Of all the earliest Christian authors, we know the most about Paul through the Book of Acts and his own letters. From these passages the reader can sketch Paul’s character and personality. But much of Paul’s activity as an apostle remains unknown. This important new book covers the time between Paul’s conversion in Damascus and his arrival in Antioch. With an unparalleled wealth of historical material and a reconsideration of Paul’s own writings, the authors offer a new picture of Paul’s own activity, set against a detailed background of the early Christian world; the church in Damascus to which he was introduced on his conversion; the methods of the first Christian mission; the situation in Arabia during Paul’s first mission; the mission territory in Tarsus and Cilicia to which he then moved; and the nature of the church in Antioch.
