Was Paul the "second founder" of Christianity, striking off in directions Jesus never envisaged and teaching lessons Christ never endorsed? In this study Paul Barnett sets out to establish that, current theories aside, the apostle was a true missionary of Jesus, authentically extending the Lord's mission.
Barnett argues that Paul's own writings are supplemented by Luke's contemporaneously written narrative of the Acts of the Apostles. He follows Paul on a decade of travels, examining the apostle in a historic context as well as revealed by Paul's own writings. Along the way, Barnett addresses a number of questions, such as Why did Paul persecute Christians when his teacher, Gamaliel, was against it? Was Paul converted or "called"? Are the "new perspectives on Paul" true to the evidence? and Why was Romans so important as a statement of Paul''s "gospel"?
Including several maps of Paul's travels and five helpful appendixes, Paul, Missionary of Jesus is ideal for anyone interested in Pauline studies and for those seeking out the historical truth of Christianity.
Paul, Missionary of Jesus is Volume 2 of a trilogy titled After Jesus, following volume 1, The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years. Volume 3 (forthcoming) will be Finding the Historical Christ.
