How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World

by YungSuk Kim

How to Read Paul provides an incisive, yet brief, examination of Paul as a writer and theologian steeped in the cultural, intellectual, and religious crossroads of the ancient world. Through an analysis of Paul's undisputed letters, Yung Suk Kim explores and explains Paul's key theological concepts and situates them in their proper cultural context. By placing Paul in the Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman worlds that informed his thinking, this book reexamines familiar themes in his letters, such as gospel, righteousness, and faith. In so doing, How to Read Paul provides teachers, students, and interested lay readers with a clear, user-friendly portrait of the apostle, informed by a critical, yet appreciative, integration of the new perspective on Paul, emphasizing the faithfulness of Christ as well as believers' participation in Christ. The first few chapters give an overview of Paul and his letters, while the remaining chapters deal with key theological concepts and their cultural contexts. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter help students focus their reading and reflection on central elements, features, and themes. How to Read Paul is an ideal textbook for both undergraduate and seminary classrooms and a helpful guide for professors, clergy, and lay readers.

172 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2021

About the author

Yung Suk Kim, M.Div. (McCormick), Ph.D. (Vanderbilt), is Full Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Virginia Union University. He has authored nearly twenty books, including How to Read the Gospels (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), Monotheism, Biblical Traditions, and Race Relations (Cambridge University Press, 2022), How to Read Paul (Fortress, 2021), Toward Decentering the New Testament (Cascade, 2018, co-authored with Mitzi J. Smith), and Christ’s Body in Corinth (Fortress, 2008). He has also edited four volumes, including At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics and Paul's Gospel, Empire, Race, and Ethnicity. The forthcoming book's title is Justice and Parables (T&T Clark, 2026, forthcoming). Kim's research interests encompass Paul's letters and his theology, parables, political philosophy, and comparative wisdom literature.

Reviews

[Clayton Faulkner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid college-level introduction to Paul’s theology. It sticks to the undisputed letters and emphasizes the interpretation of salvation being based on the “faith of Christ” instead of “faith in Christ.” The chapters are short and sometimes redundant.