Minister, teacher and author James Stewart reveals how Paul the Apostle developed the Christian religion in the 1st century AD, shedding light on the emergence of early Christianity.
Informed by the author's scholarship, this superb book is based off a series of well-received lectures which the author delivered at the University of Edinburgh. The text is annotated at length, with incidences of the Bible's Greek and references to various sources from previous centuries. The flowing narration of Paul's progression from follower to great herald of Christianity, and the evolution of early Christian doctrines, is complimented in equal measure by the author's gifts for sermon writing and scholarship.
Given that he is addressing events that took place millennia ago, Stewart takes care not to stray to rigidity or supposition: it is simply a fact that the history and records of the time have their limitations. The chief sources, for their authority, consist of the New Testament, including the Gospel of Jesus. An honesty underpins the text, which treats the moral and historical elements of Christianity with utmost respect. How the character and events of Christ's life came to be described, and Paul's role in the development of the Christian faith, is told with accuracy.
In all, we find here an engrossing, well-written and convincing narrative of St. Paul, which explains and clarifies his role and importance in the formation of Christianity.