The Apostle Paul: An Introduction to His Writings and Teaching

I approached reading about Paul with a bad attitude. I kinda like the guy now - Marion Soards is brilliant! Some of the bad rap that Paul has gotten is just that - a bad rap. Thanks, Dr. Soards

This introduction to the apostle Paul and his letters is a good book to begin a study of the Pauline epistles. Soards focuses his evaluation of Paul in the context of Paul's eschatological beliefs. Soards' organization is excellent, and he writes in an easy to follow style. Some of his discussions can get a little difficult to follow, especially his discussion of Paul's theology. Overall, a good book for the New Testament beginner.

This book offers the serious student of the life of St. Paul an in-depth look at the how's and why's of the epistles, which ones are known to have been written personally by him and which ones were not. The general culture and lifestyles of the communities at the time of St. Paul are also discussed as well as several alternative theories of his travels, text of several epistles, and most importantly, scholarly discussion of Christology, Ecclesiology and Jewish Law. Although the spiritual discussions can get bogged down somewhat in their discussions, I found Soards to err on the side of too much data rather than too little. This is a very good source document for the spirituality of St. Paul and the style of his teachings