The First Paul

Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church's Conservative Icon

By: Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan

Narrated by: Mel Foster

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Paul is second only to Jesus as the most important person in the birth of Christianity, and yet he continues to be controversial, even among Christians. How could the letters of Paul be used both to inspire radical grace and to endorse systems of oppression - condoning slavery, subordinating women, condemning homosexual behavior?

Borg and Crossan use the best of biblical and historical scholarship to explain the reasons for Paul's mixed reputation and reveal to us what scholars have known for decades: that the later letters of Paul were created by the early church to dilute Paul's egalitarian message and transform him into something more "acceptable." They argue there are actually "Three Pauls" in the New Testament: "The Radical Paul" (of the seven genuine letters), "The Conservative Paul" (of the three disputed epistles), and "The Reactionary Paul" (of the three inauthentic letters). By closely examining this progression of Paul's letters - from the authentic to the inauthentic - the authors show how the apostle was slowly but steadily "deradicalized" to fit Roman social norms in regards to slavery, patriarchy, and patronage. In truth, Paul was an appealing apostle of Jesus whose vision of life "in Christ" - one of his favored phrases - is remarkably faithful to the message of Jesus himself.

©2009 Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan (P)2019 Tantor

What a relief!

Being raised in a conservative, fundamentalist, evangelical church which unflinchingly insisted on inerrancy of the Bible and substitutionary atonement, Paul’s writings were quoted constantly. I have evolved beliefs that are very much more liberal, left behind a fundamentalist understanding and finding my true self a liberal Episcopalian. Over the years I became increasingly suspicious of Paul’s more conservative passages. Clearly Jesus was a radical teacher but Paul’s writing seemed, at times, antithetical to the radical society changing message of Jesus. What a relief to find that Christ and the original St. Paul were playing from the same play book after all.

Amazing in depth coverage

These two authors never miss! Outstanding of Paul’s life, phases of his transformation and writings. This is a work which needs to be studied not just once read or listened.

A Liberal Paul

I was raised Christian in a conservative household. As an adult, I have struggled to reconcile my personal liberal beliefs with the conservative Paul I was taught about. This book opened my eyes to a whole new way of interpreting Paul's letters, and the structure of the early Christian church! What a fascinating read!

Great book! Must read for any believer.

Absolutely necessary reading to truly understand Paul. It his core he was a Jewish Jesus Mystic.

Paul the Proto-Marxist

Tabor's book was much better.
this one might've been hours shorter..and the politics was a bit much