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Download PDF The First Paul Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church Conservative Icon Marcus J Borg John Dominic Crossan 9780061430732 Books

Product details Paperback 240 pages Publisher HarperOne; 1 edition (March 2, 2010) Language English ISBN-10 9780061430732 ISBN-13 978-0061430732 ASIN 0061430730

The First Paul Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church Conservative Icon Marcus J Borg John Dominic Crossan 9780061430732 Books Reviews

• My attempts to read Paul always began with his Epistle to the Romans and usually halted part way through with the impression that I was trying to chew gravel. There were good bits (Paul on love) that I'd heard in sermons and equally horrible contradictory bits used to shore up prejudice and disrespect (Paul on women, slaves, homosexuals, docility). It never occurred to me that the revolutionary and the reactionary Paul were not the same person.
  Borg and Crossan's book provided an excellent solution to my perennial difficulties. They provide a clear background as to which texts are authentic and what world they came from. They also provide a thematically guided reading of the epistles. They turned on the light for me as far as Paul is concerned. This is a book I shall re-read as I come through the epistles again.
  Readers who are die-hard conservatives looking for validations of prejudice and closed minds will not take kindly to Borg and Crossan's scholarship and the freshness of their approach. Those seeking more openness and awe for all that surrounds them will be well stimulated. I came away with the sense that I was seeing through a glass less darkly.
• this book is all too short. It begins by explaining that modern scholarship has identified three Pauls the radical Paul (to about 50 E), the Conservative Paul (about 60 CE), and the Reactionary Paul (about 110 CE), and distinguishes their works. The analysis of the original and true Paul is original and somewhat mind-boggling. I had some real doubts about whether Paul had a real conversion prior to reading this. It seemed to me that only too many of Paul's opinions were "of the time" and did not contain timeless truths. I personally now believe that the original Paul was indeed sincere, and that his message and the message of Christianity was subsumed into first century culture and subverted by subsequent authors styling themselves as "Paul." I wish more time had been spent on how the conservative Paul and the reactionary Paul subverted the original message. However, the discussion of the radical Paul's letters was incredibly enlightening, and I'd suggest this to anyone who has suspicions that the message of Jesus Christ was subverted to serve the status quo. I think watching the changes in the various "Paul"'s messages really indicates this...sadly.
• As with their previous books, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan have a winner in this book on Paul. Looking at the development of Christianity in relation to the parallel development of Roman Imperial Theology helps to explain how the teachings of Jesus grew and flourished in the first century of the Common Era (aka A.D.) The book also explains how these simple messages and the lifestyle begun by followers of The Way (of Jesus) soon became corrupted and distorted by human error, desire, mendacity, ego, and organization.
  By explaining what the religion that came to be called Christianity was at first - and how Paul supported and wrote to individual congregations about their development, disagreements, and direction - this book allows us to bring the church in our times back to the future. This is true for Catholic or Protestant, large church or small, and is particularly helpful for house churches.
• This is a relatively uncontroversial book - for Borg. He focuses on the letters of Paul that are generally accepted as genuine and stresses the contrast, especially, with the letters that were almost certainly written in his name by other people after his death. Borg's view that the genuine letters conform well with the message of Jesus as presented in the gospels is quite convincing and, in a sense, very reassuring about the foundations of Christianity.
• Recommended for anyone wanting an advanced discussion of Christian Theology, but requires a little more than a "Praise the Lord" knowledge of Christianity. I found the first few chapters interesting understandable and informative. Thirteen of the 27 books of the new testament are letters attributed to Paul. Seven of these are considered undisputed, or actually written by Paul before his Death around 64 AD. Six books are considered disputed. Three probably written by Pauls disciples shortly after his death and 3 called the Pastoral letters, thought to be written toward the end of the 1st century. The intent is to decipher what the real Paul thought versus the Paul of later letters. The undisputed letters were written before the Gospels, therefore a more accurate description of original Christian beliefs. They effectively demonstrated that Pauls message as seen through these letters changed throughout the first century by comparing the three groups of letters on issues such as the women's role in the church and slavery. But like so many books on Christian Theology, they soon go into long abstract convoluted terms and reasoning that only a theologian would understand. It is no wonder they expect Christians to accept the word on faith because few of these guys can explain the Theology of Christian faith in down to earth language. It's this issue that I lowered the review from 4 to 3 stars. I am glad I worked my way through the second half of the book because I did pick up a little understanding of these abstract issues. It convincingly sheds light on theological issues that have become points of contention between the 30,000 denominations of the Protestant church.
• This is the best book about Paul that I have ever read. I was fortunate to hear Marcus Borg speak at a conference several years ago and it was so enlightening. Having grown up in the Bible belt, I had never heard or read teaching like this. You have to read this with an open mind so if you are stuck in your beliefs, don't waste your time. Brilliant scholarship that explains why Paul has so many mixed messages. I highly recommend this vendor also.