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The Origin of Paul's Gospel

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I read this book in Seminary under the teaching ministry of Dr. G. K. Beale and it revolutionized by thinking about Paul, the invitation to become a Christian, and what it means to follow Jesus, the Messiah. To begin to truly grasp Paul's theology and how he understood the Gospel, one should understand his own conversion to Christianity. This is imperative for a thorough understanding of Paul's writings in the New Testament. Kim's original book, The Origin of Paul's Gospel , was foundational, that is, it gave me a basis to understand Paul's use of terms and descriptions of the work of Jesus Christ. Hard stuff, though. Kim's book was foundational for me because it showed me (convincingly) that Paul's Damascus road event shaped his theology, Christian faith, and writings. I wish there was something like this on the lay-level (Ah, a future book project), but there isn't to date. So, with this one, I suggest start with Kim's summaries and then read the chapter. This will help. For further reading, make sure you include Kim's more recent Paul and the New Perspective: Second Thoughts on the Origin of Paul's Gospel (Eerdmans, November 2001). Additionally, Kim's book helped form my own exegetical method, because the book helped me to see how Paul developed his. The closest book that is slightly less intimidating, but on a similar foundational level, is Richard Gaffin's book, Resurrection and Redemption: A Study in Paul's Soteriology (P&R Press, 1993). And for a good study on a foundational level for understanding the work of Christ as portrayed in the Gospels, read Kim's "The `Son of Man'" as the Son of God (Eerdmans, 1985)--all of these books are linked together, because they will assist the serious reader who is willing to work at reading them to develop a very good biblical foundation for thinking about the Gospel. Well, worth the difficult reading--for those who are willing.[...] See my own Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life