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jpcolkitt9190's review against another edition
challenging
informative
4.0
I was able to get a better understanding of Paul and the time he lived in. However I wouldn't consider this a biography due to there not being enough facts about Paul's life. I also know that it is hard to get facts from that time period. N.T. Wright did do a good amount of research and I was able to learn tom this book. Every Christian should give this a read, it'll make you think about Paul differently, not only Christians but anyone studing theology.
blythe_w's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal, fascinating, and a beautiful invitation to see afresh Paul, his mission, and really the gospel of King Jesus.
dmg1's review against another edition
5.0
This biography of the Apostle Paul's life has quickly become one of my favorite reads. N.T. Wright shows Paul as a human, with struggles and joys. This has been incredible to read.
ashleyhanson1989's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book and how it gave me a fresh insight to the fact that Paul was more than just a "letter writer" to various churches. Much of the personification is due to creativity, but a coherent story has been woven with what we do know.
utalan's review against another edition
4.0
4+ stars. Excellent biography that helped me understand Paul as a person and made the book of Acts feel more alive. He did a great job of trying to fill in gaps with plausible explanations, but was very clear on fact vs supposition.
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
3.0
Instead of a traditional Bible study looking at the text in the Bible first and foremost, in this book Wright tries to recreate the timeline from Paul's life, not just using the biblical texts, but general knowledge the Jewish world at the time and other historical details we have available to piece together the story of the Apostle Paul's life traveling among the early churches of the Jesus movement.
It was a refreshing look at the world in which early Christians lived, breathing new life into texts that have been studied to death and, over time, taken out of context of the culture in which they were created. Wright is a well know Bible scholar, and as such, this can sometimes get a bit dry, but I also think that's because I was listening rather than reading the text. Ironic, since he talks about the importance of reading scripture aloud, since that's the format it was originally delivered in.
All in all, a nice change of pace from studies that my small group was doing to something I read for myself that gave a lot of context about the Biblical world during the height of the Roman empire.
It was a refreshing look at the world in which early Christians lived, breathing new life into texts that have been studied to death and, over time, taken out of context of the culture in which they were created. Wright is a well know Bible scholar, and as such, this can sometimes get a bit dry, but I also think that's because I was listening rather than reading the text. Ironic, since he talks about the importance of reading scripture aloud, since that's the format it was originally delivered in.
All in all, a nice change of pace from studies that my small group was doing to something I read for myself that gave a lot of context about the Biblical world during the height of the Roman empire.
moanareads's review against another edition
it was just really hard to follow and understand and connect things
susanshilton's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
brice_mo's review against another edition
3.0
Lots I appreciated here, but I don’t feel like this necessarily feels super revelatory as “a biography.” It’s a book I enjoyed and will likely revisit, though.
marysasala's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting but ultimately unsatisfying look at one of the world's most influential people.
Wright rights from a Protestant perspective. He writes by only citing the Bible. At first I found this exciting and authentic. The more the book progressed Wright continued to make assumptions, guesses and conclusions based much to loosely for me to accept. He sounds a lot like a Pastor preaching about Paul and less like an historian telling the story of Paul. I found I wanted the latter.
Wright rights from a Protestant perspective. He writes by only citing the Bible. At first I found this exciting and authentic. The more the book progressed Wright continued to make assumptions, guesses and conclusions based much to loosely for me to accept. He sounds a lot like a Pastor preaching about Paul and less like an historian telling the story of Paul. I found I wanted the latter.