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    Paul Was Not a Christian: The Original Message of a Misunderstood Apostle

    Paul Was Not a Christian: The Original Message of a Misunderstood Apostle

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    by Pamela Eisenbaum

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    Customer Reviews

      ISBN-13: 9780061990205
    • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
    • Publication date: 12/08/2009
    • Sold by: HARPERCOLLINS
    • Format: eBook
    • Pages: 336
    • Sales rank: 259,593
    • File size: 573 KB

    Pamela Eisenbaum is the associate professor of biblical studies and Christian origins at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. Eisenbaum is a national media expert on early Christianity and, as a practicing Jew teaching in a Christian seminary, has a unique perspective on the origins of Christianity.

    Table of Contents

    Acknowledgments ix

    Note to the Reader xiii

    Introduction 1

    1 Was Paul Really Jewish? 5

    2 Paul the Problem 10

    3 How Paul Became a Christian 32

    4 Reading Paul as a Jew-Almost 55

    5 Paul's Jewish Inheritance 67

    6 Who Is and Who Isn't a Jew? 99

    7 The Flexible Pharisees 116

    8 Paul the (Ex?)-Pharisee 132

    9 A Typical Jew 150

    10 A Radical Jewish Monotheist 172

    11 On a Mission from God 196

    12 "On the Contrary, We Uphold the Law!" 208

    13 Justification Through Jesus Christ 240

    14 It's the End of the World as We Know It 250

    Glossary 257

    Notes 259

    Bibliography 295

    Index 305

    What People are Saying About This

    Stanley Stowers

    Eisenbaum shows the implausibility of the common interpretation of Paul that pits a Christian essence against a superficial or rejected Jewish hull. The book’s great accomplishment is to show us a historically plausible picture of a fully Jewish Paul who was also fully committed to Christ.

    Daniel Boyarin

    Pamela Eisenbaum’s Paul Was Not a Christian is a clear and effective presentation and extension of the view. . . that Paul remained fully identified with Judaism and the Torah throughout his life. . . It will repay careful reading by interested layfolk and by scholars as well.

    Alan F. Segal

    “Paul was not a Christian is well worth careful reading. It is a serious and very clear exposition of what changed and what stayed the same in Paul’s religious life. This book is very highly recommended to both scholars and laypersons as all will gain from it.”

    Neil Elliott

    Eisenbaum’s is one of a few important voices drawing our attention . . . to the continuing tensions and contradictions in Christian readings of Paul . . . This book does more than challenge and inform: it changes the way we think about Paul [and] the origins of Christian faith.

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    Pamela Eisenbaum, an expert on early Christianity, reveals the true nature of the historical Paul in Paul Was Not a Christian. She explores the idea of Paul not as the founder of a new Christian religion, but as a devout Jew who believed Jesus was the Christ who would unite Jews and Gentiles and fulfill God’s universal plan for humanity. Eisenbaum’s work in Paul Was Not a Christian  will have a profound impact on the way many Christians approach evangelism and how to better follow Jesus’s—and Paul’s—teachings on how to live faithfully today.

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    Bibles & Christianity
    Religion
    Biography
    Christianity
    Religious Biography
    Bibles & Bible Studies
    Christian Biography
    General Christianity
    Biblical Figures - Bible Studies
    Biblical Figures - Biography
    Saints - Christian Biography
    Saints, Christian
    Bibles & Christianity
    Religion
    Biography
    Christianity
    Religious Biography
    Bibles & Bible Studies
    Christian Biography
    General Christianity
    Biblical Figures - Bible Studies
    Biblical Figures - Biography
    Saints - Christian Biography
    Saints, Christian
    Library Journal
    A noted Jewish scholar teaching the New Testament at a Christian seminary, Eisenbaum (The Jewish Heroes of Christian History) presents readers with a distinctive approach to interpreting Paul. In contrast to the most common reading of Paul as a zealous Jew who abandoned his devotion to Pharisaic Judaism following his conversion to Christianity, Eisenbaum portrays Paul as a Jew who lives among Gentiles in a decidedly non-Jewish world and wrestles with the practical issue of how to lead a Jewish lifestyle in the midst of a non-Jewish society. Her interpretation of Paul's struggle to maintain the particularity of his own ethnic and religious identity without denying the validity of others' identities has much to teach our modern world about religious pluralism and the acceptance of human difference. VERDICT In this well-researched and carefully constructed work, Eisenbaum offers a new portrait of a controversial figure that is both plausible and engaging. Jews and Christians seeking a new approach to interfaith dialog may find this a welcome addition. Highly recommended for scholars—this book is sure to inspire discussion.—Brian C. Greene, Northeastern Univ. Libs., Boston
    Interfaith Voices
    According to traditional teachings, Paul rejected his Judaism for the new, improved version: Christianity. Bible scholar Pamela Eisenbaum says this interpretation of Paul is not only wrong, it’s dangerous.
    Jewish Book World
    Professor Eisenbaum offers the general reader the most realistic first-century portrayal of the Apostle Paul ever written.
    Doctor - Stanley Stowers
    Eisenbaum shows the implausibility of the common interpretation of Paul that pits a Christian essence against a superficial or rejected Jewish hull. The book’s great accomplishment is to show us a historically plausible picture of a fully Jewish Paul who was also fully committed to Christ.
    Neil Elliott
    Eisenbaum’s is one of a few important voices drawing our attention . . . to the continuing tensions and contradictions in Christian readings of Paul . . . This book does more than challenge and inform: it changes the way we think about Paul [and] the origins of Christian faith.
    Doctor - Daniel Boyarin
    Pamela Eisenbaum’s Paul Was Not a Christian is a clear and effective presentation and extension of the view. . . that Paul remained fully identified with Judaism and the Torah throughout his life. . . It will repay careful reading by interested layfolk and by scholars as well.
    Alan F. Segal
    Paul was not a Christian is well worth careful reading. It is a serious and very clear exposition of what changed and what stayed the same in Paul’s religious life. This book is very highly recommended to both scholars and laypersons as all will gain from it.
    Dr. Stanley Stowers
    Eisenbaum shows the implausibility of the common interpretation of Paul that pits a Christian essence against a superficial or rejected Jewish hull. The book’s great accomplishment is to show us a historically plausible picture of a fully Jewish Paul who was also fully committed to Christ.
    Dr. Daniel Boyarin
    Pamela Eisenbaum’s Paul Was Not a Christian is a clear and effective presentation and extension of the view. . . that Paul remained fully identified with Judaism and the Torah throughout his life. . . It will repay careful reading by interested layfolk and by scholars as well.

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