Description
Book SynopsisEveryone knows the supposed life story of Paul the apostle, but then again they may not. As it is generally drawn from the book of Acts, Paul had a dramatic conversion on the “road to Damascus,” undertook “three missionary journeys,” and returned a final time to Jerusalem. He was arrested for creating a riot, held prisoner in Caesarea, and upon his appeal to Caesar was finally transported to Rome as a prisoner. Dotted, dashed, or colored lines on countless numbers of maps document Paul’s “three missionary journeys” and his journey to Rome, as these are commonly discerned in the book of Acts. Paul’s letters and the book of Acts itself, however, may tell a different story than the one customarily perceived—perhaps a less familiar story, but perhaps a more factual one. The Ministry of Paul the Apostle represents a significant paradigm shift for understanding Paul’s ministry which involves two major campaigns, an ordered awareness of Paul’s ministry as far as Illyricum, a revision of Paul’s Corinthian ministry, an historical confirmation of visits to Jerusalem, an appropriate ordering and reaffirmation of Paul’s letters, including Romans 16 as a letter to Ephesus. In addition, the current study offers a new paradigm for correlation between our sources of Paul’s letters and the book of Acts, with the development of an underlying source tradition behind Acts. The reader is thus invited to participate in a significant re-evaluation of Paul’s ministry and a proposed solution to a long-standing mystery of correlation between Paul’s letters and Acts. When one travels with Paul, one engages in a voyage of discovery. This book makes sense of the mystery of Paul’s ministry, which when properly understood, becomes an illuminating foundational window of clarity for sorting out a bewildering multitude of theological formulations of the enigmas of Paul’s thought. It is through a thorough awareness of the ministry of Paul that one comes to appreciate the contextual nature and depth of Paul’s theological thought. One comes to a new appreciation of Paul’s place in early Christianity, relevant even for those who live in a post-modern age.
Trade ReviewG. Roger Greene offers a creative and provocative reconstruction of the career of the Apostle Paul. Acknowledging the long recognized tension between the epistles (the primary data for information about Paul) and the problematic presentation of Paul in Acts, Greene suggests that this tension can be relieved somewhat by comparing the picture of Paul revealed in the epistles with the presentation found in what Greene has detected as the basic underlying source tradition utilized and redacted by the author of Acts. By careful and incisive analysis, Greene draws intriguing conclusions about Paul’s career (characterized by two major campaigns, not three journeys), his ministry in Corinth, his relationship with and visits to the Jerusalem church, the significance of Romans 16, and a reevaluation of the authenticity of several of the “disputed letters.” Greene’s book represents innovative New Testament scholarship at its best. -- Naymond Keathley, Baylor University, retired
In The Ministry of Paul the Apostle, Roger Greene has re-focused the comparison of “Paul of the Letters” with “Paul of Acts” away from Pauline theology per se (which he still locates in the Pauline epistles) to understanding Paul’s ministry in its historical context. Along the way, through careful redactional analysis and historical reconstruction (aided by external historical data), Greene has rehabilitated Acts as a source, properly sifted (which he labels the Source Tradition of Acts), for situating Paul in his pastoral relationships with his churches. Scholars and students of Paul and Acts alike will profit from following Greene’s sleuthing in these ancient sources for fresh insights into old questions. -- Mikeal C. Parsons, professor and Macon Chair in Religion, Baylor University
Roger Greene provides us with clever, exegetical and historical detective work to offer an impressive solution to the long-standing problem regarding how to correlate Acts and Paul’s letters to construct a chronology of Paul’s ministry. It is wonderfully well-reasoned and will repay careful study. It offers much for Pauline scholars, pastors, students, and those who simply love the unraveling of a mystery. -- David E. Garland, George W. Truett Theological Seminary
Roger Greene’s work represents a fresh and compelling approach to a question that has long proven troublesome for Pauline scholars, namely, how to correlate the autobiographical information contained in Paul’s epistles with Luke’s account of Paul’s ministry in Acts in order to reconstruct a Pauline chronology that is credible and coherent. Although he follows other scholars in looking to Paul’s letters as the primary source for such a reconstruction, Greene proposes that we must also analyze closely and carefully the manner in which Luke adapted the source materials he used to redact both his Gospel and the Book of Acts in order to accomplish his purposes in each of these works. By focusing on the narrative underlying the source tradition of Acts and examining the alterations Luke makes to that narrative, we are able to arrive at a chronology of Paul’s career that not only fits the evidence found in his epistles and the Book of Acts but also opens up a new paradigm for understanding Paul’s evangelistic ministry. Thoroughly-researched, well-written, and highly original, Greene’s work on Pauline chronology deserves a place alongside that of the most well-respected scholars in the field of Pauline studies and cannot be ignored by any who wish to engage this subject seriously. -- David A. Brondos, Theological Community of Mexico
With remarkable clarity and cogency, Roger Greene constructs a comprehensive overview of Paul’s life and ministry. Laying aside the traditional but problematic assumptions of standard chronologies of Paul’s life, Greene advances Pauline scholarship by supplementing the data in Paul’s letters with information from source traditions he identifies in the book of Acts. The result is a fresh understanding of Paul’s life in five periods, including a “foundational campaign” and a “collection campaign” (rather than the traditional three journeys). In the process, Greene establishes a new sequence of Paul’s letters, the context of the Jerusalem council, and fresh insights into Luke’s redactional work in Acts. The study of Paul’s theology can now start from a clearer understanding of his life and writings. -- R. Alan Culpepper, dean and Professor of New Testament Emeritus, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University
Table of Contents1. The Scope of the Problem 2. Luke and the Book of Acts 3. Lukan Redaction in Acts 4. The Pauline Letters 5. Chronological Data Points 6. The Ministry of Paul the Apostle 7. Conclusion Appendix A: The Source Tradition of Acts (STA) Appendix B: Romans 16 Appendix C: Persons Mentioned in the Letters and the STA Appendix D: The Developed Chronology of Paul Appendix E: Maps of Paul’s World and Ministry
