According to page 202 of the book "The Bible On Film" (Scarecrow, 1981, written by R. Campbell and M. Pitts) this originally aired in two parts: part one on April 12, 1981, and part two on April 14, 1981.
Some of the time, when Paul of Tarsus gets angry, it is reminiscent of Anthony Hopkins's previous performance that year, when he played Hitler in O Bunker (1981).