Paul the Apostle

This book is a controversial new biography of the apostle Paul that argues for his inclusion in the pantheon of key figures of classical antiquity, along with the likes of Socrates, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and Augustus. It first provides a critical reassessment of the apostle’s life in its historical context that focuses on Paul’s discourse of authority, which was both representative of its Roman context and provocative to his rivals within Roman society. It then considers the legend that developed around Paul as the history of his life was elaborated and embellished by later interpreters, creating legends that characterized the apostle variously as a model citizen, an imperial hero, a sexual role model, an object of derision and someone to quote from. It is precisely this rewriting of Paul’s history into legend that makes the apostle a key transformative figure of classical antiquity.

Author Biography

J. Albert Harrill is Professor of Classics at Ohio State University. A New Testament scholar, he is the author of Slaves in the New Testament: Literary, Social, and Moral Dimensions (2006) and The Manumission of Slaves in Early Christianity (1995). He has contributed to numerous reference works on the Bible and Christianity, and his articles have appeared in such journals as New Testament Studies, the Journal of Biblical Literature, Studia Patristica, and Religion and American Culture.