In Search of Paul: How Jesus' Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom [Paperback]

John Dominic Crossan (Author), Jonathan L. Reed (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

John Dominic Crossan, the eminent historical Jesus scholar, and Jonathan L. Reed, an expert in biblical archaeology, reveal through archaeology and textual scholarship that Paul, like Jesus, focused on championing the Kingdom of God––a realm of justice and equality––against the dominant, worldly powers of the Roman empire.

Many theories exist about who Paul was, what he believed, and what role he played in the origins of Christianity. Using archaeological and textual evidence, and taking advantage of recent major discoveries in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Syria, Crossan and Reed show that Paul was a fallible but dedicated successor to Jesus, carrying on Jesus's mission of inaugurating the Kingdom of God on earth in opposition to the reign of Rome. Against the concrete backdrop of first–century Grego–Roman and Jewish life, In Search of Paul reveals the work of Paul as never before, showing how and why the liberating messages and practices of equality, caring for the poor, and a just society under God's rules, not Rome's, were so appealing.

Readers interested in Paul as a historical figure and his place in the development of Christianity

•Readers interested in archaeology and anthropology

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Crossan and Reed make a compelling case for the idea that culture, politics and quest for empire played as large a part in the formation of the Apostle Paul as did theology and religious training. It is an approach that will leave some wondering just how much of a role spirituality played in the Paul story. The authors (Crossan is a prolific author and former co-chair of the Jesus Seminar, Reed is Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at La Verne College in California) dig deeply into the history and archeology of Paul's world, searching for an understanding of the enigmatic apostle. Paul emerges as a fervent advocate for both the uniqueness of the Christian faith and the marginalization of others, the triumph of the City of God over the pagan and anti-God Roman empire. And this Paul is willing to reach out to both Jew and Gentile to accomplish his aims. In the end, Paul the man of faith is subsumed in Paul the agenda-driven revolutionary. The authors' masterful use of history, geography and theology combine to offer a strong case for their thesis. This book is written for a sophisticated audience, and therefore will be inaccessible to many readers, but it will be a valuable addition to the scholar's library.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“An adventure in history, theology, and the politics of empire. Christianity needs this book, but so does America.” (James Carroll, author of Constantine's Sword )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060816163
• ISBN-13: 978-0060816162
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John D. Crossan is generally acknowledged to be the premier historical Jesus scholar in the world. His books include The Historical Jesus, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, and Who Killed Jesus? He recently appeared in the PBS special "From Jesus to Christ."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

152 of 160 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, October 26, 2004

By 

Robert Grimm - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Search of Paul: How Jesus' Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom (Hardcover)

I have heard Crossan lecture, seen him on TV and read two of his books Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, and his memoir, A Long Way from Tipperary. I logged onto Amazon.com in the hopes of getting a copy of his newest book In Search of Paul co-authored with the archaeologist Jonathan Reed and read the review from Publishers Weekly. That review said it was only for scholars so I decided to avoid it, but then I saw Crossan do an absolutely fascinating PowerPoint presentation on "Religion & Empire, Faith & Violence" with a "Case Study on Roman Imperial Theology," at a seminar in Jackson, MS. There were early copies of In Search of Paul for sale at the book-display, and bought it immediately. Most of the others buying the book were not scholars, but lay people, just like me. I am now about half-way through In Search of Paul and find absurd the Publishers Weekly reviewer's judgment that "this book is written for a sophisticated audience, and therefore will be inaccessible to many readers, but it will be a valuable addition to the scholar's library." The book gives a clear and concise picture of Paul in a historical context with added richness displayed in over 30 color pictures and over 130 black & white ones. This book is emphatically not just for scholars, but reaches the general educated audience on a most fascinating and accessible level. And, although I am only at the half-way point, I am finding it a most enjoyable read-and-look book. I think of it as The Da Vinci Code with pictures, but better researched and better written.

111 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Year's Best Book, November 20, 2004

By 

James F. Loftus "learning adventurer" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Search of Paul: How Jesus' Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom (Hardcover)

I judge the success of a book by the degree it challenges me, and opens up new perspectives, and this is what Cossan has achieved. I had not realised just how immersed Paul was in his Roman time and culture, how subversive he was to it, and how closely allied he was to Jesus' vision of Jewish justice. I feel that I am 'there' in Roman cultural life, and I feel the immediacy of the man, Paul, on the road, in prison and in the awful death. What the book also does is make me ask many more questions such as why was Paul's vision so quickly muted in the post-Pauline and anti-Pauline developments, how much influence has the classical Roman mind had on Augustine and later Roman Catholic moral attitudes. I want to know more. And, significantly, Crossan and Reed clearly indicate Paul's real positive attitude to women and sex, distinguishing it from the slander often attributed to him. Taken seriously this book is a time bomb for Christian denominations, individual Christians, and for me. But who will heed it? Who did heed the historical Paul? Even Luke in 'Acts' sanitised him. I shall read this book again as there is much to enjoy, much to learn.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Interesting Book on Paul Yet!, June 24, 2005

By 

Timothy P. Chambers (Newcastle, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Search of Paul: How Jesus' Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom (Hardcover)

There are alot of books about Paul and I've read my share. This book gave me more information about the world around Paul than about him directly. I feel like I know more about the Roman Empire, the Imperial Cult, the status of Jews and the synagogue in the first century, and the patronage system than I could have learned from a cache of historical books. Crossan and Reed bring it all together for a better understanding about Paul.
Crossan let a little of his own beliefs slip into the text. I used to think he was a scholar without "faith." I believe differently now.