Paul the Apostle
By Robert E. Picirilli
5 stars

There are many theological and general texts about the life of Paul. Picirilli has written a well researched book that provides detailed insight in the life and ministry of Paul.

Most texts on the life of Paul are either two theological that they are hard to digest, or too superficial that they contain no new learnings. This book is a happy medium, providing the learning required for undergraduate theological students, without being out of reach of the lay person.

Picarilli examines Paul through the lens of the cultural aspects of the time. It examines the cultural and societal influences that impacted his ministry and his writings. Through understanding the cultural, historical and geographical context, the reader gains deeper insight into Paul.

prism of history and culture, outlines and explores his missionary journeys, and examines each of his epistles. Paired along with the New Testament, it helped this reader learn new things about the apostle and his writings, despite many readings of his writings in the Bible and Bible studies about them.

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This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

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Ok, THIS was the book I needed when I first started reading about Paul the Apostle. There was another book I read before this one that seemed to have the purpose to destroy faith and trust in the Bible. It claimed that half of what was attributed to Paul was actually written by others and it made me MAD. But I'm not a Biblical scholar by any stretch of the imagination, so that book left me confused and my faith dented.

THIS book, oh this book was written to educate and up-lift. It patiently explains that Paul wrote what was attributed to him and shows clearly the reasons why. But that isn't the full purpose of this book. A part, yes, but not the whole.

This book goes deep into showing the world Paul was living in, who he was as a person and explains what he wrote, to whom it was meant, why it was written, what issues were trying to be resolved and even as close to when it was written as possible. Apparently, dating what was being written wasn't a big thing back then. I would be lost without being able to follow when emails were sent for work! But I digress.

This book systematically and academically, but without the dryness of a textbook, takes the reader back to ancient times to meet Paul and the people he was working with and preaching to. Having a map and the Bible handy to refer to when reading this book is definitely helpful, but not 100% necessary to understand the text.

I completely fell in love with this book. It took me forever to read, but I think it worked in my favor. I needed this book now, so now is when I read it.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I will be getting copies for my church and for myself. 5 stars, no question.

My thanks to NetGalley and Moody Publishers for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Other than Jesus Christ, the most influential individual in the New Testament is Paul the Apostle. Having written more of New Testament than any other individual, the Apostle Paul is a person who laid the foundation for much of Christian teachings.

However, some of Paul is lost because people do not understand the man. While this may not be intentional, often the theological teachings of Paul are the focus. Yet, Paul lived in an environment that would have shaped his cultural and personal views of life.

In his book, Robert Picirilli tries to bring out the life of Paul but not in a theological or philosophical way. Rather he writes about Paul so that the average individual understand who this man was. So much of Paul’s writing may be understood more if a person has knowledge of Paul’s life.

Another thing to point out is that Picirilli is bring about some new research on Paul in terms of who he was, the area in which he lived, and some of the historical context that gives identity to what Paul may have faced while he was writing many of the works of the New Testament.

I really appreciated how well this book was written and that it was written not in a very educational or academic way. Rather, it was written in a way so that every individual could read it understand more of food Paul was. Another thing to note is that there are some great resources in the resources section at the back of the book to help people who are studying the life of Paul really dig deeper into a historical, cultural, theological, and personal context of who Paul was.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and exchange from an honest review.

Paul The Apostle : Missionary, Martyr, Theologian by Robert E. Picirilli is standard reading for many university students taking courses about this important figure in Christianity. It was also an accessible read for this layperson and part time Sunday School teacher who wanted to learn more about Paul. Dr. Picirilli taught college courses on the apostle for twenty-five years and wrote this volume when he determined that most of the books written about the apostle were too basic or too scholarly. He has found a happy medium in this book which was originally published in 1986. In a very well documented way, Picarilli examines Paul through the prism of history and culture, outlines and explores his missionary journeys, and examines each of his epistles. Paired along with the New Testament, it helped this reader learn new things about the apostle and his writings, despite many readings of his writings in the Bible and Bible studies about them.

This is a well researched book but at times I felt it went into more detail than I needed. I did appreciate the insight that it did share about Paul and his life and ministry.
I received this book free from the publisher for purpose of review.