Paul: A Critical Life

Rating:
Summary: fascinating look at Paul's travels and spiritual growth
Review: Anyone looking for an excellent synopsis of Paul, his travels, and spiritual growth would do well to read this book. We follow Paul as he develops his thoughts and philosophy, and as he travels throughout the Judaic world of the time. In addition, you are also given great insight into the lives of the people he meets and the travelling conditions of the times.

All in all, a fascinating insight into the mind and spirit of the man who brought Christian thought into the world.

Rating:
Summary: comprehensive and fascinating
Review: From a Pauline scholar of Murphy-O'Connor caliber, it is no surprise to find an exhaustive appraisal of the details associated with the chronology of Paul's career. Once the hard stuff is out of the way, however, Murphy-O'Connor gives his readers a fascinating glimpse into the life of Paul. Of great interest is the educational opportunities afforded to a diaspora Jew in Tarsus, the breakdown between Paul and the Antiochian church, the strategy employed by Paul in his missionary work, the precise nature of the "Judaizers" who plagued Paul in Galatia and elsewhere, and the troubled relationship of Paul to the Corinthian church. Paul emerges as passionate, occasionally biased, but always intensely involved and fascinating. References and bibiographic material abound. The bit on 2 Thessalonians is unique and well-argued. Murphy-O'Connor tries to round out Paul's career as much as possible with what can be known of Thessalonika, Ephesus, Antioch Pisidia, Philippi, and the associates involved in Paul's ministries in Asia Minor, so it offers a picture of Paul's relationships beyond the overshadowing portrait of the Corinthian correspondence. It is a book that you will go back to over the years, even if you don't agree with all of it. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: sometimes reaching
Review: not really a biography. it's also a little dry.

i also find his assertion or speculation that Paul was a widower reaching.