The Apostle: A Life of Paul

This book answered questions and helped me discover a great respect for this man and his wisdom and dedication to his belief in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was a very fascinating and well written, researched study of a man deserving of it.

Excellent retelling of the life and work of St.Paul. Peppered with scriptural quotes, accurate in detail, and deeply researched, this book grabs the reader's attention. Not a quick read, rather it's a book to be savored. This reader found the detail painted images of the landscape and times. It brought to mind my own fond memories of my trip to the Holy Land and to Rome -- like a chat with an old friend.

Perhaps no figure in Western history has been as controversial as the Apostle Paul, a man who, through his own mighty personal transformation, transformed the course of that history. Virtually every major historian, philosopher, and theologian has weighed in with an opinion on his tempestuous and profoundly dedicated life, and in a biography aimed at the general reading public rather than the scholar, John Pollock has written a life of Paul that, although carefully researched, moves and fascinates at the pace of a fine historical novel. Mr. Pollock carefully examines the arguments of the modern anti-Christian bias -- he writes as a believer, although a non-believer can be comfortable with this book -- and emerges with a triumphant Paul. Flawed, brilliant, scholarly, and eloquent -- possessed of "...an unbreakable love for the Jewish people," his Apostle endures cold, hunger and thirst; derision, flogging, shipwreck, abject loneliness and the periodic depression dictated by his nature, and holds fast to his mission with a prodigious energy and the vision of a fulfilled Messianic Judaism that endures for his long lifetime. Pollock evokes the cosmopolitan cities of the ancient world -- Tarsus, Antioch, Corinth, Ephesus, Athens, and Rome -- with their rich stew of races, ethnicities, cults, and religions, with a clarity, simplicity, and wealth of detail which alone make the book worth reading. He memorably conjures the Holy of Holies, Jerusalem, as it existed under Roman rule. One learns much of Roman and Jewish Law, as well as the workaday lives of the people of the ancient world. But it is the towering and undaunted (though often tormented) figure of Paul, "...his motives, aims and priorities...his attitude toward his mistakes when he recognized them... and what he was willing to die for..." that dominates the book. All readers of Paul's epistles will have favorite chapters in this book; for some it will be his speech to the mocking Athenians on the Areopagus; for others, the famous Second Corinthians; and for still others, the dramatic opening chapters which relate the martyrdom of his rival St. Stephen through the machinations of Paul and his faction; the self-inflicted psychic wound that eventually brought about Paul's spiritual metamorphosis, and which haunted him all his life. Those who have never read Paul will receive an education in the life of one of Christianity's greatest formative figures. For all readers, it will be a glimpse at a man whose presence in the ancient world which produced him was as radical and astonishing as the appearance of a mighty saint would be in the not-so-different, self-absorbed, and faulty world of today.

John Pollock is an accomplished biographer. I've not read his other books yet, but his biographies include Billy Graham, DL Moody, and Wilberforce. Reading his work on Paul was perfect timing. I'm leading a men's Bible Study working our way through Paul's letters (started with Philippians, now Thessalonians, next Ephesians). The Apostle, together with Warren Wiersby's Be Series, has become essential to my preparation for Bible Study. What Mr Pollock has done for us is use context and history to more fully flesh out the man Paul. All while flawlessly preserving Scripture. While Mr Pollock is very careful to explain his rationale when topics require conjecture or best guess, I find his research and historical value complete. Paul's life in Scripture already reads like an adventure novel to some degree. Mr Pollock takes it to the next level though, filling in the gaps. He not only expands on Biblical principles, but does an amazingly thorough job of sharing Paul's conversion and missionary journeys. And it's written in an easy to read way meant to feel like an exciting novel rather than simply a non-fiction biography. Outstanding book to simply read and enjoy, or as a research tool. Highly recommend either way, but especially for students of Paul's writings, life, and leadership.

Go back in time and live alongside the Apostle Paul. Witness the stoning of Stephen, the transformation from Saul to Paul on the Road to Damascus, his journeys throughout Asia Minor, Greece and the Middle East spreading the Gospel and sowing the seeds of Christianity for the Lord. Excellent writing combining historical facts and blending it with vivid descriptions of the lands where Paul visited. Use Google Earth and go to some of these locations and transport yourself back to experience what Paul saw as he walked along dirt roads with the Mediterranean Sea or the mountains in the distant background. I highly recommend this book for anyone who truly wants to know Saul of Tarsus, better known as our Paul the Apostle.

The author filled in so many more details about Paul's life as he researched it. We were also given some details about his personality and feelings.

Excellent read as I prep for Paul’s life to share! Thank you sir for your insight for my personal library

Nice book and I learned some interesting things about the life of Paul and how his letters all fit together. Sometimes his literary license was a bit too much, as if he was writing a non fiction novel, and you wondered what was fact or fiction. But overall, it accomplished why I was reading the book to begin with--- to get a better understanding of the life of Paul and how his writings, which are such a huge piece of the new Testament, fit into spiritual and actual history.

Paul's life is a truly an awesome one.The author through the blending of his research of the scriptures and ancient writings melds the story of this life into a clear realization of Paul's motivation and sense of mission. The book gives impetus to the readers' own commitment to make known the love of Jesus to all those whose lives are touched by them.

I kind of knew this would be a good book, but was really pleased with it! It is written very well, and I especially like the way the author has cross referenced parts of the Bible and historical documents along the lineage of the book, which makes it a very informative and concise read. It is not cluttered, and reads very easily. It would have been easy to make this unfactual, and more like a fairy-tale, but the author has been very disciplined in his approach, and has produced something that is just so modern, fresh and in-your-face! For any Christian who is well versed on Paul, the content is not surprising - but I can definitely say that regardless of that, or how much you think you know - this book is such a fantastic read. I literally could not put this down, and was really disappointed that I had finished it so soon (it's not short on content either). It's just a lovely book to read, and something which has I feel, re-illustrated Pauls testament, and made brought his story to the fore. I really felt like I was there, walking with Paul on his journeys. I would highly recommend it. It really brings to life, the whole aspects of Pauls life, his experiences and his teachings, in a way that reads well chronolgically. In one word, Brilliant!

Whatever is known about Paul, written about him or by him, is brought to life in this wonderful book. The author has used general information from the era and exceptional knowledge of geography to paint a picture of this indefatigable apostle. All is brought seamlessly together in a very readable form. All Christians would be able to enjoy it because even though it is scholarly in content, it is highly readable and adds a great deal of understanding to the words we read in the New Testament.

Für alle die mal tiefer in das Leben Paulus blicken möchten ist dieses Buch ein muss. Das Buch deckt ganz neue Facetten von Paulus, bekannt als der Missionar und Nachfolger Christi, der sich wie kein anderer hingab, auf!

John Pollock writes with skill to bring Paul and the 1st century setting to life. Interesting from the dramatic opening onwards, and in the pages of this book Paul becomes real. All the excitments of spreading the word in the Roman world, together with the difficulties,challenges and disagreements, are covered in a highly readable presentation. I first read this in a library copy some years ago, and was delighted to rediscover it again. It was just as enjoyable and instructive as I remembered it. Well worth reading.