Paul: A Biography

My review of a definitive biography by N. T. Wright

An unpretentious title for a book, I thought, when I first set my eyes on the book. But this isn’t a biography of an ordinary person, as you might have surmised from the book cover. Paul: A Biography by N. T. Wright (“Tom Wright”) is in fact a definitive biography of a titan of history – someone who has significantly impacted world history for centuries, and even up to the present 21st century – Paul the Apostle.

Commonly known as Saint Paul in the Christian world, Paul was one of the most influential leaders of the early Christian church. A persecutor of Christians before his dramatic Damascus road conversion, he played a crucial role in spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles (non-Jews) during the first century, and his missionary journeys took him all throughout the Roman empire. During these journeys and when in imprisonment, he wrote many letters (epistles) to the churches he founded. Those that survived made up much of the New Testament that we know today.

Throughout the centuries Paul has been the subject of both scrutiny and fascination among believers, skeptics, historians and theologians. This continues even in the 21st century with publication of countless articles on him and his teachings, new biographies and even a 2019 film about him. Paul: A Biography is one such biography to which I now turn my attention.

N. T. Wright, a former Anglican bishop, is considered one of the world’s leading Bible scholars. He serves as the chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. He is also the author of many books – some of them bestsellers – including Simply Good News, Simply Jesus, Surprised by Hope, How God Became King and The Day the Revolution Began as well as The Kingdom New Testament, a recent translation of the New Testament.

I didn’t pick up this book to read by chance or at random. It’s more of an informed choice. I say this because I’ve been an avid follower of Wright and his teachings for some years already. I’ve read two of his earlier books, watched his online classes on YouTube, and even attended a lecture by him in Hong Kong in March 2019. When I learned that he’d just recently written and published a biography on Paul the Apostle, I knew I had to get hold of it because I was keen to know more about the man and what made him tick. Wright promises to do just that in Paul: A Biography and he delivers.

The book is divided into three parts. In the first part, “Beginnings”, Wright explores the life of young Saul of Tarsus and the learning that shaped him, his encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road, Paul’s “hidden years” in Tarsus and Arabia, and the begin­nings of his ministry in Antioch. He carefully examines the tradition of the Jews of Paul’s days in order to offer perspective into what might have shaped Saul’s zeal to persecute the Jesus followers.

The second part, “Herald of the King”, covers Paul’s missionary journeys throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Wright meticulously traces through Paul’s visits to each city and town to understand Paul’s new life as an apostle for Jesus Christ. As he does so, Wright explains the religious, socio-economical, and political milieu of these places, thereby helping the reader better understand the situations Paul was dealing with. He also recounts how and how much Paul had been mistreated and suffered in various cities such as Thessalonica, Ephesus, and Caesarea in order to provide insight into the shaping of Paul’s theology and the reasons behind what he wrote in his letters to the early churches.

Part Three, “The Sea, The Sea”, focuses on the last few years of Apostle Paul’s life starting with a nice retelling of Paul’s journey to Rome as a prisoner under guard. He also ventures into what might have happened after Paul’s trip to Rome. Finally, Wright ends this section with an intimate view on Paul by shifting the focus away from Paul the Apostle to Paul the man who was vulnerable as all humans are, a man who could experience different moods – fearful, hopeful, reflective, angry, sad, rejoicing, reconciliatory. But one thing Paul was not. He didn’t shy away from courting controversy and wasn’t afraid to proclaim the name and power of Jesus to whomever he met, even Roman governors and prison guards.

Well, what’s there to like about the book? I shall list a few.

First, the book is an easy read as Wright adopts a clear, informal and conversational style in his writing. Having seen and heard the way he speaks in his lectures and talks, I can say his writing style is almost akin to the style of a public speaker. The result is a lively, vivid, action-packed account of what Paul and his companions did and went through in the early days of the Church.

Second, Wright uses the Bible, especially the New Testament, exclusively as his source material throughout the biography. Those who value the Scriptures should be pleased with this approach. His retelling of Paul’s Damascus road encounter with Jesus and his missionary journeys as chronicled in the Book of Acts, and his speculative forays into what might have happened in the years he spent in Tarsus and Arabia (which Acts is silent on) is fascinating and refreshing.

Third, Wright’s vivid portrayal of Paul’s humanity by bringing together in a coherent manner the various strands of information peppered throughout the Book of Acts and Paul’s own thoughts expressed in his letters gives readers a deeper insight of a man who has, over the centuries, shaped Christian doctrine, as we know it. It has undoubtedly raised my understanding of Paul to a whole new level.

What’s not to like about the book?

My only gripe is with the structure of each chapter in the book. I’d have liked to see subheadings in the chapter. I find these to be very useful as markers if the chapters are long, which is the case in this book. They serve as breakpoints when I wish to stop reading the chapter at some point and also help me to go back to the part that I wish to reread. I hope this point will be taken into consideration by the author in a future revision of the book.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Let me know if my review has helped you decide to want to read this book.

Book Information:

Publisher: HarperOne

Publication Date: 27 February 2018

Format/Pages: Hardback/480 pages

My Rating: 5 stars

Note: This review first appeared in my Wordpress book blog Passion for Books.