E. P. Sanders offers an expansive introduction to the apostle, navigating some of the thorniest issues in scholarship using language accessible to the novice and seasoned scholar alike. Always careful to distinguish what we can know historically from what we may only conjecture, and these from dogmatically driven misrepresentations, Sanders sketches a fresh picture of the apostle as an ardent defender of his own convictions, ever ready to craft the sorts of arguments that now fill his letters. E. P. Sanders has for many years been one of the leading scholars of Paul's life and work. His book is a key text for scholars and students alike.

Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James

A major Pauline theology, the first to have come out in the Catholic area in recent years, which sheds light on and interprets Paul's theology by his letters, his life, and both against the background of his times.

Except for the Lord Jesus himself, no person has been more influential in the history of the church than Saul of Tarsus. Paul’s influence upon the early church’s most cherished convictions is so clear and powerful that some scholars have dared to describe him as the founder of Christianity. Paul had a greater impact on the formation of the Christian church than any other apostle. He wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament so that nearly half of the New Testament documents bear his name. Although some of Paul’s letters are brief compared to other New Testament books, his epistles compromise approximately one-fourth of the total volume of the New Testament.Approximately sixteen chapters of the Book of Acts focus on Paul’s persecution of the church, conversion, missionary labors, arrest and imprisonment. When these chapters are combined with Paul’s letters, Paul may be recognized as the author or subject of nearly one-third of the New Testament. Paul was not only the most effective Christian missionary and church planter in history, but also the most significant and influential interpreter of Jesus’ teachings and of the significance of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and return.This book introduces readers to this amazing man and his incredible story. It explains the background of each of Paul’s letters and offers a summary of the beliefs of one of the keenest theological minds in the history of the church. All along, it enables the reader an opportunity to step into the world of Paul with over 150 photos, maps, illustrations, and charts.

It is impossible to imagine what Christianity would look like today if the Apostle Paul had not lived and died in the first century. As important as they were, if we suddenly had no James or perhaps even no Peter the jolt would not be nearly as sharp as removing Paul. His mission to the Gentiles was definitive for the shape of Christianity for centuries to come. Even more than that, it was his letters that largely defined the discussions, theologies and church councils for the First Millenium and beyond. Christianity is fundamentally about Jesus Christ-and Paul is the first one to remind us of that-yet Christianity without Paul is hard to imagine. Paul would never have believed that his letters would be given equal weight with the Jewish Torah by later Christians. He would have been appalled by such an idea. But today we treasure these writings not just for their devotional, theological and homiletical value but as self-revelations of a man who was passionately in love with God, who was enthralled by the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ, and who constantly lived what he preached.

The life and ministry of the apostle Paul was a sprawling adventure covering thousands of miles on Roman roads and treacherous seas as he boldly proclaimed the gospel of Jesus to anyone who would listen, be they commoners or kings. His impact on the church and indeed on Western civilization is immeasurable. From his birth in Tarsus to his rabbinic training in Jerusalem to his final imprisonment in Rome, An Illustrated Guide to the Apostle Paul brings his remarkable story to life. Drawing from the book of Acts, Paul's many letters, and historical and archaeological sources, this fully illustrated resource explores the social, cultural, political, and religious background of the first-century Roman world in which Paul lived and ministered. It sheds light on the places he visited and the people he met along the way. Most importantly, it helps us understand how and why Paul was used by God in such extraordinary ways. Pastors, students, and anyone engaged in Bible study will find this an indispensable and inspiring resource.