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johanbos's review against another edition
5.0
This book changed how I read Paul. I would highly recommend it to someone who is already familiar with Paul's letters or to anyone who might be interested in learning more about the Christian faith from the life of the greatest of the Apostles of Christ. I found this book to be most enriching when I read the Book of Acts in tandem with this book.
rei_terblanche's review against another edition
5.0
N.T. Wright is regarded as one of THE leading experts on the New Testament today, especially its historical context. Who better to write a biography on the Apostle Paul? Probably nobody!
I am absolutely crazy about N.T. Wright's writings and lectures. He interprets and expounds the New Testament with such clarity and breadth of insight. He is also a spokesperson for the "New heavens and earth" eschatology (as he calls it) that places emphasis on God's promise to renew all of creation and once more unite heaven (God's domain) and earth (man's domain) for all eternity. I mention this because Tom Wright expertly shows how this really was Paul's vision of God's plan - revealed in the Scriptures and fulfilled in the Messiah Jesus.
Wright takes the reader on one helluva journey from Paul's early life as a devout Jew and Pharisee, to his world altering encounter with the resurrected Jesus (becoming a devout Messiah-man) on the Damascus road, to his letters, imprisonments and final days before his death. All throughout the book the reader is invited to jump over oceans and cross geographical/cultural borders with Paul (at lightning speed). While at the same time, required to keep up with the theological, eschatological and ecclesiastical implications of Jesus's death as observed in Paul's letters. I honestly found it hard to keep up at times, and needed my Bible close at hand in order to TRY and follow Wright's train of thought! Having said that, the footnotes, maps, and timelines in the book are very helpful!
By far my favourite aspect of this book was how vividly Wright managed to bring the apostle Paul to life as a human being in all of his complexity. Paul was zealous, blisteringly intelligent, loyal, passionate... and yet, vulnerable, emotional, affectionate and at times depressed. N.T. Wright brings Paul to life in this book! A must read! (One day I might even dare to attempt it again).
"An enthralling journey into the mind of Paul by one of the great theologians of our time, a work ful of insight, depth and generosity of understanding" - Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
I am absolutely crazy about N.T. Wright's writings and lectures. He interprets and expounds the New Testament with such clarity and breadth of insight. He is also a spokesperson for the "New heavens and earth" eschatology (as he calls it) that places emphasis on God's promise to renew all of creation and once more unite heaven (God's domain) and earth (man's domain) for all eternity. I mention this because Tom Wright expertly shows how this really was Paul's vision of God's plan - revealed in the Scriptures and fulfilled in the Messiah Jesus.
Wright takes the reader on one helluva journey from Paul's early life as a devout Jew and Pharisee, to his world altering encounter with the resurrected Jesus (becoming a devout Messiah-man) on the Damascus road, to his letters, imprisonments and final days before his death. All throughout the book the reader is invited to jump over oceans and cross geographical/cultural borders with Paul (at lightning speed). While at the same time, required to keep up with the theological, eschatological and ecclesiastical implications of Jesus's death as observed in Paul's letters. I honestly found it hard to keep up at times, and needed my Bible close at hand in order to TRY and follow Wright's train of thought! Having said that, the footnotes, maps, and timelines in the book are very helpful!
By far my favourite aspect of this book was how vividly Wright managed to bring the apostle Paul to life as a human being in all of his complexity. Paul was zealous, blisteringly intelligent, loyal, passionate... and yet, vulnerable, emotional, affectionate and at times depressed. N.T. Wright brings Paul to life in this book! A must read! (One day I might even dare to attempt it again).
"An enthralling journey into the mind of Paul by one of the great theologians of our time, a work ful of insight, depth and generosity of understanding" - Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
gracekugrena's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Amazing!! And so informative even though we are getting a lot of “fill in The blanks” Wright does a great job of getting in the mind of Paul to suggest as best as he can what he would of done or thought in the areas that historically seem grey as we don’t have much to refer to in terms of biblical sources.
mattreadstoomuch's review against another edition
4.0
Good book. There seems to be a solid understanding of history behind Wright's examination of Paul's life and motivations. A bit dry at times, but the last quarter of the book was fantastic.
ineffablebob's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
5.0
This book is considered by many to be the definitive work on the life of the Apostle Paul and with good reason. Wright analyzes the Jewish beliefs that formed Saul of Tarsus, describes how this Galilean teacher Jesus was a threat to that worldview, then walks through how his conversion experience led the man to change not just his name but the focus of his entire belief structure. Those beliefs continued to evolve as Paul undertook his journeys to bring the gospel to Jews and Gentiles alike. Wright works through the politics, social systems, and even economics of the times as he analyzes how Paul's beliefs developed, as well as speculating on the personality and motivations of the apostle. There's no more comprehensive and insightful work on this pillar of Christianity.
justkaty's review against another edition
It’s so dense, and I keep getting distracted. I’ll probably come back to this at some point.
amber_thiessen's review against another edition
3.0
I've had a hard time learning the sequence of events of Paul's life, between the missionary journeys in the book of Acts and the letters he wrote to the churches. So that's why this book caught my eye. It took me awhile to get through, but there's a lot of good stuff in it. It was written more academically. I'd love to read something a little simpler.
rachel_reads_regularly's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0