From Persecutor to Apostle: A Biography of Paul

by Thomas A. Wayment

Examine the life of the Apostle Paul and the influence his singular journey from gospel detractor to gospel advocate had on his teachings. Unlike books that focus on his doctrinal contributions, this volume places special emphasis on Paul’s personal life—his eccentricities, struggles, setbacks, and triumphs. New Testament expert Thomas Wayment provides readers with a sense of Paul’s perspective, from his stay in Arabia after his conversion, to the disappointing results of his first missionary journey, to his eventual success in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. The way Paul endured his trials teaches us much about successfully responding to adversity. Experience the greatness of Paul’s character as never before.

Genres: Religion, Biography, Lds, Nonfiction, History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2006

About the author

Dr. Wayment is an Associate professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University. He received his BA in Classics from the University of California at Riverside, and his MA and PhD in New Testament Studies from the Claremont Graduate School. He has been teaching full time at BYU since 2000.

Dr. Wayment's research interests include the historical life of Jesus, New Testament manuscript traditions, the life of Paul, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. He has recently published a particularly cogent study that was published in Novum Testamentum that examines evidence culled from a third-century papyrus fragment, P. Oxy. 2383 (P69), which raises some important questions about current readings of Luke 22. This study has made a significant contribution to the wider academic conversation regarding the events germane to the suffering of the Savior in Gethsemane. The tripartite series The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ: from Bethlehem through the Triumphal Entry, which Dr. Wayment edited with BYU colleague Richard N. Holzapfel, includes essays examining historical and doctrinal aspects surrounding the Savior's mortal ministry. His collaboration with BYU faculty has also produced Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament, in which he, along with Dr. Holzapfel and Dr. Eric Huntsman, addresses the historical context in which the events related in the New Testament took place. He has also published a work dealing with the life of Paul, entitled: From Persecutor to Apostle: A Biography of Paul. His work with textual analysis and the Joseph Smith translation of the bible led him to edit The Complete Joseph Smith Translation of the New Testament, which was published by Deseret Book.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm... I had high hopes for this book, but found it to be not as well-written as I'd have expected it to be. Maybe it just wasn't well-edited. The author seems to say many of the same things over again, often within a few paragraphs. And knowing as little about Paul as we do, for a biography it was jam packed with conjecture and speculation. I suppose that's to be expected, but I almost think, as long as it's speculated anyway, I'd have enjoyed a good historical fiction more.

[Chris Yorgason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many others, I struggled with this book. Obviously when writing about someone who lived 2,000 years ago there is going to be some guesswork involved, but it seemed like much of the supposition in this book was simply "guessing" and not educated guessing about what happened. Some of those guesses did not even seem logical to me. Added to that, the book plodded on and I had a hard time staying engaged. Good information over all, but not the easiest read.

[Lisa Reising · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to learn more about Paul since I'm teaching the NT this year, and this book is helpful and enlightening in the following ways:

* It follows a chronological order in Paul's life and mission experiences
* It inserts which epistles he wrote at each stage of his personal growth
* It portrays him as a human - a flawed (therefore endearing) but powerful missionary
* The author used his expertise in ancient languages to bring out cultural context
* The author used various editions of the NT and mostly ancient sources (writers like Tacitus, Eusebius, Jerome and others) to tell the story and try to fill in details missing from Acts and the letters, but was forthright about what we don't know and shouldn't guess at.

This is a biography of Paul - not a commentary on his teachings. I trust this author's scholarship and appreciate him using all the current resources there are on this subject. I will definitely refer back to it as I prepare lessons.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first introduction to Thomas Wayment was from a book he co-authored called "Jesus Christ in New Testament Times." I really love how that book details the history and archaeology of the New Testament and its authors. This book was illuminating as far as who Paul was writing to and why and also the story of his family and missionary travels. It moved a little slowly at times, but overall I am glad for the insights it provided. I feel like Thomas Wayment has a special gift of understanding how people were thinking and feeling through a careful analysis of their writings and history. I appreciate this about his work and feel that it carries a valuable perspective to anyone wanting to know more about the apostle Paul.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtitled as a biography of Paul. Wayment pulls together the travels of Paul from the time he is struck blind and has a vision of Jesus Christ to a time near his execution in Rome. Documenting his clues from scriptures and other sources he portrays a well born and educated man who is devoted to his savior and spends his life preaching the teachings of Christ to the gentiles - those not of Jewish traditions. Gave me a more clear picture of the early days of the Christian Church and better understanding of the letters from Paul in the New Testament. It was the perfect read just prior to the Christmas season.

[Brent Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knowing that BYU has more trained scholars in religion, I approached this book with optimism. More than halfway through, I looked at the references at the end and found it dominated modern prophets and apostles - absolutely nothing from the scholarly literature on Paul.

Big disappointment. I know BYU professors are allowed to use and cite scholarly sources - I am dumbfounded as why Wayment would endeavor to write a whole "biography" without drawing on literature on his subject!

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't really keep my attention, but there was some great insight.

[Stewart Clarke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting more historical facts. I liked it fine, but will likely not read it again.

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just didn't hold my attention at all. I did learn a few things but I don't feel like I understand Paul any better. I won't be reading it again.

[Limhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book. It was short on insight, and read like a lecture.