Customer Reviews

Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free

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This is head and shoulders above all other Paul books I've ever read. The quantity of information that Dr. Bruce covers is massive, yet he does it in a very understandable and well organized fashion. I cannot imagine a more well-written book on the topic of Paul.

Bruce includes a tremendous amount of historical background in order for the reader to better comprehend who Paul was, and why he lived and acted the way he did. I especially enjoyed Bruce's theory on the development of Paul as a person throughout his life. Many people forget about all of the events in Paul's life and how those events would change a man.

I honestly cannot think of anything negative to say about this book. If you want to know more about Paul (and early Christianity), then I can think of no better starting point than right here.

This is the only book written exclusively about Paul that I have read and the only one that I think I will for quite some time. When I began my search for a good biography of the life of the apostle Paul I spent many hours sifting through editorial reviews all claiming strong accolades for each book I ran across. I eventually bought this one if nothing else than lack of desire to find "the one." Ironically, I think I did.

Bruce's portrayal of Paul is full and complete, covering the span of his life as well as the history, culture and geography of its setting. Each chapter is neatly categorized under numbered main ideas while still expounding a full thesis throughout. The design, as well as the content, of the book is superb.

I was concerned that I would not be able to find a book on Paul that combined both literary criticism and scholarship with a moderate to conservative outlook on Christianity in general. My concerns vanished after the first few chapters and I began to see the scope of Bruce's writing. Perhaps the most gripping aspect of the book is Bruce's ability to present Paul as a real person instead of merely an iconoclastic image of a legend. By combining both scholarship and straightforward hermenuetics the apostle springs to life as a threefold person, for Paul was a man of heart, mind and action and no element is neglected at the expense of the other. The reader is allowed to glimpse at Paul's personality as an audaucious and perhaps blunt individual who nevertheless is steadfast in his determination to complete the mission given to him by the risen Christ. Paul's heart is clearly seen in his interaction with is fledgling congregations while his mind is picked at for the tremendous ideas and thought he developed that affected the rest of christendom.

In short, I was more than satisfied enough with this book that I have found no need for another for a while. I would recommend this book to conservative evangelicals looking for an adequate description of Paul's life, thought and activity.

If ever there was a complete work of the apostle Paul, this is it. And it is written by no less an expert than one of the 20th century's foremost Christian scholars, F.F. Bruce. Now that it's in paperback, every Christian ought to examine it for himself. The problem is, we're such a light-hearted fictional society (yes, I'm talking about us Christians) that many might never touch this book with a 10-foot pole. There's not enough plot to it, I can hear someone say. (Are you kidding? Who could have lived any fuller a life than Paul? He was the MAN!) In addition, another possible complaint could be that it's not written in an easy-flowing biographical style. True, but at the same time, this is not an impossible book for the average layperson to understand. That's why the publisher has made it available in paperback.

Let me say, if you consider yourself a person who loves the Word of God, a book like this will only enhance your study. It takes us from the beginning of Saul/Paul's life and opposition to the Way all the way to his imprisonments and death, with an emphasis on the apostle's theology. In effect, Bruce gives us the complete context to help us understand the situations that caused Paul to write the way he did. You will want to have your Bible nearby when you read it. Another valuable tool in this book is its index. This book could be used when carefully studying Acts or one of Paul's epistles. The background information the book provides what is probably more valuable than a set of NT commentaries. While the book can be either read or just utilized as a resource, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the best single work on Paul that I have ever seen.

The book, Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free, written by the evangelical, conservative biblical scholar, F. F. Bruce, is a summary study of the life of Paul. Bruce writes from a conspicuous learned background, yet his voice is elegant, discernible, and vivid. A book like this is the yearning of every student of biblical studies, particularly those with moderate to conservative beliefs and not always in agreement with the liberal, school of history approach taken by other books of this genre. Bruce is concise, comprehensive, and enjoyable. The book is a collection of writings by Bruce, some from as early as 1969, while much Bruce apparently wrote new when publishing the book in 1977. He ties them together very well, with only a minimum of repetition. One exception is the often repetitious analysis of Paul's Roman citizenship and it significance. Some chapters at first disappointed me with the shallow treatment of a topic, but I was usually relieved when finding a more fully developed examination of the same topic in a later chapter.Bruce relies heavily on the book of Acts, whose historical value, in characteristic conservative fashion, he generally accepts unquestionably.

One objection I have to Bruce is that he does not allow for a Hellenized Paul. Bruce argues firmly the Paul was a "Hebrew born of Hebrews." On page 43, and 127, Bruce argues that Paul's Judaism was free from Hellenistic influence, from which Paul had been sheltered since childhood. Several other studies have shown that Judaism, and particularly Pharisaism, was significantly influenced by Hellenism during the second temple period, despite their attempts to resist it. The Greek language and traditions were hybridized with local cultural environments. The effect of this influence can be seen in the vocabulary, concepts, metaphors, and cultic acts from the Greeks which appear in much of the New Testament. How could a person such as Paul, who was born in a Greek-speaking city, educated in and communicated in Greek, pretend to be uninfluenced by Hellenism? Similarly, Bruce often refers to Christ as Jesus of Nazareth; on page 56, he says that Jesus "emerged from obscurity of his home in Nazareth." On page 47, he calls him "A visitor from Galilee." I sense that his emphasis is that Nazareth, and all of Galilee, was thought of as the rural backwoods of Palestine, a view that has come under recent challenge. If Bruce sees Paul without Hellenistic influence, he surely does not allow for a Hellenized Christ. But new excavations at Sepphoris and Tiberius portray a different picture of first century Galilee, one that is far more cosmopolitan and Hellenized. Bruce puts great emphasis on Paul's Pharisaism and the importance of the Pharisee in first century Palestine. The power and influence of the Pharisees on Judaism during the time of Paul is not as clear as Bruce infers. Josephus, himself a Pharisee and predisposed to bias, tells us little of them from the start of Herod's rule until the revolt in 66 C.E. Pharisaic practice and beliefs of were, until recently, based on view that Pharisaism dominated pre-70 C.E. Judaism, and that post-70 C.E. rabbinic literature accuracy reflected the earlier practices.

I feel Bruce does not emphasize as much as he should the conflict between Paul and James the Righteous, brother of Jesus. I do not feel the antagonism between Paul's "Gentile Mission" and James' "the Jerusalem Church" is adequately covered. Acts may not tell the whole story about these relations; more from Pseudoclementines on this subject would have been welcomed. Overall, I feel this book is admirable. It is a good treatment of Paul's life and work. I especially like the early chapters on the historical background of the world in which Paul lived. I found Bruce's occasional criticism of Bultmann's views throughout the book interesting, and wished Bultmann was alive to rebut them. I enjoyed the subtle humor, it made the book more readable.

I'm about half way thru this book. It is filled with info you need to know: the history of the early church; Roman politics, laws; what the Sanhedrin could/could not do; political/theological battles between the Pharisee and the Saducees; politics of Stephens death; theological dilemma of Paul (pre Damascus) if Jesus was the Messiah yet was crucified/hung on a tree; development of the early Christian theology. Every page has something intensely interesting to we Christians. Really makes Acts come alive. Really helps illuminate some of Paul's writings when you understand what was going on at the time and why he was defending himself at times. Exciting, interesting, keep your bible open and be ready for an adventure.

The title accurately describes what Paul saw himself as trying to do and be. F.F. Bruce is a scholar who has written a book that is available to the common man who wants to delve into this brilliant man from 2000 years ago. There is enough scholarship to satisfy the scholar and enough plain spoken insight to satisfy anyone else. A great book on this subject.

I'm about half way thru this book. It is filled with info you need to know: the history of the early church; Roman politics, laws; what the Sanhedrin could/could not do; political/theological battles between the Pharisee and the Saducees; politics of Stephens death; theological dilemma of Paul if Jesus was the Messiah yet was crucified/hung on a tree; development of the early Christian theology. Every page has something intensely interesting to we Christians. Really makes Acts come alive. Really helps illuminate some of Paul's writings when you understand what was going on at the time and why he was defending himself at times.

Fred Bruce was a conservative evangelical who had much influence in the British Isles. His work still stands as a testimony to his beliefs, in stark contrast to the majority of scholars in Britain who have capitulated to modernism, due to an abundance of the New Perspective on Paul gathering. As the influence of FF Bruce faded, the core doctrinal assumptions that he had cherished and articulated began to lose its vitality in the evangelical fold.

'Thus by Christ's incarnation and His offering Himself for the sin of others, God, says Paul, 'condemned sin in the flesh' (Rom 8:3) - condemned it in human nature as a whole - and inaugurated the new age of spiritual freedom, the age, we may say, of the new covenant.' p 199

Soteriology is evidently the major theological issue in Paul's contribution to the New Testament. Bruce engaged with this subject matter and frequently made assessments that are fresh, yet are in keeping with conservative convictions. Bruce underwrote the classical view of justification and repudiated the idea that it was un-Pauline: 'Paul at Antioch Psidian not only says that 'through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you', but adds that 'by Him every one that believes is justified from all these things, from which you could not be justified by Moses' law' (Acts 13:38). From these words as they stand, indeed, the full Pauline doctrine of justification by faith could not be deduced, but the words are quite in line with Paul's teaching in Romans 3:20-26.' p 165

The life of Paul is a complex one. His missionary work would fill a whole volume. His Epistles do. Many have unsuccessfully attempted to formulate his theology from the 1st century to the present day. In Bruce's work, we have a non-contradictory, chronological reading of Paul's life. This makes for good reading and assists in understanding the varying challenges the apostle had to face and stand up to, at specific times in his life.

'According to Paul, 'Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified' (Gal 3:1) when the gospel was preached, and equally on every such occasion Christ was 'preached as raised from the dead' (1 Cor 15:12). Apart from that, the empty tomb and the resurrection appearances mark the transition from the historical Jesus to the exalted Christ.' p 101

Paul's motto, 'To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain' is made alive in the pages that repeatedly deal with his unique ability to prioritize this life subjected to the next. He lives for the upward calling and heavenly reward.

'Incorporation into this body is effected by personal faith in Christ, sacramentally sealed in baptism and sustained by the eucharist. For Paul, baptism symbolizes the believer's dying and rising with Christ. It is plain, however, that for Paul dying and rising with Christ was not merely a matter of sacramental theology or church doctrine, but of personal experience. This personal appropriation of the love manifested to mankind in the self-sacrifice of Christ was as real as his awareness of personal faith-union with Christ, and of that faith-union as the source of his Christian life.' p 138 Herman Ridderbos placed as great an emphasis on our union with Christ: 'To be baptized means also to participate in an actual sense in what once took place in Christ.' Paul: An Outline Of His Theology p 405

As I continued to read, I found Bruce's knowledge of the ancient Middle-East and modern Mediterranean a valuable help in establishing the social systems unique to each place and culture. He conveniently did not overstate the historical facts, but adequately highlighted the cross-cultural boundaries that our first missionary had to contend with.

Bruce displayed his great understanding of realized eschatology: 'Yet in saying 'the Lord is the Spirit' (2 Cor 3:17) Paul suggests, not indeed the identity, but certainly the close association that exists between the ascended Christ and the Spirit in the believer.' p 120 To Bruce's mind there existed the certainty that the personal aspect in the surpassing revelations given the apostle would become a form of apologetic to his apostleship, and therefore unique to the office of apostle:

'It is a mysticism of very exceptional order...but he (Paul) does not have a mystical theology.' p 147

I heartily enjoyed this read, as it was free from the debates of 'which Paul' was being portrayed from the outset. Bruce singularly and emphatically went to work on the biblical text available to him, as his primary source. There is no better resource on Paul than this, given that there are hidden undercurrents in the New Perspective agenda.

I bought this book to do a Bible Study on Paul. This book had everything you ever wanted to know about Paul, and more. The more might be the problem. For instance, instead of hearing that Paul was from Tarsus and get a brief desrciption of the city, Bruce spends time reviewing the history of the city and its strategic, political and economic life. Interesting, sure, but not quite as relevant to local pastors and churches. For scholars and students who have time to read about everything, this is great. If you don't have much time and want someone to get straight to the topic, you really have to skim through a lot. Nonetheless, I cannot think of a more scholarly and thorough account of Paul.

I purchased this book for a class requirement. That said, Bruce does a good job without being too professorial. Overall, an easy read and very thorough.