The Apostle: A Life of Paul

Paul is someone I've spent time on and off studying. His writing to Timothy is something I've always wanted to understand more thoroughly, so a history of who Paul was became very helpful for me. Pollock does a good job of weaving history, archaeology, Biblical text, and third-hand accounts into a good overview of who Paul was and how significant his impact was on the early church.

The Apostle masterfully combines careful adherence to biblical text, detailed research, and a storyteller's gift to create a book equally relevant for both casual readers fascinated by Paul's life and serious biblical scholars. Pollock begins his fast-movig narrative with Stephen's death and follows Paul through his conversion, missionary journeys, and eventual execution. Many will enjoy it simply as a satisfying and insightful true-life story, although maps and a study guide allow for deeper exploration.

This is an incredibly good biography of Paul. Reading this has given me the "big picture" of Paul's life, which puts Acts and the Pauline Epistles in context for me more than ever before. The author is very good about identifying when he is speculating, but that said, he's not afraid to speculate here and there about obscure details. This book is fairly easy reading, and very enjoyable, yet highly informative.

The acclaimed, authentic biography of the early church's greatest evangelist--the Apostle Paul. Master storyteller John Pollock makes Paul and his amazing story freshly alive, so that you can know the greatest apostle much as Luke and Timothy did as they traveled with him. As you turn the pages, you'll sense Paul's motives, his aims and priorities; what mattered to him; and what he was willing to die for.

Doesn't reveal much that I already got from the New Testament.

Fabulous book.

Excellent work on the life of Paul.