Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters and Theology
Pages
350
Publisher
IVP Academic
Published
11/30/2007
ISBN-13
9780830825981
For some of us, the apostle Paul is like a distant uncle. We've heard he's pretty important. We've read the good parts of his letters. But sometimes he comes across as prickly and unpredictable. Not someone you'd like to hang out with at a coffee shop. He'd raise his voice, try to convert the barista, and we'd want to slink out the back door. For a mid-afternoon latte, we'd prefer Jesus over Paul. But actually, this is the guy who, from Ephesus to Athens, was the talk of the marketplace and the raconteur of the Parthenon. Maybe it's time to give Paul a break, let go of some stereotypes and try to get to know him on his own terms. If that's where you are, Rediscovering Paul is your guide. This is a book that helps us find Paul again--holding forth in the marketplace of Corinth, working with a secretary in framing his letter to the Romans, or pastoring the messy emerging churches of Philippi and Thessalonica. Drawing on the best of contemporary scholarship, honed by teaching and conversing with today's students, Rediscovering Paul is a textbook that rises above the rest.
Reviews
Review of Biblical Literature (RBL) (Rodrigo J. Morales)
August 1, 2008
August 1, 2008
Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2007. Pp. 350. Hardcover. $27.00. ISBN 0830825983. Rodrigo J. Morales Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin This addition to the recent spate of introductory books on Paul seeks to provide “a single textbook that cover[s], in a manageable size, several key aspects of Paul: his background, an introduction to his letters, a survey of his ministry surrounding his letters and an integrated survey of his theology” (15). Written from a generally conservative evangelical perspective (all thirteen letters ultimately derive from the apostle himself), the book seeks to help undergraduates and first-year seminary students to rediscover the Paul of the first century in contrast to the Western, domesticated Paul known to many contemporary (Western) readers of the letters. Rediscovering Paul consists of twelve chapters covering contextual, exegetical, and synthetic questions. The first chapter, on Paul’s world, sets the tone for the volume, emphasizing social-scientific categories in order to demonstrate the cultural differences between the first-century Mediterranean and contemporary American cultures. The majority of the chapter is devoted to ancient Mediterranean life and the Greco-Roman world, highlighting dependence on the gods, the dyadic nature of identity, patronage, honor and shame, and the importance of rituals. The treatment of Roman rule and its effects from the level of governance to the day-to-day running of the household sheds light on several aspects of Paul’s relationship with his congregations.
[Full Review]