Paul: A Very Brief History

by John M.G. Barclay

‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’
(Galatians 3.28)

The revolutionary writings of St Paul have had an incalculable impact on Western history, and continue to influence directly the two billion Christians living today.

Written by a world authority, this brief history begins by assessing what we know about Paul’s life and letters, and his impact on the Roman world of the first century. It concludes by highlighting the key elements of Paul’s thought and considering their consequences as they have played out over two millennia.

‘Packed with knowledge and insight, this brilliant little book offers a remarkably rich, nuanced, and readable introduction to the Apostle Paul and his legacy through the ages.’
David G. Horrell, Professor of New Testament Studies, University of Exeter.

Genres: Biblical Studies

92 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2017

About the author

John Barclay has been Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University since 2003. He has served as President of the British New Testament Society, TRS-UK,the umbrella organisation for Subject Associations and Departments of Theology and Religious Studies in the UK), and shortly, the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas.

His research is in the history and thought of early Christianity and early Judaism, with special interest in the ancient Jewish Diaspora and in the letters and theology of Paul. Using tools from the social sciences, he has explored the social formation of early Christianity, the ‘postcolonial’ identity of the Jewish historian Josephus, and the practice and theology of gift (‘grace’) in the work of Paul.

Reviews

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A very brief intro to Paul.

These short guides are both really helpful and difficult to write and write about. They assume some, but not too much familiarity with a subject. If you have no understanding, they probably are too advanced. And if you have a lot of understanding, these types of books probably will not be all that interesting.

Mostly I picked this up because it was on sale and because I wanted to read Barclay's Paul and the Gift, which yet again I heard some bible/theologian people on twitter talking about as one of the best books of theology of the past decade or so. (It is also on sale for Kindle and even a better deal at less than a penny a page.) I have a pretty good understanding of Paul, I read NT Wright's biography of Paul fairly recently and I have read a number of other books as well. I thought this would help introduce me to how Barclay thought about Paul, and I think it did a bit.

It is short, less than 100 pages and in that short page span, Barclay gives a brief bio, a discussion of what books he likely wrote, and how Paul influenced later Christian history, especially Augustine and the reformers. That is a lot to cover.

If I had to recommend a single book on Paul to a layperson, this would be on the list of books that I would consider, but I would probably rank Wright's higher because I think it was more thorough to introduce the many issues of Paul. This one is certainly a good short intro, but maybe too short for many

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent primer for anyone wanting to familiarise themselves with the current state of Pauline studies.
It’s a quick and gentle read, while remaining highly informative.
It begins with a brief historical overview of Paul as an ancient person, which includes a bird-eye view of the texts attributed to him.
From there Barclay surveys historical receptions of Paul, including that of Augustine; the reformation; and the modern movements sparked throughout the 1960’s.
Barclay is fair and measured throughout this book and doesn’t provide an overly explicit bias for any singular view. He finishes with a handful of wise reminders, most notably that Paul is not a part of our political or social movements of choice.
Furthermore accepting that all readings of Paul are acts of interpretation, and that these interpretive acts need to be carried out sensibly and with an awareness of all elements involved.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barclay writes with excellent prose. He is able to ask enlightening questions. He takes a more critical approach to Paul’s letters than I would (read Stan Porter for what I think is a more sustainable approach) but his expertise as a scholar of Paul is nonetheless impressive.

[Derek Winterburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

One should not be make the mistake of thinking this is a short guide to Paul for a beginner, or someone who knows Paul a little and is looking for a concise summation. Neither is this book primarily for a Christian looking to understand Paul's life and thought, as Scripture. There is no doubt that Barclay is an eminent scholar and is abreast of diverse scholarship on Paul; it is for academically minded people he has written this essay.

He presumes familiarity with the Pauline epistles, drawing almost exclusively on the seven 'non-disputed' letters, rather than all the letters traditionally ascribed to Paul, and similarly has little use for Acts.There is negligible discussion about chronology or the impact of Paul as missionary / evangelist. (This may be a safe choice for an academic, but does seem strange for what appears to be an introductory book).

The second half of the book contains first a short summary of some of Paul's theology and then four chapters on how interpreters have dealt with his legacy. This section is sure-footed, especially in dealing with the Reformers but arriving at the end of the book a reader may well feel that Paul has been rather 'used and abused' by his interpreters and that s/he has rather lost sight of Paul himself. Dealing with Protestant versions of Paul alone is a shame as Catholics and Orthodox theologians should have been included for balance.

Overall this book may well achieve its author's intentions, but I suspect many readers will feel that this is not quite the book they were looking for if they wanted a straightforward presentation of Paul's life and thought.

[Daniel Supimpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the name goes, a brief—though not shallow or boring—introduction to perhaps the most fascinating persona in the history of early Christianity. Barclay, a well-seasoned pauline scholar, has the chance to compact his knowledge on the apostle to the Gentiles having in view the plain reader.

Since the book is more in the 'history' than the 'theology' category, Barclay highlights what we can know of the the life and the historical legacy of Paul, having a particular eye for the interpreters of Paul throughout history, and the ways in which Paul shaped the modern Western world.

Probably due to lack of space to develop arguments, sometimes Barclay presents a few ambiguous positions (e.g. he straightly posits himself within the dogma that only seven of the Pauline letters are really coming from the apostle's pen; the question of what a text 'says' and what an interpreter brings to or verbalizes through the text is presented in ambiguous terms in the last chapter). Yet, it seems a basic and interesting entry-point for Paul, particularly for someone who has never read anything from this interesting figure.

The last chapter ('Paul as Social and Cultural Critic') is particularly though-provoking, even for those who have been studied Paul for a while.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally read in 2021 when on a deep dive into Paul. Reread to prepare for a discussion on Paul. A thought provoking and engaging introduction to Paul in all his complexity and paradox. Best used as an introduction and spur for further thought and reading as there is only so much you can cover in "A Very Brief History." But recommend if you want to get a sense of the history, impact and ongoing relevance of this towering figure.

[Sanjuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing a book like this is difficult, because of its brevity, it will be judged just as much for its choices of content as for the content itself. I had to bump it to 4 stars simply because a book so short is an easy target, but not an easy thing to compose. There is no doubt that Barclay is one of the world's best contemporary Pauline scholars, and that the few judgments he makes here are sound and based on many years of research. As the subtitle suggests, this is a history, which means it is very limited in terms of engaging with Paul's actual thought. The book is limited to Paul as a historical figure, his situation within the early church, and the influence of his thought for those who came after him, but Barclay does not make much of an attempt to actually explain Paul's theology. Even the historical side is quite limited, likely due mostly to the fact that Barclay makes little use of (and likely does not trust) the testimonial of Acts. Therefore, there is little mention of Paul's life as a missionary, and no real discussion of chronology.

Despite these extreme limitations, this is a helpful book, and extremely well written. Barclay is sure to address the authorship of the 13 letters all understood as "Pauline," he provides an excellent two page summary of the new perspective, and he provides multiple valuable statements regarding the effects of Protestantism's elevation of Paul as their "priority" figure. As short introductions go, I found this book to much more helpful, and more reader friendly, than Ed Sanders' Oxford short introduction, which was at points convoluted and overstuffed. If the reader wants to know what Paul thought, this book will have limited value. But for an extremely short introduction to who he was and his influence on the Christian world, this is a brief and helpful starting point.

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Barclay's Paul: A Very Brief History is an exemplary work in the "very brief" or "very short" introduction genre; it is a concise and clear exposition of fundamental concepts rather than an arrangement of easily forgettable facts. What I particularly like about this introduction to Paul is that it is as much about Paul's legacy as about Paul himself. The effect is that the reader will realize that understanding Paul is not and can never be a simple matter of throwing around proof-texts; there is a whole cultural history to account for when one approaches the historical figure and theological legacy of Paul. My only complaint, on that score, is that there is no chapter dedicated to the Eastern reception of Paul or the role that Paul's writings played in the development of Christian orthodoxy itself. Nevertheless, this book is deserving of five stars–recommended!

[Ben McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barclay gives a concise and well-balanced view of Paul with precision and sophistication. Barclay is such a joy to interact with solely on the basis of his highly nuanced and explicit approach to the Pauline corpus. Barclay has much insight and wisdom to offer anyone interested in Paul, Pauline studies, or the Pauline letters. A fantastic book that is highly informative and extremely digestible for readers of all levels. I highly recommend!

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had Paul all figured out…but of course not. “Paul was a Jewish intellectual, a traveling craftsman, and a proponent for a set of new and extraordinary claims about Jesus of Nazareth.” And all we have from him are some of his letters!
This book was helpful to have an honest look at Paul and his legacy. Easy read, would recommend to anyone who wants to know more about him!

[Peter McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, uh, at least the title isn’t a lie: it is very brief, just under 90 small pages of pretty large text, which I hadn’t quite realised when I bought it. I’m not quite sure who the target audience for this is? To be sure, they are ninety good pages—this book helped prompt me to take Augustine’s interpretation of Paul more seriously than I had before, by linking the former's ideas about ‘pride’ to the latter’s obsession with ‘boasting’—but when the topic is the life, works, and complete reception history of one of the greatest intellectual figures of antiquity, it’s inevitable that the book seems stretched far too thin. You’d get much more out of the In Our Time on Paul, which features Barclay as a guest, or especially The New Cambridge Companion to St. Paul.

[Anthony Locke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate Barclay's brevity, but more so appreciated the various ways Paul's ministry and writings can be interpreted in different traditions. An excellent primer on Paul's influence throughout history.

[Jon Beadle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barclay’s explanation for how Paul is utilized by the Protestant tradition is worth the entire thing. He also helps to bridge the divide between the new and old perspective on Paul (Judaism).

[Ben Nasmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise portrait of Paul and his legacy

This is an enjoyable read that covers a great deal of ground in a small space without seeming to oversimplify. Well worth the read.

[Paul Herriott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barclay provides a short overview to Paul and how he has been understood. This book gives a small sample of His greater work “Paul and the Gift” while marking out the significant developments in church history of Paul’s thought. Strictly working with the less disputed letters, the author covers a lot in just 90 pages.

[Steve Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Bird's short review here: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/euangel....