Who was the apostle Paul? That question has provided grist for the scholarly mill for millennia. This fifth volume of the Jesus Seminar Guides opens with summaries of the traditional understanding of Paul that examine its inconsistencies and contradictions and reveal its bankruptcy. The authors then move beyond that traditional framework provided by Augustine and Luther to more radical approaches as they struggle with questions such as: who was the historical Paul, how is Paul's message related to Jesus', what problem was Paul trying to solve, and what was his concept of God?
Who was the apostle Paul? That question has provided grist for the scholarly mill for millennia. This fifth volume of the Jesus Seminar Guides opens with summaries of the traditional understanding of Paul that examine its inconsistencies and contradictions and reveal its bankruptcy. The authors then move beyond that traditional framework provided by Augustine and Luther to more radical approaches as they struggle with questions such as: who was the historical Paul, how is Paul's message related to Jesus', what problem was Paul trying to solve, and what was his concept of God?