Paul The Apostle: Missionary, Martyr, Theologian Paperback – October 8, 1986

Book arrived as described and promptly.This book is somewhere between a bible seminary student course and a casual reader. It suggest using the maps and the bible to follow along so you really get a picture of just how far Paul traveled. The author suggest the 13 books in the bible written by Paul were not written for a grammar essay or term paper, nor even knowing they would be part of our bible today, but rather they were very personal letters written in the everyday language of his time and in the letter format style of his day.Greek was the standard language and all of his letters were preserved then translated from Greek so the author gives the Greek word for some word or phrases and shows how it could also be said another way, thus we now have today more than just the King James Version of the bible. As for things not mentioned in the bible about the years of Paul's life that is silent, the author either tries to fill in the blanks with ancient history manuscripts and official Roman documents or if not possible he says it is useless to speculate about what did or did not happen as we could come up with millions of what ifs. The author shows when each letter was written and where and why. He could not definitely say that Galations was not the first letter but believed it was not as some others think it was Paul's first letter. This author thinks Thessalonians was his first letter on his 2nd missionary journey. I had no idea of that. I also assumed he wrote his first letter that is in the bible much earlier in his ministry, at least on his first missionary journey.Overall, this is the most indepth book on Paul I have read. You need to be familiar with the New Testament or Paul's travel stories or have read a basic story about Paul's life before jumping in to this book. Highly recommend this one.

I am very partial to Paul's Epistles and greatly enjoyed this scholarly work. The author does a fantastic job of transporting you to that time and place, making you feel like you're actually walking through these cities and experiencing them first hand. I was amazed at how much has been drawn from the scriptures about Paul's life and correlated with historical knowledge from other sources. This book goes deep and told me more than I ever thought I'd know about the life and times of Paul.

Interested in a basic assessment on the life of the Apostle Paul? If so, this is a great book to start with. I had never read Dr. Picirilli but he comes highly recommend from those inside the Arminian circles. I found this book to demonstrate that the author has a fair, even nature which enables him to write a balanced treaty on one of the world's most influential minds. No other person other than Jesus has had such a large footprint in the development of Christian theology. The Apostle Paul still has those who love his works and others who despise him but one thing is for certain: very few can feel neutral about him. He was a unique and complicated man who accomplished great things. Dr. Picirilli does a great job creating a portrait of his life and times. In this review I will state what I think to be both the positive and negative aspects of this work.First, let me discuss some of the more positive traits of this book. Dr. Picirilli is well-spoken. His language does not have a high theological language demand so this book is accessible to anyone who has general interest in tracing the life of the Apostle Paul. I disagree with his dates for Paul and tend to think that Dr. Hoehner in his book on the life of Christ blew the early figures out of the water. However, there is a pretty straight chronology. I must admit that from time to time I found myself confused on a few points. By and large it was well thought out and laid forth in a strong linear path. I really enjoyed understanding what happened to Paul at Ephesus and the imprisonment that scholars believed he faced there. This was an idea I had never heard before.The beginning of the book was excellent. The sketch of Tarsus really brought the early life of the Apostle into a deeper light. His assessment as to why God chose Paul and not Peter for the mission to the Gentiles really makes sense in the light of Paul's home city. Placing a timeline of the epistles written by the Apostle Paul helps to understand a little more about the context surrounding each letter. His outlines of the epistles would prove to be useful to anyone teaching about the life of Paul. I appreciate that Dr. Picirilli is conservative in his approach to scripture. His deep commitment to its veracity is quite clear and refreshing. He has also possesses a knowledge of Roman history which makes this work even more compelling and contextual. His connection to the traditions of the church helped him to make a good argument for Paul's ultimate martyrdom by beheading.There were some negative aspects to this book as well. There were a number of dead spots in the book where the excitement of the first chapter is lost. My biggest complaint however, is the fact that there was little to no personal application. Much of the time it was dry facts unaccompanied by the wealth of wisdom that Dr. Picirilli has accrued. There were moments that warm theological thought would have been a welcome change. Unfortunately these were few and far between. What personal lessons could have been brought home to the reader that would have made this book more enjoyable? I know that Dr. Picirilli is a champion of Classical Arminianism so I am relatively sure he had some great things which he could have used to enrich the work.Would I recommend this book? I already have and I think that is a great lead in for the study of Paul's life. I realize there is more contemporary research on Paul but I think that what Picirilli has done is right and will likely not face any serious problems in the future. I for one will use this to teach in the future and feel that this would be a great starter book on the subject. I would read it all over again if I needed to. I would also add that if you are in a study group about Paul this would be an awesome resource to use. While Picirilli could have been more interesting, his research is very solid and his commitment to scripture is something to be commended. Check this book out.

This book was written by a Baptist college professor as a textbook for his students. It is not preachy. It is not pretentious. It is pleasant and matter-of-fact and very very useful. This and maybe the NT Wright book, Paul, A Biography are all you need for a lesson series.

This is an excellent book. I like the way it has background information inserted to give the reader an overview of the context and the historical times in which things were occurring. The author uses several Roman historians to establish timelines. I read many Roman historians. All the information cited is accurate. That was very reassuring. Even if the reader is not familiar with these historians , the information will be interesting and not bland or tiring. It has the Bible verses within the text where you can read along and compare the information. If there are areas of differing points of view, the author lays about all points and discusses them in some detail without going into dogmatic or ideological controversies. The foot notes are copious. The lists of additional resources are voluminous and very helpful. The reader will indeed have a better understanding of the Pauline letters, their recipients, their intent and their practical application to Christian life today. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a clearer understanding of the man and the apostle, Paul of Tarsus.