Fresh insight into Christianity’s
earliest teachings can be a
guide for your own spiritual
journey.
The Apostle Paul, who wrote many of the
books in the New Testament, was a fearless and revolutionary
religious innovator. In a society where slaveholding was
commonplace and women were little more than servants, he
preached a groundbreaking equality founded on a new spiritual
identity. In an imperial political system that demanded
unquestioning allegiance, Paul told his readers they were
citizens of heaven.Yet Paul diverged from many of Jesus’s
own teachings about the world and God’s kingdom, and his
writings have been used to justify slavery, defend violence
toward women, and vilify followers of other religious paths.
With fresh translations from the original
Greek and insightful yet unobtrusive commentary, Ron Miller
guides you through the complexities of Paul’s writings.
He explores Paul’s limitations and sometimes harmful
legacy, but also highlights Paul’s deep connection with
God’s Spirit. This connection led to Paul’s
penetrating insights on how to live a life filled with
spiritual vigor, experience profound joy even in the face of
trouble, and understand the fundamental power of love to
overcome any obstacle.
Whether you are familiar with Paul’s
writings or have no previous knowledge of them, this SkyLight
Illuminations volume will open a door to let you experience the
power of Paul’s words for yourself.
“Masterful.... Brings Paul to life
for the twenty-first century reader who wishes ... to relate
[Paul’s] letters to her or his own spiritual quest. [A
beneficial] guide to one of the most influential religious
writers of all time.”
—Adela
Yarbro Collins, PhD, Buckingham
Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation, Yale
University Divinity School
“A perceptive account of one of
[Christianity’s] greatest figures ... illuminates
Paul’s deep spirituality.”
—Andrew
Phillip Smith, author, The Lost Sayings of Jesus: Teachings from
Ancient Christian, Jewish, Gnostic and Islamic
Sources—Annotated and Explained
“People who have difficulty with
Paul’s [teachings] will appreciate this book.”
—Beatrice
Bruteau, PhD, author, The Holy Thursday Revolution
“Scholarly and spiritual....
Paul’s human weakness [is critiqued] ... yet Paul shines
through as provocative, visionary, and practical. Challenges
the reader to plumb the deepest meanings of [the writings of]
this often misunderstood leader in the early Jewish-Christian
church.”
—David L.
Coppola, PhD, Center for
Christian-Jewish Understanding,
Sacred Heart University
“Provocative ... opens fresh
perspectives for understanding Paul’s message. Challenges
readers to read key passages in Paul and to question many [of
their own] assumptions. A valuable contribution to Pauline
scholarship.”
—Rev.
Richard Hauser, SJ, professor of
theology and
director of Christian Spirituality Program,
Creighton University
