The Paul Quest: The Renewed Search for the Jew of Tarsus

by Ben Witherington III

Book Overview

A Christianity Today 1999 Book of the Year

Who was the real Paul?

Some of Paul's contemporaries seem to have asked the same question. For some he was Paul the tentmaker. For others he was Paul the heretic, Paul the peripatetic philosopher, Paul the would-be apostle, Paul the prophet, or Paul the founder of Christian communities and missionary hero.

For more than a decade there has been a renewed quest for the real Paul behind...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830826602
• ISBN13: 9780830826605
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Length: 347 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Amazing Pauline Book

Witherington structured this book into 8 nearly equal chapters dealing with what he sees as the essential elements of a quest for the historical Paul. Along with a very brief introduction and conclusion, he includes a very informative appendix, "Timely remarks on the life of Paul," which attempts to devise with a timeline for Paul's life. The eight areas that Witherington considers foundational are as follows: 1) On Constructing an Ancient Personality, 2) The Trinity of Paul's Identity, 3) Paul the Writer and Rhetor, 4) Paul the Prophet and Apostle, 5) Paul the Realist and Radical, 6) Paul the Anthropologist and Advocate, 7) Paul the Story teller and Exegete, 8) Paul the Ethicist and Theologian. This book is second in sequence to The Jesus Quest and, in some ways, is also a continuation of Paul's Narrative thought World. As Witherington states the quest for this historical Jesus, leads us to Paul since he is one of our greatest sources about Jesus. It is, therefore, logical to leave The Jesus Quest and embark on a new search that leads to The Paul Quest. As a result, it has many aims and goals. Those goals are best summed up as follows: a short study on the four sources for Paul, exposing readers to new developments in the quest for the historical Paul, and an examination of Paul's different roles and how those would have shaped him. Witherington also proposes to sample relevant Pauline literature in each of his eight foundational areas. I have often heard it asked, "Why another book on Paul?" With the quantity of books published yearly, it appears that no one in the publishing industry is asking the same question. However, I would say this is a book of great value to the large canon of Pauline literature. It is a very good book written in a fun and engaging style. Witherington tends to present a few of the different opinions on each topic and then states his personal view. He uses the Scriptures as his primary starting point, but then supports his views and premises from a historical perspective. I found it invaluable to have Witherington begin with his study of the ancient personality, specifically in regards to the three aspects of Paul: Paul as Jew, Paul as Christian, and finally, though of lesser import, Paul as Roman citizen. This sets all readers on a level playing field for the rest of the work. Each reader has a very clear view of how Witherington is approaching Paul, why, and where he intends to lead us as we search for the historical Paul. In presenting his different topics, Witherington draws upon numerous sources that include both modern and ancient. When criticizing an outside source, he does so in a fair way, evaluating both the strengths and weaknesses of a particular book or theory. He then goes on to support his opinions with Pauline sources or other contemporaries. I believe this would be an ideal book for a new student to Pauline studies. It has a strong historical approach. It includes a valid use themes and archetypes;

An Interesting Read With Some Unique Conclusions

It might be said that in writing The Paul Quest, Dr. Witherington embarked upon a quest impossible to complete in a satisfactory fashion: to identify and characterize Saul of Tarsus in such a way as to make him accessible to the average person. This is a lofty aim, to say the least, but one that I think Dr. Witherington nearly arrives at. His aim is not solely to present a theology of Paul, but rather to introduce the reader to the person of Paul the apostle. He does so by analyzing various aspects of the man, from his identity as an apostle and theologian, to his training in rhetoric and his ability as a letter-writer. The end result is a balanced work that achieves Dr. Witherington's primary goal almost flawlessly.If there is a weakness to Dr. Witherington's approach, it is simply that the book begins with some very poignant arguments regarding Paul's use of rhetoric in his speaking and writing, but seems to taper off toward the end when the discussion has turned to Paul's theology. Dr. Witherington also does not really include the Pastorals in his discussion of Paul's theology, due to the controversy surrounding the authorship of those letters. This is understandable; however, whether one subscribes to the Pauline authorship side of that debate or not, the Pastorals could provide another perspective on Pauline theology that should earn them a place in any discussion relating to that topic. Other than this, Dr. Witherington has crafted a very balanced treatise of Paul the man. It is a fine introduction and tribute to the second most influential person in Christian history.

A great study of the complex person of Paul

This is another winner from the keyboard of Ben Witherington. Ben believes that too much has been made over the differences between the Paul of Acts and the Paul of the undisputed letters and the pastoral epistles. He sets out to discuss the many hats that Paul wears and the roles that Paul takes on in his ministry. He discusses Paul the Jew, Paul the Roman citizen, Paul the Christian, Paul the apostle, Paul the orator, Paul the rhetorician, (you get the idea). And Ben does a good job of locating Paul in the honor/shame culture of the Greco-Roman world. He works hard to portray Paul as a highly educated man who both impacted and was impacted by the world in which he lived. Ben also explains that Paul's theology and ethics and world view were shaped by the Christ event. This is a beautifully written and sane portrait of one of the most celebrated and denigrated religious figures in history. Thumbs way up! Rev. Marc Axelrod This is a great read, and is recommended as a good place to start learning about the apostle Paul.

balance and precision

The Paul Quest. By Ben Witherington III. InterVarsity Press, 1998. 347 Pages..Witherington structured this book into 8 nearly equal chapters dealing with what he sees as the essential elements of a quest for the historical Paul. Along with a very brief introduction and conclusion, he includes a very informative appendix, "Timely remarks on the life of Paul," which attempts to devise with a timeline for Paul's life. The eight areas that Witherington considers foundational are as follows: 1) On Constructing an Ancient Personality, 2) The Trinity of Paul's Identity, 3) Paul the Writer and Rhetor, 4) Paul the Prophet and Apostle, 5) Paul the Realist and Radical, 6) Paul the Anthropologist and Advocate, 7) Paul the Story teller and Exegete, 8) Paul the Ethicist and Theologian. This book is second in sequence to The Jesus Quest and, in some ways, is also a continuation of Paul's Narrative thought World. (Steve, I'm assuming that these are books and therefore should either be in all italics or underlined, not in quotation marks. Quotation marks are only used for article titles.) As Witherington states the quest for this historical Jesus, leads us to Paul since he is one of our greatest sources about Jesus. It is, therefore, logical to leave The Jesus Quest and embark on a new search that leads to The Paul Quest. As a result, it has many aims and goals. Those goals are best summed up as follows: a short study on the four sources for Paul, exposing readers to new developments in the quest for the historical Paul, and an examination of Paul's different roles and how those would have shaped him. Witherington also proposes to sample relevant Pauline literature in each of his eight foundational areas. I have often heard it asked, "Why another book on Paul?" With the quantity of books published yearly, it appears that no one in the publishing industry is asking the same question. However, I would say this is a book of great value to the large canon of Pauline literature. It is a very good book written in a fun and engaging style. Witherington tends to present a few of the different opinions on each topic and then states his personal view. He uses the Scriptures as his primary starting point, but then supports his views and premises from a historical perspective. I found it invaluable to have Witherington begin with his study of the ancient personality, specifically in regards to the three aspects of Paul: Paul as Jew, Paul as Christian, and finally, though of lesser import, Paul as Roman citizen. This sets all readers on a level playing field for the rest of the work. Each reader has a very clear view of how Witherington is approaching Paul, why, and where he intends to lead us as we search for the historical Paul. In presenting his different topics, Witherington draws upon numerous sources that include both modern and ancient. When criticizing an outside source, he does so in a fair way, evaluating both the strengths and weaknesses of a particular boo

A great resource for Paul research

This was a nearly perfect book on the person of Saul of Tarsaus (later known as Paul). I especially enjoyed the format utilized by Mr. Witherington to formulate his conclusions. He examines separately the various aspects of who Paul was (Jew, Roman citizen, and Christian) in order to have a fully developed profile. It was refreshing to see an author clearly outline his presuppositions regarding Pauline research as Mr. Witherington does in the opening chapter of this book. Most so-called scholars assume their presuppositions without articulating them and then proceed to dive into their arguments. You may disagree with Witherington's viewpoints on some of these issues (authenticity of some epistles, accurate historicity of Acts, etc.). However, he seeks to find as much common ground in order to build the foundation for his profile of Paul.Another great aspect of this book was the chronological aspects of Paul's life that Witherington addresses. He makes a compelling case for the dating of many events in Paul's life and writing of the various epistles. Most importantly of all, I feel like I have a better understanding of who Paul was as a person without the frequent sugarcoated or simplistic explanations given in some churches today. Thank you, Mr. Witherington !