Paul in The Books Store

So, why this book on Paul? Perusal of the platoon of Paul books shows that the works fall into three categories: scholarly monographs, collected essays, and books for a mythical general audience. Whatever the character of these contributions, they usually seek to serve one of three aims: to produce a life of Paul, to examine a letter or the letters of Paul, or to summarize Paul's theology in general or on some particular point. Rarely, a book pursues two goals, as does Gunther Bornkamm's Paul, which treats both Paul's life and his theology. Perhaps Bornkamm's ambitious format as much as the quality of his scholarship has made his book the standard text for Paul courses for more than a decade. The book continues to be the standard introductory text to Paul despite being the product of an interpretative approach that the majority of contemporary critical scholars considers to be less-than-adequate. And so, teachers and students of Paul cry out for a new text.

The Apostle Paul is, on the one hand, daring, and, on the other, reckless in seeking to speak to all three areas of Pauline studies------life, letters, and theology. With the overload of Paul books, nothing short of this approach seems suitable for a new book on Paul. Paul's life, letters, and theology must be treated together, since to do otherwise is to risk distorting one or more of the areas of Pauline studies. Moreover, one encountering Paul needs information regarding all three areas, and no such book exists------especially one that understands Paul from the apocalyptic perspective which characterizes this study.

Thus, even though there are perils in this Pauline project, the task is undertaken. The format and much of the contents of this book developed and were refined in teaching Paul to both advanced undergraduate students and primary level (on Paul) seminarians. To those partners in Pauline studies at Louisiana State University and Union Theological Seminary, New York, I owe thanks for the motivation to produce this work designed to introduce the mission and message of one whose labors and thinking form an essential part of the foundation of all subsequent Christianity.

What is most distinctive about this presentation of Paul's theology is the argument that dying and rising with Christ as part of the body of Christ is central to Paul's understanding of Jesus as savior and to his understanding of Christian life. While other presentations of Paul's theology acknowledge the presence of this theme in Paul, none of them sees it as central to his theology. Dying and Rising with Christ also discusses Paul's understanding of God more extensively than other presentations.