Saint Paul

by Michael Grant

2005 hardback edition published by Barnes & Noble. Price sticker on inside of back flap on dust cover.

Genres: Religion, Biography, Christianity

250 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1976

About the author

Michael Grant was an English classisist, numismatist, and author of numerous popular books on ancient history. His 1956 translation of Tacitus’s Annals of Imperial Rome remains a standard of the work. He once described himself as "one of the very few freelances in the field of ancient history: a rare phenomenon". As a popularizer, his hallmarks were his prolific output and his unwillingness to oversimplify or talk down to his readership.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Nick Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd book I’ve read from Grant. First was the Historians View of the Gospels. The insights you get from such learned men as Grant are (maybe ironically) incredibly edifying as a Christian. His writing style is economic and flows with ease. The logical procession of his arguments is organized, cogent and highly engaging. Scholarly but not hard to understand at all. I find that consuming this sort of objective, critical analysis, at least from Grant, is not only fascinating but enriches one’s knowledge as a Christian. He is highly underrated.

[Artemis Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable book indeed! Paul was truly as I have always believed and after reading this amazing book still believe, an incredible man who's impact has continued into our own time, not just for the religious but for everyone. I do think though one should have an open mind when reading this book.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I continue my study of this figure in religious and secular history, I have been aware of both the historical and mythological aspects of this man. There is no question that Paul's own authentic voice can still be heard in his surviving letters which not only contain numerous autobiographical clues, but are the earliest Christian documents in existence and rank high among the most valuable literature the world has produced.
Grant considers in detail this extant literature, along with material of Paul's four evangelical journeys and he discusses the reasons for the spectacular conversion on the road to Damascus.

Grant also brings together research on Israel on the one hand and Greece and Rome on the other, believing it is necessary to study these cultures in conjunction, since Paul was a Jew who wrote in Greek and was a Roiman citizen.This added historical/cultural component adds greatly to the context of Paul's life and the life of the Christian movement. An interesting read.

[Dede · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get into it. What I did read only rehashed what was already in the Bible.

[Craig Bolton]

Saint Paul by Michael Grant (2000)

[Michael Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historians view of a key Christian figure.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers who enjoyed the more recent Zealot from Reza Aslan will likely enjoy this book just as much, shedding considerable light not only on the character of Paul but his impact on history.