Paul offers believers the earliest written words we have about Jesus. He ranks, after Jesus himself, as the premier interpreter of the ""good news."" No one explains it with more intellectual depth and earnestness than he. That is why to penetrate the Apostle's mind as he writes about Jesus's saving value is not a simple task. But Father Taylor offers here a clear and understandable commentary on his letters, which is accessible to the layman and scholar alike. The book, reflective of the latest in Pauline scholarship, is easy to read throughout and throws considerable light on what Paul has to say about Jesus, ""born of a woman, born under the Law,"" and about the role his self-emptying (his Kenosis) played in bringing about the world's salvation. As an inspirational model, Jesus shows in Paul the paradoxical nature of our life as human beings made in the image and likeness of God: that it is in giving that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned and in dying that we are born to eternal life. Readers in their pursuit of Paul's understanding of Jesus will find in this volume on his letters, his message and his heritage much that will be most helpful to them in their lives as Christians. Michael J. Taylor, SJ (1924--2010) was Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Seattle University in Washington. In addition to BA, MA and ST degrees, he held a Doctorate in Theology (STD) from Woodstock College. A respected liturgical and ecumenical scholar, he taught New Testament Scripture on the college level for over thirty years. He is the author/editor of several books including among others The Sacraments, The Mystery of Suffering and Death, John: The Different Gospel, and Companion to John.
