A detailed exploration of both Paul the Apostle and his world, providing an understanding of how the Christian faith originated in the first centuries
Paul the Apostle is often acclaimed as “the true founder of Christianity,” but many Christians are unaware of Paul's teachings in their historical context. Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles explores both Paul and his world in the first century, investigating how he integrated his values, politics, and daily life through his teachings on the nature of God, how humans relate to God, and how to live God's commandments.
With a multidisciplinary Religious Studies approach and methodology, Rebecca I. Denova sheds light on the origin and evolution of the creation of a Christian “systematic theology” that became the basis for the establishment of Orthodox Christianity, the Catholic Church, and the Protestant Reformation. Accessible chapters provide the background and history of Judaism, analyze the Pauline epistles, and explore Paul's background as a Jewish Pharisee who became a believer in Christ within the context of the cities of the Eastern Roman Empire. Throughout the text, Denova offers insights into how Paul's engagement with the ancient world can help us understand the ways today's Christians articulate their own systems of meaning.
Helping readers fully understand the development of Paul's theology and its importance over the centuries, Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles: *Offers analyses of the Pastoral Epistles, I and II Corinthians, I Thessalonians, the Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Romans, and other key texts *Explores the ways Paul's letters established Christian hierarchy, set rules for Christian assemblies, and were used to both include and separate Christianity from Judaism *Discusses the shared concepts between Judaism and Greco-Roman religion, philosophy, and culture *Includes “Excurses” between chapters, detailed examinations and summaries of important topics and different perspectives *Contains numerous pedagogical tools, including historical timelines, maps and illustrations, definitions of concepts and terminology, references to traditional studies and recent scholarship, excerpts of ancient literature, and schematics of archaeological sites
Covering both the world of ancient Christianity and the scholarly methods used in analyses of Paul's letters, Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles is an excellent textbook for undergraduate students taking courses on the origins and history of Christianity, as well as general readers interested in Paul's life and letters.
REBECCA I. DENOVA is Emeritus Lecturer in the Early History of Christianity at the University of Pittsburgh, where she has taught courses on the ancient religions of the Mediterranean Basin for three decades. Dr. Denova is the author of The Origins of Christianity and the New Testament, Greek and Roman Religions, and Varieties of Early Christianity: The Formation of the Western Christian Tradition.
