Bibliography
Aston, John. The Religion of Paul the Apostle.
New Haven and London:
Yale University Press, 2000.
Some revised lectures delivered at Oxford on the religious
experience of Paul from a comparative religions perspective. Very
interesting.
Berger, Klaus. Identity and Experience in the New Testament.
Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003.
Boyarin, Daniel.
A Radical Jew: Paul and the Politics of
Identity.
A highly praised study of Paul by a Jewish Talmudist
who took the time to learn Greek just so he could study Paul! It
is theoretically sophisticated and challenging, but if you're fascinated
by cultural theory and criticism you'll probably love it. The
entire book is online if you want to check it out:
http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft7w10086w,
but you must use the hardcopy for your review in order to get the
correct page references.
Donaldson, Terence L.
Paul and the Gentiles: Remapping the
Apostle's Convictional World.
Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997.
A highly praised innovative presentation of Paul's thought.
Donaldson interacts with a wealth of leading scholarship on Paul but does not
assume the reader already knows who and what he is talking about. An
excellent choice for someone who wants to learn a lot about current scholarly
perspectives on Paul.
Elliott, Neil.
Liberating Paul.
Orbis, 1994.
Argues in scholarly detail the "new perspective" ideas
encountered in the short popular article we read by him,
but still in a manner friendly to non-specialists.
Esler, Philip F.
Conflict and Identity in Romans: The
Social Setting of Paul's Letter.
Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003.
A highly praised sociological reading of Romans. Esler
interacts with a wealth of leading scholarship on Romans, but does not assume the
reader already knows who and what he is talking about. An excellent choice
for someone who wants to learn a lot about current scholarly perspectives on
Romans.
Given, Mark D. Paul's True Rhetoric: Ambiguity, Cunning, and Deception in
Greece and Rome. Emory Studies in Early Christianity 7.
Harrisonburg: Trinity Press International, 2001.
Horsley, Richard, ed. Paul and Empire: Religion and
Power in Roman Imperial Society. Harrisburg: Trinity, 1997.
Lots of very interesting essays on the political aspects of
Paul's discourse.
Horsley, Richard, ed. Paul and Politics: Ekklesia, Israel,
Imperium,
Interpretation: Essays in Honor of Krister Stendahl.
Harrisburg: Trinity,
2000.
Similar to the previous entry.
Keener, Craig S. Paul, women & wives: marriage and women's ministry
in the letters of Paul. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1992.
Evangelicals differ widely on the issues referred to in the
title of this widely read and influential book. Keener accepts the authenticity of the
Deutero-Paulines and Pastorals, but argues that the controversial passages in
all the Pauline epistles are often misunderstood and misapplied.
Martin, Dale. The Corinthian Body. New
Haven/London: Yale University Press, 1995.
A cutting-edge study of the Paul's use of body
metaphors and the type of anthropology that emerges in 1 Corinthians.
Martin uses a social-constructionist approach.
Nissinen, Martti.
Homoeroticism in the Biblical World.
Minneapolis:
Fortress, 1998.
A careful and objective study of the range of attitudes toward
homoeroticism in biblical times. Highly recommended.
Segal, Alan F.
Paul the Convert: The Apostasy and Apostleship of Paul.
A very important and influential study arguing that
Paul was to some considerable degree both called and converted.
Makes an excellent case that Paul was a mystical Jewish apocalypticist,
and is thus an important witness to the emergence of this tradition in
both Judaism and Christianity. Fascinating but somewhat long and
occasionally repetitive. For advanced students.
Siker, Jeffrey S. Disinheriting the Jews: Abraham in
Early Christian Controversy. Louisville: Westminster, 1991.
Nearly half the book is about Paul and
Luke-Acts. The other half deals with other NT writings and second century
Christian writings, the latter of which are often rooted in (mis)interpretations of Paul.
A great way to introduce oneself to the gradual emergence of anti-Judaism in
early Christianity.
Theissen, Gerd. The Religion of the Earliest Churches: Creating a Symbolic
World. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1999.
This is a comprehensive look at the development of early
Christianity in all its rich diversity using a sociological approach.
The book is not just about Paul, of course, but he looms large.
Wire, Antoinette Clark. The Corinthian Women Prophets:
A Reconstruction through Paul's Rhetoric. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990.
Combines sociological and "new rhetoric"
approaches to reconstruct the audience of 1 Corinthians and interpret Paul's
message to the women prophets. Challenging but readable.
Bruce, F. F. Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977.
A bit long (475 pages) and dated, but still worth the
effort. A classic of British evangelical scholarship.
Bornkamm, Günther. Paul.
New York: Harper & Row, 1971.
A bit dated, but a classic of
German critical scholarship.
Cassidy, Richard J. Paul in Chains: Roman Imprisonment and the Letters of
Paul. New York: Crossroad Pub. Co., 2001.
Pretty tough, but a good choice if you're really interested
in this subject.
Castelli, Elizabeth. Imitating Paul: A Discourse of Power.
Louisville:
Westminster John Knox, 1991 - and - Polaski, Sandra. Paul and the Discourse
of Power. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001.
Both apply postmodern critical theory to
Paul. The first is more academic, the second a little more popular in style.
Das, A. Andrew. Paul, the Law, and the Covenant.
Peabody: Hendrickson,
2001.
Pretty technical, but readable, although there is some
untranslated Greek here and there. Challenges influential "new
perspective" views of E. P. Sanders and others.
Engberg-Pedersen, Troels, ed. Paul Beyond the Judaism/Hellenism Divide.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001.
A landmark collection of essays on this subject. For
advanced students with some basic knowledge of Greek.
Furnish, Victor Paul. The Moral Teaching of Paul: Selected Issues.
2d ed.; Nashville: Abingdon, 1985 - and - MacDonald, Dennis R. The Legend and the Apostle: The Battle for Paul in
Story and Canon. Philadelphia: Westminster Press,
1983.
The first is a classic study of Paul's ethics,
often used as a textbook for the Pauline portion of New Testament ethics courses.
The second is concerned with the ethical legacy of Paul in the
Pastorals and beyond, especially on the subject of women.
Gager, John. Reinventing Paul - and -
Goodwin, Mark J. Paul: Apostle of the Living God:
Kerygma and Conversion in 2 Corinthians. Harrisburg: Trinity, 2001.
First the author explores the OT roots of the
expression "living God," and then interprets its significance in Paul's
undisputed epistles. But, as the subtitle suggests, he mainly concentrates on 2 Corinthians.
Goulder, Michael. Paul and the Competing Mission in Corinth.
Peabody:
Hendrickson, 2001.
An updated modified version of F. C. Baur's ideas about competing Apostles
and groups in the early church.
Grenholm, Christina, and Daniel Patte. Reading Israel in
Romans: Legitimacy and Plausibility of Divergent Interpretations. Harrisburg: Trinity, 2000.
A collection of papers from the Romans
Through History and Cultures Group of the Society of Biblical Literature which
offers an outstanding way to become acquainted with multiple interpretations of
Rom 9-11 and with current thinking on the science and art of interpretation (i.e., hermeneutics)
itself.
Grieb, Katherine A.
The Story of Romans: A Narrative Defense of God's Righteousness.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002 -and- Cosgrove, Charles H.
Elusive Israel: The Puzzle of Election in Romans.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1997.
The first is a very readable commentary on Romans analyzing its narrative
substructure. Grieb also interacts with
some of the most influential 20th cent. readings of Romans. The second is an outstanding reflection upon the ambiguity of
Paul's position on the destiny of Israel as a people, often presented in the creative form of a dialogue between ancient readers in Rome.
Harink, Douglas. Paul among the Postliberals: Pauline Theology Beyond
Christendom and Modernity. Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2003.
I remember my church history professor once saying of
theologians that "you can't trust them," i.e., with history and historical
scholarship, because they are too prone to bend them to fit their theories.
That may or may not be the case with this author, but since this book
extremely well written and very much focused on recent trends in Paul
scholarship, I have included it.
Hays, Richard. Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul.
New Haven/London: Yale, 1983.
An exegetical classic using the literary concept of
"intertextuality" to analyze Paul's use of Scripture.
Jervell, Jacob. The Unknown Paul: Essays on Luke-Acts and Early Christian
History. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984.
Pretty tough, but interesting.
Finds more continuity between Paul and Judaism in Acts than many
interpreters.
Knox, John. Chapters in the Life of Paul.
New York/Nashville: Abingdon, 1950 -and- Reicke, Bo. Re-examining Paul's
Letters: The History of the Pauline Correspondence. Harrisburg: Trinity,
2001.
Reading both--they are relatively
short--provides a basic introduction to the problems of chronology in the study
of Paul's career and letters. Knox begins with chronological clues in the
letters and only uses Acts where it clearly agrees with them, while Reicke
begins with Acts and argues that the letters fit into its relative chronology
very well.
Lampe, Peter. From Paul to Valentinus: Christians at Rome in the First Two
Centuries. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003.
Originally published in German in 1989, this is the most
influential and authoritative study of this subject available today. For advanced
students with a basic knowledge of Greek and Latin.
Meeks, Wayne A.
The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul.
New Haven/London: Yale
University Press, 1983.
The now classic socio-historical investigation.
A must read on this subject.
MacMullen, Ramsey. Paganism in the Roman Empire.
New Haven/London:
Yale University Press, 1981.
A classic introduction to the wide variety of
pagan religions in the imperial period.
_____. Slavery as Salvation: The Metaphor of Slavery in
Pauline Christianity. New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 1990.
One of the best investigations of this
subject.
Martin, Luther H. Hellenistic Religions: An Introduction.
New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.
An excellent introduction to the wide variety of
pagan religions in the Hellenistic period.
Martin, Ralph P. and Brian J. Dodd, eds. Where
Christology Began: Essays on Philippians 2. Louisville: Westminster, 1998.
A collection of essays that reflect current
positions on this important passage. Recommended for those with a
knowledge of elementary Greek.
Nanos, Mark D. The Irony of Galatians: Paul's Letter in First-Century
Context. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2002.
"The Irony of Galatians is the most thorough and
innovative investigation of this letter since Betz's Hermeneia commentary
(1979). It develops a completely new approach to Galatians as a response
to local Jewish 'influencers' who sought to bring members of Christian cells
into the status of honored proselytes within their synagogues" --Robert Jewett.
Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Paul: Gnostic Exegesis of the Pauline Letters.
Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1975.
Paul was the Apostle according to
Marcion and many Gnostics. This
is the classic survey of how they read his letters. Very readable and interesting.
Pervo, Richard I. Pervo. Profit with Delight: The
Literary Genre of the Acts of the Apostles. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987 -
and - Rosenblatt, Marie-Eloise. Paul the Accused: His Portrait in the Acts of
the Apostles. Collegeville: Liturgical, 1995.
The first argues that Acts has much in
common with the ancient Greco-Roman novels in that it is intended both to edify
and entertain; includes a good brief introduction to the ancient novels.
The second is a fine brief treatment of Paul's trials in Acts that is sensitive
to the literary qualities of the narrative.
Porter, Stanley. Paul in Acts. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2001.
The title says it all.
Porter is well aware of the literary-historical issues and steers a mostly middle course
between naive and excessively skeptical positions.
Riesner, Rainer. Paul's Early Period: Chronology,
Mission Strategy, Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.
Long (a little over 400 pages) and
thorough. Some untranslated Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, but mostly
comprehensible to readers without ancient language skills. If you're really
serious about pursuing the issue of whether or not a fairly reliable relative
chronology of Paul's career can be constructed using Acts as a framework, this
is the book for you.
Roetzel, Calvin J. Paul: The Man and the Myth. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1998.
Covers several of the subjects in his textbook in more detail, and several other
topics not included there.
Sanders, E. P. Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People.
Minneapolis: Fortress, 1983.
One of the most influential treatments of these issues.
E. P. Sanders changed everything with his Paul and Palestinian Judaism
(a book not included on the list since it is rather long and tough for this
assignment).
This book introduces his revolutionary perspective in a shorter, sometimes
updated, and more
popular form.
Smit, Joop. "About the Idol Offerings": Rhetoric, Social Context and
Theology of Paul's Discourse in First Corinthians 8:1-11:1. CBET 27. Leuven:
Peeters, 2000.
An outstanding analysis of this passage in light of
ancient rhetoric.
Stendahl, Krister. Paul Among Jews and Gentiles.
Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1976 - and - Young, Brad. Paul the Jewish Theologian: A Pharisee
Among Christians, Jews, and Gentiles. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1997.
The first is a very influential collection of
essays. The second out-Stendahl's Stendahl on the continuity between Paul
the Jew and Paul the "Christian."
Theissen, Gerd. The Social Setting of Pauline Christianity: Essays on
Corinth. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982.
Another classic sociological analysis of Paul and his
churches.
Wallace, Richard and Wynne Williams. The Three Worlds
of Paul of Tarsus. London: Routledge, 1998.
A nice introduction to many aspects of the
Greco-Roman world that Paul inhabited, including a long final section with brief
summaries of what is currently known about the cities Paul visited. It is
not really a book about Paul himself though.
Wedderburn, A. J. M. The Reasons for Romans.
Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1988 - and -
The first is a well-rounded treatment of
this subject, putting an emphasis on the multiplicity of causes and purposes of
Romans.
Wenham, David.
Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity?
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.
Long, somewhat difficult, but well worth the effort.
An especially good choice for someone who has already had the Jesus course at
Missouri State.
What are they saying series combo option
Choose any two of the following books based
on your interests. All are short and basic introductions to current
scholarship on their subjects:
Ascough, Richard S. What are They Saying
about the Formation of Pauline Churches? Paulist Press, 1998.
Harding, Mark. What are They Saying
about the Pastoral Epistles? Paulist Press, 2001.
Koperski, Veronica. What are They Saying
about Paul and the Law? Paulist Press, 2001.
Powell, Mark Allen. What are They Saying
about Acts? Paulist Press, 1992.
White, John.
The Apostle of God: Paul and the Promise of Abraham.
Peabody: Hendrickson, 1999.
An excellent book on Paul that promotes the
idea that Paul's doctrine of God, rooted in his Jewish heritage, is the center
of Paul's thought. Includes lots of excellent reflection on what Paul's
discourse implies about his attitude toward the Roman state and culture.
Witherington, Ben.
The Paul Quest: The Renewed Search for the Jew of
Tarsus.
Downers Grove: Intervarsity, 2001.
Conservative but not uncritical presentation of Paul.
A bit long, but very readable. A good way to get acquainted with with recent
scholarly issues.
Wright, N. T. What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real
Founder of Christianity? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.
The title is a bit misleading.
Except for the last chapter, it's actually more of
general introduction to Paul, sometimes used as a textbook
for Paul courses.
[Always more being added since a lot of people can't seem to
quit writing about this guy.]