This new introduction to Paul first appeared in America to paeans of praise from reviewers, with comments ranging from 'lucid and exciting . . . reads like Time magazine' to 'the best one-volume effort on Paul's letters I have seen', and rapidly established itself as a basic student textbook. Demand for a reprint enabled the author to enlarge it and add further details, including a treatment of the deutero-Pauline letters, which enhance its value even more.
The author writes for those trying to read the letters of Paul systematically for the first time and for those returning for further study. It is an introduction in the best sense of the word, entertaining as well as informative, and presents basic information in a comprehensive and attractive way. Successive chapters deal with Paul and his world, the anatomy of the letters, traditions behind the letters, the letters as conversations, Paul and his myths, Paul's first interpreters and his relevance in the discussion of certain specific topics today.
Teachers looking for a way of introducing their students to Paul will find this book ideal; it is one of those works which even whets the appetite for more.