Informed by the historical evidence and with a sharp eye for telltale clues in the Apostle Paul's letters, E. Randolph Richards takes us into his world and places us on the scene with Paul the letter writer offering a glimpse that overthrows our preconceptions and offers a new perspective on how this important portion of Christian Scripture came to be.

In Paul's day, producing and delivering a letter was time-consuming and costly. Informed by historical evidence and features of the biblical texts, E. Randolph Richards examines the whole process and offers a new perspective on Paul the letter writer.

Informed by the historical evidence and with a sharp eye for telltale clues in the Apostle Paul's letters, E. Randolph Richards takes us into his world and places us on the scene with Paul the letter writer offering a glimpse that overthrows our preconceptions and offers a new perspective on how this important portion of Christian Scripture came to be.

How did Paul use his secretaries? Did he rely on co-authors? Did his rhetorical education affect the way he organised his material? This book confronts these questions on the basis of extensive quotations from classical Greek and Latin authors. A synoptic survey of the beginnings and ends of the letters brings out the extent to which Paul both used and adapted current epistolary conventions. The intention of the book is to humanize the Pauline letters and make their complex theology less daunting. (Adapted from back cover).

The author provides the most extensive analysis available of ancient Jewish letter writing from the Persian period until the early rabbinic literature. In addition, he demonstrates the significance of Jewish letters for the development of early Christian letter writing.

Making use of letters--both formal and personal--that have been preserved through the ages, Stanley Stowers analyzes the cultural setting within which Christianity arose. The Library of Early Christianity is a series of eight outstanding books exploring the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts in which the New Testament developed.

In Christianity in the making, James D.G. Dunn examines in depth the major factors that shaped first-generation Christianity and beyond, exploring the parting of the ways between Christianity and Judaism, the Hellenization of Christianity, and responses to Gnosticism. He mines all the first- and second-century sources, including the New Testament Gospels, New Testament apocrypha, and such church fathers as Ignatius, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus, showing how the Jesus tradition and the figures of James, Paul, Peter, and John were still esteemed influences but were also the subject of intense controversy as the early church wrestled with its evolving identity.

"Reading the Letters of Saint Paul is a clearly written introduction to the known writings of Saint Paul and their importance for the early church. It provides a very readable beginning to know the person and message of Saint Paul in the circumstances of his own time and concentrates on identifying the major themes and teachings of Paul that have been the foundation of the church's theology and spirituality ever since. Sister Carolyn, an experienced and dynamic teacher of the New Testament, has provided a wonderful resource for understanding the first and greatest of the church's teachers who followed Jesus. She has added to each section questions for reflection, and a prayer from the church's rich tradition gathered through the centuries. It can be an ideal introductory text to Saint Paul for parish study groups, schools and individual study."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Douglas Campbell has made a name for himself as one of Paul’s most insightful and provocative interpreters. In this short and spirited book Campbell introduces readers to the apostle he has studied in depth over his scholarly career. Enter with Campbell into Paul’s world, relive the story of Paul’s action-packed ministry, and follow the development of Paul’s thought throughout both his physical and his spiritual travels. Ideal for students, individual readers, and study groups, Paul: An Apostle’s Journey dramatically recounts the life of one of early Christianity’s most fascinating figures—and offers powerful insight into his mind and his influential message.