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Paul the Apostle: His Life and Legacy in their Roman Context
This book is a controversial new biography of the apostle Paul that argues for his inclusion in the pantheon of key figures of classical antiquity, along with the likes of Socrates, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, and Augustus. It first provides a critical reassessment of the apostle's life in its historical context that focuses on Paul's discourse of authority, which was both representative of its Roman context and provocative to his rivals within Roman society. It then considers the legend that developed around Paul as the history of his life was elaborated and embellished by later interpreters, creating legends that characterized the apostle variously as a model citizen, an imperial hero, a sexual role model, an object of derision, and someone to quote from. It is precisely this rewriting of Paul's history into legend that makes the apostle a key transformative figure of classical antiquity.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 5, 2014
To those who have had glimpses of this apostle through Bible study or church sermons, this is a cohesive look at Paul. It's not a biography, as the author stresses, and it's not limited to the letters Paul wrote, or had attributed to him, as we find them in the New Testament. The author does analyze the epistles, and provides us some surprising insights: for one thing, he deduces references to as many as seven letters to the church in Corinth. The author also highlights, through analysis of Scripture, Paul's conflicts with other Christian missionaries out of the Holy Land, on matters like circumcision or diet.
He is able to place the epistles, and Paul, into the society of the first century AD, and draw insights into Paul's travels, missions and context, from his initial perils in Damascus to his progress into Rome itself, and possible (but not verified) martyrdom there. Paul's Jewish origins and Roman citizenship get new discussion. The author is able to delve into this without baffling the reader; his prose is clear and well-reasoned, and he even illustrates his points with "boxes," sidebars quoting or illustrating a particular point. He also has a contextual understanding of Roman and Jewish society of the day and of the Greek and Latin wording of Paul's work.
The author also discusses the historical and theological Pauls of later Christianity, the interpreted and re-interpreted (and sometimes mis-interpreted) readings of Paul by the Manicheans, the Pelagians, by Augustine and John Chrysostom and, much later, by Martin Luther and Nietzsche, among others. In short, this book is Paul in context, in his time and later, and provides new insights to anybody interested in the life and work of Paul.
Strongly recommend.
He is able to place the epistles, and Paul, into the society of the first century AD, and draw insights into Paul's travels, missions and context, from his initial perils in Damascus to his progress into Rome itself, and possible (but not verified) martyrdom there. Paul's Jewish origins and Roman citizenship get new discussion. The author is able to delve into this without baffling the reader; his prose is clear and well-reasoned, and he even illustrates his points with "boxes," sidebars quoting or illustrating a particular point. He also has a contextual understanding of Roman and Jewish society of the day and of the Greek and Latin wording of Paul's work.
The author also discusses the historical and theological Pauls of later Christianity, the interpreted and re-interpreted (and sometimes mis-interpreted) readings of Paul by the Manicheans, the Pelagians, by Augustine and John Chrysostom and, much later, by Martin Luther and Nietzsche, among others. In short, this book is Paul in context, in his time and later, and provides new insights to anybody interested in the life and work of Paul.
Strongly recommend.
December 28, 2024
J.A. Harrill’s book Paul the Apostle: His Life and Legacy in Their Roman Context (2012) is an “anti-biography” of the Apostle Paul, with a significant focus on the Roman context in which Paul lived and operated. A key argument in the book is that Paul was not anti-imperialistic as if he was opposing Roman culture; instead he fully lived within this culture. Furthermore, we should avoid overly dichotomizing cultural identities. As Harrill writes, “We need to move beyond thinking about Romanness as a bounded entity against which the ‘opposing’ cultural identity of Paul can then be contrasted or otherwise measured” (p. 79). The author aims to demonstrate that Paul functioned entirely within the framework of Roman culture, including in his rhetoric. Paul’s rhetoric was characteristically Roman, particularly in his use of auctoritas (authority), which Harrill illustrates through a comparison between Paul’s rejection of “official” apostolic rights (1 Cor. 9:1-6, 12-18) and Augustus’ rejection of honors in the Res Gestae (p. 81f.).
In addition to this chapter on Paul’s Life in Its Roman Context (ch. 3), Part I: The Life contains a chapter entitled From Pharisee to Apostle (ch. 1), in which the author argues for continuity between Saul’s early life in Judaism and Paul’s later Christian mission. Chapter 2, Communities in the Making, also belongs to Part I and focuses on Paul’s mission and the formation of Messianic communities in the Mediterranean region. In this chapter, Harrill discusses the possibility that Paul was not executed in Rome as tradition suggests, but rather attacked and killed in Jerusalem when he brought the collection from the Gentile community to Jerusalem.
Part II – The Legend – consists of chapters 4-6. Chapter 4, Competing Stories about Paul in Late Antiquity, examines the “legendary Paul” as depicted in works such as The Martyrdom of Paul (ca. 190) and The Correspondence of Paul and Seneca (4th century). This chapter addresses the reception of Paul after his death. In his anti-biography, Harrill does not treat the Acts of the Apostles “as a primary source providing independent information about his life,” but rather “as one of the first interpretations of Paul” (pp. 97-98). Chapter 5, Paul the Scriptural Authority: Contradictory Discourses, presents contrasting views of Paul, such as those of Marcion and Valentinus, the “two Pauline rivals at Rome” (p. 122). Besides these two rivals, Irenaeus, Origen, and John Chrysostom are also discussed. Chapter 6, How the West Got Paul Wrong, describes how Paul has been portrayed throughout the history of Western culture (e.g., “as the prototypical religious convert,” alongside other characterizations). Harrill argues that Paul “became this key figure most familiar today not for who he was but for who he came to be in the eyes of his later interpreters” (p. 138). Notably, and somewhat disappointingly, Martin Luther is addressed only in a brief section entitled A Note on Martin Luther’s Paul. I would have appreciated a more detailed treatment of this topic.
In the Conclusion, Luther reappears briefly when Harrill writes: “Paul was not the converted sinner whom Martin Luther reinvented in his Protestant theology of ‘Justification by Faith Alone,’ based upon Augustine’s theology” (p. 165). The author concludes his book with the statement: “Finishing this book does not bring closure to Paul,” followed by: “There is no end to Paul” (p. 166). As Harrill emphasizes in both his introduction and conclusion, we are not dealing with a singular Paul but rather a diversity of different (and rival) Pauls.
I read Harrill’s “anti-biography” of Paul with great interest. The cultural focus on the Roman context is well executed, while the biblical references are also thoughtfully addressed. The book effectively conveys that Paul did not oppose Roman culture but operated within it. The presentation of how Paul has been understood and interpreted in (Western) church history is particularly fascinating and serves as a valuable reminder that the Paul we know today is shaped by interpretive traditions.
In addition to this chapter on Paul’s Life in Its Roman Context (ch. 3), Part I: The Life contains a chapter entitled From Pharisee to Apostle (ch. 1), in which the author argues for continuity between Saul’s early life in Judaism and Paul’s later Christian mission. Chapter 2, Communities in the Making, also belongs to Part I and focuses on Paul’s mission and the formation of Messianic communities in the Mediterranean region. In this chapter, Harrill discusses the possibility that Paul was not executed in Rome as tradition suggests, but rather attacked and killed in Jerusalem when he brought the collection from the Gentile community to Jerusalem.
Part II – The Legend – consists of chapters 4-6. Chapter 4, Competing Stories about Paul in Late Antiquity, examines the “legendary Paul” as depicted in works such as The Martyrdom of Paul (ca. 190) and The Correspondence of Paul and Seneca (4th century). This chapter addresses the reception of Paul after his death. In his anti-biography, Harrill does not treat the Acts of the Apostles “as a primary source providing independent information about his life,” but rather “as one of the first interpretations of Paul” (pp. 97-98). Chapter 5, Paul the Scriptural Authority: Contradictory Discourses, presents contrasting views of Paul, such as those of Marcion and Valentinus, the “two Pauline rivals at Rome” (p. 122). Besides these two rivals, Irenaeus, Origen, and John Chrysostom are also discussed. Chapter 6, How the West Got Paul Wrong, describes how Paul has been portrayed throughout the history of Western culture (e.g., “as the prototypical religious convert,” alongside other characterizations). Harrill argues that Paul “became this key figure most familiar today not for who he was but for who he came to be in the eyes of his later interpreters” (p. 138). Notably, and somewhat disappointingly, Martin Luther is addressed only in a brief section entitled A Note on Martin Luther’s Paul. I would have appreciated a more detailed treatment of this topic.
In the Conclusion, Luther reappears briefly when Harrill writes: “Paul was not the converted sinner whom Martin Luther reinvented in his Protestant theology of ‘Justification by Faith Alone,’ based upon Augustine’s theology” (p. 165). The author concludes his book with the statement: “Finishing this book does not bring closure to Paul,” followed by: “There is no end to Paul” (p. 166). As Harrill emphasizes in both his introduction and conclusion, we are not dealing with a singular Paul but rather a diversity of different (and rival) Pauls.
I read Harrill’s “anti-biography” of Paul with great interest. The cultural focus on the Roman context is well executed, while the biblical references are also thoughtfully addressed. The book effectively conveys that Paul did not oppose Roman culture but operated within it. The presentation of how Paul has been understood and interpreted in (Western) church history is particularly fascinating and serves as a valuable reminder that the Paul we know today is shaped by interpretive traditions.
May 7, 2019
Not a biography, the author is keen to point out. Not a theology book either. But what is it? With credentials that come from the world of classical studies and antiquity, this book tries to frame Paul as an ancient philosopher that later Christian tradition has misunderstood, misused and intellectually abused. If only we could understand the *real* Paul, one who did not believe in original sin, or forensic justification, or hell, or any of those Christiany doctrines! That’s pretty much the line of this book, which turns out to be not compelling at all and rather weak in terms of evidence. Tons of assumptions also made without proper justification for them. I do not want to be too harsh, and I’m very much aware that I should check myself to make sure I didn’t just dislike it because of my disagreements with it, but having done that I’m pretty sure it was the bad quality of the work that killed it for me. (Another textbook 😰)
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March 24, 2023“there is no end to paul” is something i have come to learn the hard way
August 18, 2025
Kniha dává důraz na Pavlovo společenské místo v Římské říši a na jeho myslitelské rysy. Dobrá kniha na 《doladění》 vědomostí o sv. Pavlovi.
March 18, 2013
A thought-provoking book, but too idiosyncratic to be read alone. Students of Pauline studies would be best served to read Harrill's book as a provocative complement to a more balanced survey of Paul's life and message. That is to say, I think it is a helpful book for someone who has already studied Paul. It is not a good choice for someone who is just getting started in Pauline studies.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews