the best book on paul an shows that the bible is ...
591328
the best book on paul an shows that the bible is divine rather then human in its origin. Ramsay a non-believer became a believer based on the biblical evidence with solid archeology an was onsight  with his findings. atheists have all kinds of problems with this kind of information.
4859397
Wright is extremely well researched and knows his stuff.  He drops tons of interesting facts (e.g., in Rome, a city of 1 million at the time Paul wrote the letter, there were probably 100 Christians meeting in various homes: that was the "Church of Rome") and explains the meanings of many, many words used.  He goes right to the heart of the issues Paul was dealing with and of the points he was driving at, as he understands quite fully the culture of Rome and of its tiny group of Christians living there.  Wright has tremendous respect for Paul and for this marvelous letter and his excitement for his material shines though.  In my opinion Wright's little homey vignettes don't always light it up, as not every verse from Paul is equally important, but it is great to have a feel for the meaning and import of every paragraph as even the lesser ones illuminate the greater ones.  Rich and powerful blessings are found in better understanding our great Paul through the eyes and heart of N. T. Wright! It is brilliant, lively and extremely useful!
424762
This book is a masterpiece that you will want to re-read as part of your permanent collection.  Filled with details you won't find in the Bible, including clothing worn and foods and beverages consumed and discriptions of the cities and livelihoods of the people.  Readers will feel they are a first-hand observers into the culture and life of Paul the Apostle and his relationship with Jeshua.

One thing to note is the website listed in Nick's recent releases has been changed from nickbunick.com to nickbunick.org, due to some unfortunate circumstances beyond Nick's control.
4971340
I've read this book 7 times.  8 if you count on my Kindle.  I study apologetics and this book is probably the best book on these 3 subjects you can buy.  It proves that those who believe in evolution have to have more faith in science and speculation, than those who believe the Holy Bible.  It gives the facts on the inerrancy of the Bible.  Something we hear almost every day now.  But, best of all, it shows that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah the Bible spoke of over 600 years before his birth.  Read this book and you will be convinced, as I was, that Creation, the Bible, and Jesus are all facts. Beyond the shadow of a doubt.
1213755
This is one of the best books I have read concerning the understanding of God's word.  It is a lot of information so I'm sure I will have to read it more than once. The books makes me want to study the bible more than ever.  I wish that there was a book like this 20 years ago.  I have read several books in the past years but this one is making me yearn for more knowledge.  This book has just what God wants us Christians to know.  Precise and as perfect as I can imagine.  The author has written about 60 books, who does that?  Truly inspiring.
751385
This book has been one of the most influential books I have ever read. It testifies of Christ. If anyone will read it and study its contents with a sincere desire to understand, they too will see its value and truth.
2422286
this book is the best book, gives great insights to find how god works, and how Paul's promises life from prison through gospel.
1972033
As a Bible Scholar and Exegete I found this book's worth to be immeasurable. The facts given therein are to educate the reader about not only the Samaritans religion from the beginning, but to show what they believed at the time of Christ. True light is shown on the Woman of Samaria (John 4:3-44) and how she is to be the virgin bride of the Samaritan messiah called Taheb in order to reestablish a pure bloodline. The woman's husbands are figurative and not flesh. There names are Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the sixth is "made alive again" Moses in the person of Taheb to whom she is only betrothed/engaged to awaiting for him to appear at Jacob's Well so they can consummate the betrothal. The author makes the statement regarding the knowledge of this book as being essential and without it everything said about Samaritans is nonsense. At the time of Christ the Samaritans practiced a Patrilineal/Patriarch theology. The meeting between the woman at the well and Taheb is based on a replication of the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24). In short, the Woman of Samaria is a title likened to royalty and has been falsely accused of being an immoral person. Jesus came to Samaria to persuade her to denounce her Taheb-ism and accept Him as the true Messiah. The Samaritans were the first to announce Jesus as the Savior of the World. To the Samaritan Moses is lord of the universe and all things came into existence through him. The Jews called their religion a silly religion.
4626602
This is an excellent book to fill out the background within which Saul of Tarsus - St. Paul - is to be understood. The authors are classical historians who have put a great deal of work into documenting the world of  the 1st Century A.D., as it applies to Paul and the rise of early  Christianity. The bibliography is thorough and up-to-date, and there is  real depth in the information. I found it easy and exciting to read (though  I may not be a typical reader!). The major sections - The Geography of  Paul's World, Travelling the World, The Native Cultures, Hellenisation in  the Near East, Roman Rule in the Near East, The Life of the Polis, and The  Individual's Self-Identification - are all good to excellent. The final  section on "Paul's Cities", though full of good detail, is  inevitably a little "bitsy", and hence a slightly weak ending to  the book.  Why only four stars? And why "Two and a half of the  three worlds of Paul"? Two things would have really helped complete  the book. The most important thing is that the book deals excellently with  the Roman and Greek "worlds" of Paul, but falls down on the  Jewish world. It's good on political and social history, but weak on the  history of ideas side. Some treatment of Judaism as a religion in the  period, particularly as a background to Paul's ideas, would really have  helped. Likewise, it would have helped to deal with some of the  cross-disciplinary research that looks at Paul from an anthropological  point of view. But that would be icing on the cake of what is already a  good book. If you're seriously interested in St. Paul, this is one to get.
4188672
It's good to see the Good News Bible back on the shelves again. Reading, say, the letters of Paul in the King James can be a chore for new Bible readers. This version helps you understand some of the most difficult parts of Scripture and is otherwise a fine read. Palau's version is very interesting with all sorts of helpful notes. The green print, however, might get to you after a while. One of the best Bible presentations in a long time.
1343872
This book helps sort out the various positions attributed to Paul on some very key issues in the life of the Church.  It is well written and very readable.  It is a part of the library used in my Bible study program and the students find it very helpful.
3953280
In this book the author gives us real insight into the character of Paul, especially in regards to his letter to the Philippians. Paul managed to have joy despite his circumstances, in fact many of his letters were written while he was in jail. David Jeremiah writes many chapters, each showing how we can obtain joy. His book is long and in this review, I cannot do it justice.

I would mainly recommend this book to Christians who want to grown in their spiritual journey. Non-Christians who seek also to have this joy may also desire to read this book. It would help them greatly.
3880380
This book on the life of Paul is a must for anyone seeking to know the apostle Paul and his new birth and how he overcame and how the message of the cross of Christ was revealed to him and how he learned to apply this revelation to his life and how we can do the same..
1015003
Once again, I have the great good fortune to review a book that will be valuable in my studies as a Master of Theological Studies (New Testament emphasis) student. The latest book on my list is `Kregel Charts of the Bible: Charts on the Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul' by Lars Kierspel [...]

Here is the synopsis of this valuable resource:

These 111 charts go a long way in capturing in visual form the priorities of Paul's ministry and the depths of his theological understanding. They cover a wide range of topics and are organized in four sections:

1. Paul's Background and Context (9 charts)
2. Paul's Life and Ministry (25 charts)
3. Paul's Letters (43 charts)
4. Paul's Theological Concepts (34 charts)

The author includes charts such as Paul's quotations of the Old Testament, key words from Paul's epistles, a timetable of Paul's life, parallels between Acts and Paul's epistles, overviews of each epistle, and the similarities of Ephesians and Colossians. He also includes trends in Pauline study such as the New Perspective. In addition, Kierspel provides insightful and useful comments regarding each chart. He concludes the volume with an extensive bibliography. All in all, the volume makes an excellent contribution to the teaching and preaching of Paul's rich life and thought.

Here is the biography of this author:

Lars Kierspel is former department chair of biblical studies at Trinity College and Theological Seminary, Newburgh, Indiana. Before that, he taught at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.

In the Preface, Dr. Kierspel explains the purpose for his book:

Paul made ample use of lists on a variety of subjects such as sin (e.g., Rom. 1:29-31), sufferings (e.g., 2 Cor. 11:23-27), salvation (e.g., Rom. 8:28-30), and spiritual gifts (e.g., 1 Cor. 12:8-10, 28-30). Maybe that is why preparing these charts often helped me discover the apostle on his own turf. The different angles reflected here constantly highlighted new aspects and offered unexpected insights. Given the nature of the apostle's life and letters, this book is not for the lazy reader. While the charts ease access to information, they demand every ounce of intellectual and creative energy to avoid consuming them as biographical and theological fragments. Needless to say, Paul's life is richer than these charts are able to reflect; and studies of Paul ask and answer more questions than I was able to review, understand, and display. My limits in book, space, time, and abilities forced me to make selections. (p. 9)

I actually made use of this book for a theological exposition paper on Galatians 5:16-24 in the Systematic Theology 2 class recently completed. I specifically used Chart 91 - The "Already" and "Not Yet" (p. 173) and Chart 97 - `The Imperative in Paul's Letters' (p. 183). I will also be taking a class in the summer entitled `Teaching with Skill and Influence,' and I am quite sure that this book will come in handy for that class, as well.

The `Paul's Letters' section of the book is of particular value. There is a separate chart for each book attributed to Paul, as well as such interesting charts as Chart 40:  `Paul's Letters: Total Number of Words and Vocabulary' and Chart 56: `Key Words in 1-2 Corinthians.' The `Key Words' will be very useful when I start taking my Greek language classes in the fall.
The Bibliography in the back has also been useful, and it will continue to be, when I need access to important scholarly books.

I really enjoyed the depth of this resource, and have proudly added it to my textbook bookshelf! If you are interested in going deeper into Paul's writings and teaching, I highly recommend this wonderful resource!

You can order your copy here [...]

This book was published by Kregel Academic, and provided by them for review purposes.
148744
Tim Hegg has done a wonderful job.  If you have ever had questions regarding Paul and his seemingly contradictory thought, then this is a must read.  No longer do I believe the book of Acts to be a transitional book from law to grace.  Paul always adhered to and practiced Torah and taught others, both Jew and Gentile, to do the same.  Paul upholds Jesus' words in Matt. 5:17-21.
Tim Hegg challenges those who hold that the translations we have are completely reliable.  He shows how translator's, albeit well meaning, often-times translate the original manuscripts through their predisposed views/doctrines--Hebrews 8:13 is a prime example of translators ADDING a word (covenant) because it puts more emphasis on them attempting to show that the Torah/law is abolished/fulfilled.
If you are satisfied with the status quo and fear your beliefs being challenged, then run away from this book.  However, if you are a seeker of truth no matter the consequences, then I highly recommend this book.  You will find that Yeshua and Paul both uphold Torah and desire a life of Torah for you also.  The only consequence is blessing!
3289875
This book brought the apostle Paul to life like no other book I have read.  In today's language, it brought more depth to the life and work of Paul.  I felt like I was on his journies with him!
231477
While the book has elements of being a biography of the apostle Paul, it is much more than that. Cole looks at the letters of Paul and the book of Acts and pulls out how his leadership and life were formed. Many people who no idea why they are the way that they are, the strengths and weaknesses they have, why they have are driven or lazy. What Cole does is show us why Paul was the way he was and helps us see why we are the way we are.

I believe that if more leaders were self aware, their leadership capacity would skyrocket.

As I read the book, I found myself thinking back over my life, how things happened and why I am the way I am.

Specifically, as he described Paul's second journey into his third missionary journey. In his second journey, he experienced a lot of suffering, beatings, and setbacks. Cole points out that every leader goes through this period and most leaders quit during this time. It was Paul's third missionary journey that he experienced the most fruitfulness and effectiveness.

For me, it made me think back to our time in Maryland, Wisconsin and getting Revolution off the ground. From 2004 - 2009 I went through this time. I didn't get beat up physically like Paul did or go to jail, but it was a painful time, one that would have been easy to quit during. But as Cole points out rightly, on the other side of that comes fruitfulness and effectiveness.

As he gets to the end of Paul's life, we begin to see the point of life and leadership is to finish well. More than 70% of Christian leaders do not finish well, for a number of reasons. But the goal of leadership is to finish well. Robert Clinton in his book The Making of a Leader (which Cole quotes often) says that this stage of a leaders life is called "convergence." When God moves a leader into a role that matches his or her gift-mix and experience so that ministry is maximized.

Here are a few things that jumped out to me:

-Finishing well is not something that you do at the end of your life - it is what you determine to do every day of your life. You do not finish well accidentally. Determine now that you will finish well or die trying - which, in the end, is really what it means to finish well.
-The journey to significance starts with the mere willingness to surrender the status quo and take the first step of faith in the adventure.
-The best leaders are not those who have the most followers but those who develop and deploy other leaders. The true test of a leader's influence is to look at what is left behind once the leader is gone.
-There are some lessons that a leader can learn only while sitting on the bench.
-If your life is sedentary and lacking in compelling stories of God's deliverance, it is because you are not taking enough risks for the sake of the gospel.
-What you do is less important than who you are, because who you are will determine the things that you do.
-When God has something important to teach us, pain is often the vehicle that gets us to recognize and remember the truth.
-If the Scriptures are to be believed, you should be concerned if you do not face difficult challenges and pain.
-Our greatest significance awaits us at the end of much pain and many hard lessons.
-What we learn in the quiet years is often the foundation for our more influential years.

If you'd like to know why you are the way that you are as a leader and how your leadership is formed (which I think is unbelievably important), this is a great book to pick up. This will be especially helpful to younger leaders to begin laying the foundation of finishing well.

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