Have you ever found the Apostle Paul confusing? It may be because there are different dimensions of the Apostle. In a collaborative effort, John Dominic Crossan and Marcus J. Borg have authored The First Paul. This book argues that Paul was a radical apostle who was subsequently suppressed by the church. They parse Paul according to scholarly consensus that there are genuine Pauline letters, letters from the “school of Paul” and disputed letters.
As you may know, the Apostle Paul is a primary subject from the Book of Acts, but his authorship is in the epistles of the New Testament. He is the undisputed author of seven of the New Testament letters: 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians (sections of), Philippians, Philemon, Romans. His ministry and theology influence the books of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus. These are otherwise known as the pastoral letters of Paul likely written by someone influenced by Paul. While the books of Ephesians, Colossians and 2 Thessalonians are post-Paul entirely. These are also known as the disputed letters.
Borg and Crossan describe the Paul of the seven genuine letters as “The Radical Paul”. The Paul of the three pastoral letters is for Borg and Crossan “The Reactionary Paul”. And the Paul represented in the disputed letters, they suggest is “The Conservative Paul”.
This may be a very helpful book as one tries to reconcile the teachers of Paul in the local congregation. Our Adult Sunday School class will be considering this book as we move through Lent and approach the radical truth of Easter!
Leslie's Theology 