Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Crisor · 06-09-2004, 01:13 AM

I noticed that in BC&H Recommended Reading & Reference under the section for the New Testament, there are no books that deal specifically with Paul. Since he was a major player in the spreading of Christianity throughout the ancient world, I was wondering if may have been an oversight. Can anyone recommend a good starting point for this area of study. I have done a search at amazon under the subject, but it seems there are probably just as many books about him as there are on Christ and its hard to tell which ones are worth a read and which are just a waste of space on my bookshelf.

Javaman · 06-09-2004, 03:30 AM

I only own two books exclusively dealing with Paul... but I recommend both of them. They are:

Paul: The Mind of the Apostle by A. N. Wilson

and the excellent

The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity by Hyam Maccoby

Mods, I listed Maccoby's book under Barnes and Noble's URL since they have a great deal and Amazon shows it out of print.

Magdlyn · 06-09-2004, 10:44 AM

While The Mythmaker is interesting, I find it depends too much on the assumption of the historicity of the Acts of the Apostles.

I highly rec chapter 8 of The Jesus Mysteries, "Was Paul a Gnostic?" Makes more sense than AofA interpretations of his message and mission.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0609...38#reader-page

Toto · 06-09-2004, 11:31 AM

The Jesus Mysteries

For an alternative view of Paul, I recommend The Fabrication of the Christ Myth.

I also recommend that you read this thread: Interpolations in the Pauline Epistles, to see how insecure any conclusions about Paul must be. Most scholarship on Paul assumes that the letters we have are basically as Paul wrote them, and that Acts has some historical value. Neither of these propositions is supportable.

Crisor · 06-09-2004, 02:39 PM

I was at B. Dalton yesterday and happened to run across a book entitled "The Gospel According to Paul." Anybody read this book yet to see if its worth the time.

I would hyperlink it, but I don't know how. sorry

The Gospel According to Paul
edited to add hyperlink

edited to correct URL to refer to internetinfidels

Toto · 06-09-2004, 03:06 PM

Gospel According to Paul

editorial review on Amazon:

Quote:

. . . Robin Griffin-Jones, a Christian scholar who previously taught the New Testament at Oxford University, attempts to answer many of the questions surrounding the "real" Paul. Some teachings have heralded Paul as the salvation of Christianity--having traveled thousands of miles across the Roman Empire, founding churches and spreading the "good news" wherever he went. He is also accused of embodying much of Christianity's shadow side--anti-Semitism, homophobia, misogyny, and a fanatical insistence upon converting others. In this 510-page character study, Griffith-Jones promises to get inside the head of the enigmatic Paul and offer a plausible interpretation of his motives and spiritual evolution. He argues that Paul was foremost an intensely devout seer and that much of the darker accusations were taken out of context. "This book is the story of arguments bitterly contested between different missionaries and different churches. Paul was in the thick of them. The conduct of these arguments is as gripping as their content. They throw into sharp relief the questions that still face any community growing in numbers and independence." Although Griffith-Jones excels in setting this historical context, he seems overly enamored with the visionary qualities of Paul's life and the poetic vibrancy of his letters, calling into question his ability to objectively present this complex apostle. The jacket cover dangles disturbing accusations against Paul in front of readers, but the author rarely addresses them directly. Unfortunately, Griffin-Jones's prose is often convoluted and he tends to jump about in time and focus, making this a challenging as well as unsatisfying read. --Gail Hudson

I would guess that this is another literary exercise that tries to accept every contradictory item in the NT about Paul.

Crisor · 06-09-2004, 03:10 PM

Thanks, Toto. Glad I didn't waste my money. :notworthy :notworthy

Tortie Cat · 06-10-2004, 09:36 AM

There is also Hyam Maccoby's other excellent book on Paul - 'Paul and Hellenism'.

Toto · 06-10-2004, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tortie Cat

There is also Hyam Maccoby's other excellent book on Paul - 'Paul and Hellenism'.

This book appears to be hard to find in the US, but there is a summary here: Paul and Hellenism

Magdlyn · 06-11-2004, 10:45 AM

Toto, I enjoyed the article you linked. Excellent companion to the Paul chapter in The Jesus Mysteries.

In the recent conversation about Paul on another thread, a poster claimed Paul could not have been a Gnostic b/c it hadn't been invented yet. Obviously this article shows it was a concept in Paganism already. Perhaps "classical" Gnosticism had not come to the fore yet, ie: Valentinus, Mani et al. But we need not define it so narrowly, IMO.

06-09-2004, 01:13 AM	#1
Crisor Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: In the darkest depths of the lowest hell one could possibly imagine Posts: 58	Books on Paul I noticed that in BC&H Recommended Reading & Reference under the section for the New Testament, there are no books that deal specifically with Paul. Since he was a major player in the spreading of Christianity throughout the ancient world, I was wondering if may have been an oversight. Can anyone recommend a good starting point for this area of study. I have done a search at amazon under the subject, but it seems there are probably just as many books about him as there are on Christ and its hard to tell which ones are worth a read and which are just a waste of space on my bookshelf.

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06-09-2004, 03:30 AM	#2
Javaman Veteran Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Nebraska Posts: 1,708	I only own two books exclusively dealing with Paul... but I recommend both of them. They are: Paul: The Mind of the Apostle by A. N. Wilson and the excellent The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity by Hyam Maccoby Mods, I listed Maccoby's book under Barnes and Noble's URL since they have a great deal and Amazon shows it out of print.

06-09-2004, 10:44 AM	#3
Magdlyn Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 2,230	While The Mythmaker is interesting, I find it depends too much on the assumption of the historicity of the Acts of the Apostles. I highly rec chapter 8 of The Jesus Mysteries, "Was Paul a Gnostic?" Makes more sense than AofA interpretations of his message and mission. http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0609...38#reader-page

06-09-2004, 11:31 AM	#4
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	The Jesus Mysteries For an alternative view of Paul, I recommend The Fabrication of the Christ Myth. I also recommend that you read this thread: Interpolations in the Pauline Epistles, to see how insecure any conclusions about Paul must be. Most scholarship on Paul assumes that the letters we have are basically as Paul wrote them, and that Acts has some historical value. Neither of these propositions is supportable.

06-09-2004, 02:39 PM	#5
Crisor Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: In the darkest depths of the lowest hell one could possibly imagine Posts: 58	I was at B. Dalton yesterday and happened to run across a book entitled "The Gospel According to Paul." Anybody read this book yet to see if its worth the time. I would hyperlink it, but I don't know how. sorry The Gospel According to Paul edited to add hyperlink edited to correct URL to refer to internetinfidels

06-09-2004, 03:10 PM	#7
Crisor Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: In the darkest depths of the lowest hell one could possibly imagine Posts: 58	Thanks, Toto. Glad I didn't waste my money. :notworthy :notworthy

06-10-2004, 09:36 AM	#8
Tortie Cat Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: On the mat, by the fireside! Posts: 79	There is also Hyam Maccoby's other excellent book on Paul - 'Paul and Hellenism'.

06-11-2004, 10:45 AM	#10
Magdlyn Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 2,230	Toto, I enjoyed the article you linked. Excellent companion to the Paul chapter in The Jesus Mysteries. In the recent conversation about Paul on another thread, a poster claimed Paul could not have been a Gnostic b/c it hadn't been invented yet. Obviously this article shows it was a concept in Paganism already. Perhaps "classical" Gnosticism had not come to the fore yet, ie: Valentinus, Mani et al. But we need not define it so narrowly, IMO.

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