Customer Reviews

Paul: A Novel

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A colorful appropriation of the life and times of Paul of Tarsus, largely extrapolated (with commendable constraint) from the letters of Paul and from the Acts of the Apostles, as seen through the eyes of several of the characters who occupy those books. Readers looking here for an ideological soapbox upon which to climb will be disappointed, as Paul is neither painted as the buffoon that so many moderns seemingly wish him to be, nor as a blameless, misunderstood hero.

Some of the characters (e.g. Simon Peter and James) seem, if not one dimensional, at least too thin. Even Paul's character seems to suffer a bit here and there from underdevelopment, but in fairness to Wangerin, I'm certain it would take a writer the equal of Shakespeare to do full justice to a character of Paul's magnitude. On the other hand, characters like Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, and Prisca jump out from the dusty corners of the New Testament to become confidants of the reader. To my mind, Prisca steals the show, so to speak. Her rapt love for Paul (and his Voice) gives us a clue as to how this upended Pharisee managed to turn the world itself on its head: dividing both the Jewish and Gentile worlds down the middle, and changing the course of history forever.

I must say that I thought the Seneca sections were unnecessary and detracted from the whole (How did this end up in here?). The relevance of the situation in Rome to the story at hand was never made clear, what little bearing it did have on the young Christian movement was never really treated, and it almost seems to occupy its space for little reason other than to provide the book with the kind of scandalous juice that would be lacking in a story focused only on the birth of the Church. If these chapters were removed, the book would lose nothing but heft, and would gain in coherence.

This disappointment was offset by the surprising presence of, at times, large sections of Paul's actual letters to the churches (colorfully translated). Perhaps it was cynical of me to be surprised by this, but I did not expect a modern novel *about* Paul to leave Paul much room to speak for himself. Much of Paul's oratory is also scriptural, but even where it is not, Wangerin displays an accomplished theologian's grasp of Paul's thought, giving us imagined words from Paul that ring true to his heart.

This is perhaps Wangerin's principal accomplishment here: he does not tell us his own "story" using Paul as his puppet voice, rather he tells us convincingly of Paul, of the problems that he faced, and of what it might have meant to have known him in his day. All in all: nice work, Walter. Recommended reading.

I finished this book several days ago and have been pondering how to describe it. It is surprising that another reviewer was so critical of Wangerin's portrayal of Paul. Paul wrote much about suffering and weakness, and about glorying in Christ alone. This book gives some plausible reasons why he did so. It completely changed my view of Paul.

As a girl who grew up knowing Christ, Paul sometimes baffled me. In fact, he sometimes offended me. I thought he had a view of women that painted us inferior...I remember as a teenager wrestling with his words and thinking of God's negative view of me! So Paul has not always been beloved in my life.

That is why I am genuinely thankful for this novel. It opened my eyes to the passion of Paul. It made me see the apostles and their writings in a living, breathing context. I know that this book is fiction, and I am sure that there are parts of it that are complete fiction. But now I can read the New Testament as a part of an amazing story. Instead of reading a passage and immediately looking for things that apply to me, I am more able to read it as the powerful history that it is. I don't see Paul as preaching at me, but as living for the same Spirit who is in me. I see him as a brother heeding an amazing calling - the same calling that I have. And the way that he lived for that calling is so inspiring. The way he impacted the church, even though he suffered greatly, is an example for us.

Wangerin used Bible verses and references throughout this novel. Through the events that unfold, he shows all of the drama and passion that were behind the words. We see the great conflicts of the day that inspired Paul's words.

Buy this book! You will want to read it more than once. The writing style is fascinating, but not too complex for the average reader. I just can't recommend it enough, especially for those who have read a lot of Scripture and could use a refreshing read. It will make you want to pull out your Bible and read more! I have even purchased two more of Wangerin's books because of this one's impact. Oh, and God used this book to help me in a time of despair. It would be great for a depressed Christian who is easily discouraged when reading Scripture. It is encouraging and inspiring, and it made me remember why I love the Lord and Scripture so much.

Take the book of Acts and then try to fill in all the details by painting a written portrait of what things might have been like. That is basically what Walter Wangerin does in this engaging novel. Staying true to Biblical sources, Mr. Wangerin shows us Paul in a way that many people may have never seen him before. The Paul we see here is one who is often disliked by his fellow believers, but always respected. We see Paul as a man of such strong convictions that people can't help but have strong reactions to him, either positive or negative. The only complaint I had about the book was that it slowed down in places. Otherwise, this is a very well-written fictional account of someone who we know about only in Scripture. This novel does a neat job of taking you back to those times when God was moving in his people and letting you play with the idea of "I wonder what it might have been like to be there." It is well worth the read.

The book was a pleasure to read. The author concentrates on the more dramatic and literary events of Paul's life, leaving the more general history (travels, healings, etc.) to intersperced narratives by Luke. The reader is made aware of the intense purpose and charged passion of the first generation Christian. There are also insightfull interpretations of events and personalities which differ from the sunday school version of Paul in your head. You find yourself grabbing the New Testament for reference and reminding yourself that these are real people in dangerous times.

This is a great novel that enables the reader to better imagine the people in Paul's life and ministry. It also opens the readers eyes as to the cultures and events of Paul's time. It is hard to put down. A must buy! Get it for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member.

Walter Wangerin's novel THE BOOK OF GOD was an excellent work of art, a filling-in of Biblical narrative that was at the same time daring and faithful to its roots. With PAUL: A NOVEL Wangerin tries his hand at a more in-depth look at one of the most influential people of Western Civilization, Paul/Saul of Tarsus.

Wangerin shows exacting scholarship and discipline in this novel. Paul's speech is sprinkled liberally with words pulled directly from his letters to the churches throughout the Mediterranean during the first century AD. Wangerin provides 'fictional' settings for these words, but as in THE BOOK OF GOD, one gets the feeling that Wangerin could have been there himself.

A truly effective and wonderful part of this novel is the description and illumination of minor characters from Paul's letters. Wangerin tells Paul's story through the eyes of Paul's contemporaries - Prisca, James, Peter, Timothy, Barnabas, and others all weave narratives throughout the book. They knew Paul, and their stories illustrate the complex person we believe Paul to be.

Two minor blemishes keep this from 5 stars, in my opinion. There are several letters from Seneca which, although they illustrate the political setting, seem unconnected the the rest of the story. The other problem is that of the ending. With Wangerin taking so many risks to novelize the story of Paul, one wishes he had been more definitive, more clear at the close of the book.

These are minor problems, however, and the bulk of the novel is a wonderful novelization of Paul's time as a missionary in the first century. Wangerin is one of the few contemporary authors who combines a solid Christian faith and desire to tell the Christian story with an ability to actually write stories. With so much dreck in the market being bought simply because it carries the label "Christian," it's good to see that Walter Wangerin can write books that are just good, period.

Wangerin is a favorite author of mine, especially in his non-fiction essays. I have found some of his previous fiction too dense and unwieldy to enjoy, so was a little apprehensive about reading this book, but found it to be completely engrossing and enlightening. Mr. Wangerin has done extensive research in compiling this story, told from the perspectives of Paul's contemporaries and companions. The result is amazing. On almost every page, I found myself saying, "Oh, that's why Paul wrote that!" or "Yes, that would make sense." The scene of Paul's reconciliation with Barnabas brought me to tears. My only disagreement with the author would be in the ending. I give James more credit than the author does, and see no inherent contradiction between his letter and Paul's writings. Wangerin seems to picture James as the prototype of leadership in what would become the Catholic church and Paul as the seed of the Protestant Reformation, and he imagines the division already implicit in the first century church. Aside from that complaint, which only emerges in the last few chapters, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, especially the subset of that number who also enjoy the Bible.

Not being an author, I have always yearned for someone *else* to show the modern world what an incredible drama the stories of Paul & the early church hold. Wangerin has done a very good job, although I have some caveats to offer.

On the positive side, the book does a fine job of character development in bringing some of the "stars" to life. Wangerin's James especially, as he struggles with his great respect for Paul & his angry astonishment at some of their differences, makes an impact on me. Some Christians may get anxious at the idea of Wangerin's artistic license as he speculates in order to flush out these characters, but rather than drawing one away from the scriptures, it brings a new excitement about them. At least in this reader!

On the down side, the read is a little bumpy. Wangerin employs a variety of voices (Prisca, James, Timothy....interestingly enough, never Paul) to tell the story, and switching gears from person to person can be disorienting. So buckle yourself into your chariot before the journey, but then sit back & enjoy!

Walter Wangerin does a fine job of telling the story of the apostle Paul. This work is fiction, but the writer uses Paul's letters, the book of Acts, and Wangerin's own creative imagination to form the plot. I really enjoyed the author's ideas on how to fill in the "gaps" in Paul's life; and also the artistic liberties he took in more fully developing some of the events. For example, he spends a substantial portion of the book focusing on Paul and his relationship to the church at Corinth. Some of the problems of this church which are implicit in Paul's letters to the Corinthians are creatively expanded by Wangerin. While you may not agree with all of his creative expansions, in most cases they are historically plausible. After all, this is fiction, NOT a work which claims to be absolutely accurate in all historical details. It was especially refreshing to see a writer who does not gloss over the disagreements and differences which were found in the early church. They weren't always one big, happy family. There were personality conflicts and differences in beliefs. This story does a wonderful job of realistically portraying many of these disputes.

There were two disappointments I encountered in this book. First, is the lack of character development of Paul. Paul is supposed to be the main character, but it often felt as though I knew Prisca or Timothy better than I knew Paul's character. The second shortcoming was the ending of the book. I won't ruin it for you, but I will say that the author could have made the ending far more dramatic than it was. It just seemed to be a little anti-climactic. Overall, this was a fun book to read and a very creative re-telling of the story of the apostle to the Gentiles.

This is an excellent book, but one should read it with the following caveats:
(a) IT'S A NOVEL. It's creative. And although it is well-informed and well-studied by its author, if you want something authoritative, pick up the Bible itself and a good historical commentary.
(b) I won't give away the story line here, but in a book group of which I am a part, there were some who were taken aback by some "sexual" overtones. In our over-sexed culture, it is virtually impossible to imagine any sort of intimate relationship without sexualizing it. One needs to struggle hard against this cultural bias and suspend one's own suspicions about intimate human relationships. It is a Christian assumption that human relationship found in God through Jesus Christ is a new creation...one in which it is thoroughly possible to imagine and achieve a depth of intimacy without sexual behavior. Call me old fashioned...

I LOVED THIS BOOK.