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adamrshields's review
4.0
Short Review: A short book that introduces Paul, his overall message of God's welcome to all and his vision of Christ's kingdom as a new creation. This book held together a little loosely for me. Like a number of Williams books this is a lenten lecture that was turned into a book. And unlike some I think it was a bit disjointed.
But there are so many good thought provoking passages that I can excuse the looseness of the organization.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/meeting-god-in-paul/
But there are so many good thought provoking passages that I can excuse the looseness of the organization.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/meeting-god-in-paul/
drbobcornwall's review
4.0
St. Paul is an enigma to us. He was a key founder of what became Christianity. He was an apostle to the Gentiles. He helped the faith from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (or at least Rome). Because he wrote letters dealing with theological issues and matters of practical relationships, as well as organization issues, some of what he wrote doesn't sit well with modern views of the world. It is often said that Paul ruined the religion of Jesus. The problem with this accusation is that Paul's letters precede the Gospels by years if not decades. So who is really telling the story of Jesus correctly? Well much ink has been spilled over the years. N.T. Wright devoted 1700 pages to the topic. I've not read it!
Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, has written a much briefer exposition of the life and teachings of Paul. His little book, which is offered as a set of reflections for the season of Lent, comes in at less than one hundred pages. It is very accessible and insightful.
The book is comprised of a set of three chapters, a series of discussion questions focused on these three chapters, and finally Williams offers a Lenten reading guide. For each week of Lent he suggests readings from the Pauline letters. There is also a Sunday reflection and a prayer that goes with the readings for the week.
The first chapter introduces us to Paul's context. We learn what it means for Paul to be a Roman citizen. In the First Century, under Rome, there were essentially three kinds of people: citizens, non-citizens, and slaves. Being a citizen didn't make you rich, but it gave you certain legal rights that Paul made use of along the way. We learn what it means to be a Jew in the Roman world. And Williams gives us a sense of Paul the man. He suggests that Paul was probably of a similar age to Jesus. It appears that he wasn't very attractive, had some kind of physical ailment (possibly an eye disease that may have disfigured his face), and may have lacked some social graces. In describing Paul's social context, Williams notes that religion as we know it really didn't exist. You didn't ask someone their religion. The gods were simply part of life. You didn't want to offend them. Really only Jews seemed to understand things differently than the rest of society. Williams notes that Paul was establishing a new religion. He was espousing a new world order. That meant for Paul traditional religious practices, which were ubiquitous might not be permissible for followers of Jesus. I found this chapter really helpful. It puts Paul in context in a way that makes him human. That's good!
The second chapter offers a look at Paul's vision of universal welcome. The epigraph for the chapter is Galatians 3:28. That passage, in William's mind, captures Paul's vision. Even if he didn't fully understand the revolutionary nature of this vision, he set things in motion that have born fruit over time. Paul's vision of welcome is linked to his vision of freedom. He envisions a community in which slavery no longer defines a person's identity. Indeed, this freedom he envisions is one in which one no longer worries about what must be done so that God might welcome them. How we live together in community should reflect God's welcome.
The third chapter focuses on his vision of the New Creation. He begins by describing how Jesus is the image of God. He is the one who shines forth the glory of God. If Jesus is the image of God, to be in Christ is to allow that image to be in us. To be in Christ is to be part of the New Creation (2 Cor. 5:17). He writes: "We are living in that new creation, that radically different universe: the new city with its new citizenship, where no lone is a slave or migrant deprived of dignity, where we live here and now, but at the same time in the living presence of the future" (p. 79).
The book is brief and to the point. If you wish, you can always dive into N.T. Wright's two volume tome, or you can gain a new appreciation of Paul and his vision of welcome and new creation by meditating on this offering.
Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, has written a much briefer exposition of the life and teachings of Paul. His little book, which is offered as a set of reflections for the season of Lent, comes in at less than one hundred pages. It is very accessible and insightful.
The book is comprised of a set of three chapters, a series of discussion questions focused on these three chapters, and finally Williams offers a Lenten reading guide. For each week of Lent he suggests readings from the Pauline letters. There is also a Sunday reflection and a prayer that goes with the readings for the week.
The first chapter introduces us to Paul's context. We learn what it means for Paul to be a Roman citizen. In the First Century, under Rome, there were essentially three kinds of people: citizens, non-citizens, and slaves. Being a citizen didn't make you rich, but it gave you certain legal rights that Paul made use of along the way. We learn what it means to be a Jew in the Roman world. And Williams gives us a sense of Paul the man. He suggests that Paul was probably of a similar age to Jesus. It appears that he wasn't very attractive, had some kind of physical ailment (possibly an eye disease that may have disfigured his face), and may have lacked some social graces. In describing Paul's social context, Williams notes that religion as we know it really didn't exist. You didn't ask someone their religion. The gods were simply part of life. You didn't want to offend them. Really only Jews seemed to understand things differently than the rest of society. Williams notes that Paul was establishing a new religion. He was espousing a new world order. That meant for Paul traditional religious practices, which were ubiquitous might not be permissible for followers of Jesus. I found this chapter really helpful. It puts Paul in context in a way that makes him human. That's good!
The second chapter offers a look at Paul's vision of universal welcome. The epigraph for the chapter is Galatians 3:28. That passage, in William's mind, captures Paul's vision. Even if he didn't fully understand the revolutionary nature of this vision, he set things in motion that have born fruit over time. Paul's vision of welcome is linked to his vision of freedom. He envisions a community in which slavery no longer defines a person's identity. Indeed, this freedom he envisions is one in which one no longer worries about what must be done so that God might welcome them. How we live together in community should reflect God's welcome.
The third chapter focuses on his vision of the New Creation. He begins by describing how Jesus is the image of God. He is the one who shines forth the glory of God. If Jesus is the image of God, to be in Christ is to allow that image to be in us. To be in Christ is to be part of the New Creation (2 Cor. 5:17). He writes: "We are living in that new creation, that radically different universe: the new city with its new citizenship, where no lone is a slave or migrant deprived of dignity, where we live here and now, but at the same time in the living presence of the future" (p. 79).
The book is brief and to the point. If you wish, you can always dive into N.T. Wright's two volume tome, or you can gain a new appreciation of Paul and his vision of welcome and new creation by meditating on this offering.
storymi's review against another edition
4.0
Ik weet niet.. ik vond Paulus in zijn brieven nooit zo sympathiek overkomen. Het eerste deel van dit boek plaatst hem in zijn eigen context, tijd en cultuur. Dat hielp me enorm om zijn teksten beter te begrijpen en gaf me een andere blik op hem als mens. Ook ga je snappen waarom zijn uitspraken in de tijd waarin hij leefde zo revolutionair waren en voor zoveel ophef zorgden. Heel interessant.
Het tweede gedeelte vond ik wat meer herhalend, maar dat komt ook omdat ik al meer boeken heb gelezen van Williams.
Het derde gedeelte was een leesrooster met elke dag een stukje uit een brief van Paulus. Dat vond ik ook wel tof. Ik vind de boeken van Williams meestal heel goed, maar soms denk ik wel: dit is zo'n mooi verhaal; is dit nog gebaseerd op de Bijbel of meer op je eigen filosofieën? Door het leesrooster te volgen krijg je inzicht in zijn bronvermelding. Dat hielp niet alleen om de Bijbelse bronnen van dit boek beter te begrijpen, maar ook om zijn andere boeken meer te 'wortelen'.
Conclusie: niet alles was nieuw, maar.. ik heb zeker een betere blik gekregen op Paulus en begrijp zijn brieven nu beter. Blij het te hebben gelezen dus: 4 sterren.
Het tweede gedeelte vond ik wat meer herhalend, maar dat komt ook omdat ik al meer boeken heb gelezen van Williams.
Het derde gedeelte was een leesrooster met elke dag een stukje uit een brief van Paulus. Dat vond ik ook wel tof. Ik vind de boeken van Williams meestal heel goed, maar soms denk ik wel: dit is zo'n mooi verhaal; is dit nog gebaseerd op de Bijbel of meer op je eigen filosofieën? Door het leesrooster te volgen krijg je inzicht in zijn bronvermelding. Dat hielp niet alleen om de Bijbelse bronnen van dit boek beter te begrijpen, maar ook om zijn andere boeken meer te 'wortelen'.
Conclusie: niet alles was nieuw, maar.. ik heb zeker een betere blik gekregen op Paulus en begrijp zijn brieven nu beter. Blij het te hebben gelezen dus: 4 sterren.
rheckner's review
5.0
Excellent. Dr. Williams is on top form in this short book. He has really brought St. Paul's writings alive to me in new ways. His understanding, wisdom, and love shine through his writing in this book. I am excited to delve more deeply into St. Paul's epistles after reading this spiritually inviting and intellectually challenging (but extremely readable) book.
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