Customer Reviews

Paul of Tarsus (Recent Releases)

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_Paul of Tarsus_ is riveting reading. The British author, Terrot Reavely Glover [1869-1943], was Public Orator Emeritus of Cambridge University, England, and his love of antiquity and the classics is apparent. His grasp of Roman, Greek, and Jewish cultures and of how they intertwined in the first century C.E. surpasses many modern biblical scholars, imho.

Ever wonder if Paul leaves clues in his letters about his childhood? upbringing? education? temperament? Like a heuristic detective, Dr. Glover meticulously teases out the most fascinating nuances. It's quite apparent as well that in Dr. Glover's opinion Paul was a genius whose syntax sometimes suffered because his thought processes were moving at lightning speed. What I especially enjoyed was how Dr. Glover contrasted Paul's thinking with Stoics, Greek philosophers, and mystics.

My one note of caution would be Glover appears to be reformed (not dispensational) in his thinking as regards Israel and the Church. His assumptions, however, are not many and do not detract overall from an excellent read.

News flash: We really have no hard data on Paul of Tarsus.

I could not get into this book because it consists of non-stop arm waving speculation about Paul's character, generated from historical records that are apparently not much better than the record about Paul. I am an avid reader of biographies of scientists. I was looking for a biographer's insight into the person and life of Paul. But this book was written several centuries too late to provide the payload.

The style of the book is classical scholarship. Glover has read everything written about Paul and is weaving all of it together for you in these pages. If you want a tapestry of inferences, this is your book. If you want data, probably not.