expanded upon SImon Peter's original gospel. פולומרכא
Paulos = פולו
Syriac ܦܘܠܘܣ = Pwlws
Markos = מרכא
Let's look at the name Paul for a moment in Aramaic:
pwlwsˀyt = 'Pauline'
pwlynysˀ = to be a Paulianist
ܦܘܠܝܢܝܢܐ = Paulianist (to be a follower of Paul of Samosata
Could the name 'Paul' have simply have emerged as a corruption of the original Aramaic terminology used in the Clementine literature for the (anonymous) enemy of the Christians?
Under this scenario both 'Paul' and 'Mark' are corruptions of the original 'general' or 'warrior' or 'king' who persecuted the early Church and then came to be a Christian = Agrippa (who is often described as 'general Agrippa' in the rabbinic literature.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote