Paul: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) [Paperback]

E. P. Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2001 | Series: Very Short Introductions (Book 42)

Missionary, theologian, and religious genius, Paul is one of the most powerful human personalities in the history of the Church. E.P. Sanders, an influential Pauline scholar, analyzes the fundamental beliefs and vigorous contradictions in Paul's thought, discovering a philosophy that is less of a monolithic system than the apostle's convictions would seem to suggest. This volume offers an incisive summation of Paul's career, as well as his role in the development of early Christianity. Both lucid and judicious, it is the most compelling short introduction to Paul now available.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An incisive summation of the essentials of Paul's career and role in development of early Christianity. Sanders highlights key elements in Pauline thought."--Harry Rosenberg, Colorado State Univ.

"This book is lucid and judicious. It's the most concise introduction to Paul I've seen, and it is excellent as a quick intro at the beginning of a course, preparing the students for further study of Paul's letters themselves."--Jeffrey A. Trumbower, St. Michael's College

"This short readable volume is packed with the wisdom and insights of a scholar whose contribution to the field of Pauline studies is respected around the world."--J. Samuel Escobar, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Written clearly, and the focus is on the most important issues. The 'participation' business is treated well."--David P. Efroymson, La Salle University

About the Author

E. P. Snaders is Arts and Sciences Professor of Religion at Duke University. He was formerly Dean Ireland's Professor of Exegesis in the University of Oxford and Fellow of The Queen's College. His books include Paul and Palestinian Judaism (1977), Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People (1983), and Jesus and Judaism (1985).

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192854518
• ISBN-13: 978-0192854513
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Saints

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A concise intrepretation of Paul's motives and message., September 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Paul (Past Masters) (Paperback)

A very readable summary of Paul, based on Paul's letters in the New Testament. Not as hostile to Paul as other biographies, which place more of an emphasis on a claimed perversion and ignorance of Jesus's message by Paul. Still, it does devote some space to the conflict of ideas between the Jerusalum Apostles (mainly Peter) and Paul. It is more of an exposition of Paul's theology, and more briefly, of Jewish theology, and a very good one. Among other topics, deals with justification by faith, and how Paul reconciles (or tries to) why the law is not a vehicle for justification / salvation when God was the originator of the law (Torah). If you are familiar with the New Testament, it may lead you to some fresh insights, and if not, it is an excellent introduction to it.

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good short introduction, September 24, 2001

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paul: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

This little volume is a reissue of Ed Sanders's book on Paul in Oxford's "Past Masters" series. It's held up well.

Sanders, the author of several highly acclaimed works on Palestinian Judaism and of two absolutely magisterial works on the historical Jesus, here presents a highly condensed and accessible summary of Paul's thought. The reader should be aware that Sanders (a) locates Paul within the Judaism of his time and (b) has what most Christians (I'm not Christian myself) would call an extremely "liberal" approach to New Testament interpretation.

The book is already so short that summarizing it will require preternatural brevity. But here goes: for Sanders, Paul has an answer (Jesus's death and resurrection) to which he doesn't know the question, and his writings are an attempt not only to pass along the answer but to figure out just what that question is.

This little book is a nice introduction both to Sanders's thought on Paul and, for that matter, to Sanders himself. He's a master of expository prose style, reasonable almost to a fault, and a genuinely towering figure in modern New Testament scholarship; if you find that you like him, you'll want to check out his other books. I especially recommend _Jesus and Judaism_, _The Historical Figure of Jesus_, and _Studying the Synoptic Gospels_ (which he co-wrote with his wife, Margaret Davies -- who, incidentally, is the daughter of famed New Testament scholar W.D. Davies).

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Scholar, Easy Read, November 3, 2005

By 

DarrenGJohnson "DarrenGJohnson" (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (Paperback)

Great Scholar, Easy Read do not always go hand in hand. It is difficult to recommend some books to people, because you are not sure if they will be able to stay with it due to the heavy technical language, but E P Sanders has written a great book that will familiarize someone with the gist of Paul's thought, and he has done so in a very readable style.
I cannot say that you will agree with every conclusion that he comes to, especially if you are hyper conservative when it comes to Scripture, but you will leave the book with the right questions that one should be asking about some of the difficult issues in Paul's writing.

Sanders deals with Paul's working out living in the Spirit and being in Christ against keeping the Law. The strength of Sanders is that he has such a thorough knowledge of the Judaism of Paul's day. He brings out many of the challenges that Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles had to deal in light of his thorough Jewishness.

What I found most interesting in this book was Sanders view on Romans 7, and Paul's views on sexuality. Sanders allows that Paul wrote Galatians earlier than Romans and by so he sees Romans as being more fully developed than Galatians. Sanders allows that Paul's theology developed and was modified over time as Paul had to deal with various issues about what it meant to be in Christ and be a Gentile and how the Law of the Jews relate to this new position.

This book deals with being "righteoused by faith" in Romans and Galatians. It deals with the resurrection of the dead which is very interesting chapter that many folks would benefit from reading.

The section on behavior deals with the Greco-Roman worlds view of sexuality versus the Jewish view of sexuality. Sanders shows Paul as always struggling with his Jewishness over against his mission to the Gentiles. Paul was determined not to make them Jews, but in issues of sexuality there is not much bend. Sanders give informative historical data in a fun and easy to read format on Greco-Roman sexuality.

I highly recommend this book.