Paul

A Biography

By: N. T. Wright

Narrated by: James Langton

In this definitive biography, renowned Bible scholar, Anglican bishop, and bestselling author N. T. Wright offers a radical look at the apostle Paul, illuminating the humanity and remarkable achievements of this intellectual who invented Christian theology—transforming a faith and changing the world.

For centuries, Paul, the apostle who ""saw the light on the Road to Damascus"" and made a miraculous conversion from zealous Pharisee persecutor to devoted follower of Christ, has been one of the church’s most widely cited saints. While his influence on Christianity has been profound, N. T. Wright argues that Bible scholars and pastors have focused so much attention on Paul’s letters and theology that they have too often overlooked the essence of the man’s life and the extreme unlikelihood of what he achieved.

To Wright, ""The problem is that Paul is central to any understanding of earliest Christianity, yet Paul was a Jew; for many generations Christians of all kinds have struggled to put this together."" Wright contends that our knowledge of Paul and appreciation for his legacy cannot be complete without an understanding of his Jewish heritage. Giving us a thoughtful, in-depth exploration of the human and intellectual drama that shaped Paul, Wright provides greater clarity of the apostle’s writings, thoughts, and ideas and helps us see them in a fresh, innovative way.

Paul is a compelling modern biography that reveals the apostle’s greater role in Christian history—as an inventor of new paradigms for how we understand Jesus and what he accomplished—and celebrates his stature as one of the most effective and influential intellectuals in human history.

A bit of a snoozer

Slow, dry and ultimately boring, the author tries to make up for this by adding some literary flourishes without providing a lot of evidence for how he knows certain specifics (how Paul was feeling, what he was thinking, etc.) Given that we have just 7 letters from Paul, it seems a bit of a stretch to be able to write an historically accurate biography of his life. And I think this book proves that.

Paul is a fascinating figure, and I find the story of early Christianity exceptionally interesting. But this book fails to capture the revolutionary essence Christianity must have had on early converts.

A Hearty Book on Paul

This is the FIRST book I've read/listened to from N.T. Wright. While I've read a number of his articles or quotes, this is the first time I've actually taken the opportunity to sit down and read/listen to one of his full works.

As a historical book, listening to this is like listening to a lecture from an excellent history teacher. Personally, I had a couple of excellent professors in ancient history / archaeology throughout my higher education studies, so I felt right at home as I listened.

Of the Audio Books I've listened to, this is one in which I'm glad to have listened to it instead of read it, while at the same time wish it came with a PDF to have a printable outline of some of the notes/outlines Wright provides. Being able to look at a document that contains Wright's suggested outline of when each letter was written, where it may have been written, and some of the other minute details would have been a very welcome addition.

Upon completing this, I added two other books by Wright into my wishlist. I'm not sure if/when I'll be able to listen to them, but I found his writing interesting enough that I want to dig in a bit further to see what he has to say about other parts of the New Testament. (While I'm generally more interested in ancient history before the Roman Empire / time of Christ/Paul, Wright's biography on Paul instilled a new interest within me.)

At the end of the day, if you've read other books by Wright, you likely know what you're getting into, and you'll be pleased.

Paul comes to life

This book is a great work. N. T. Wright is an amazing author. I really love the way he brings Paul to life according to according to Paul’s own teachings. The scripture references and the historical sphere in which these writings came about are fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants “dig deep” into the writings of Paul. The narrator is so easy to listen to. His inflections are perfect!

Great book about an apostle of Jesus.

Fascinating read. Great narration. Amazing apostle for Jesus who walked this earth preaching the good news. Well done.

Reexamination of Paul in His Own Context

NT Wright helps us reimagine Paul in his own context, a zealous First Century Jew, who spread the Gospel, not as a new religion, but as the fulfillment of the ancient promise to Abraham to bless all nations through his seed. NT Wright invites the western world to pull back the Platonic eschatology that has been built up in the western world over Paul's tent obscuring the Hebrew understanding and expectation of God baptizing us into His covenant family as His image bearers and agents who will reflect heaven to earth and reflect back earth in praise to heaven. NT Wright until heaven descends to earth when Christ eventually comes again to claim His own and establish His eternal rule in earth, not in some platonic ideal in which earth is divorced from heaven, but in redemption of the earth remaking it in harmony with heaven under the rule and reign of Christ. NT Wright succeeds in helping us to see what has been there all along, like an archeologist gingerly removing the the newer layers to reveal the original detail.