A Comparison of the life of Paul and Jesus Christ - Book Report/Review Example

? Book Review on Chapters in Life of Paul “Chapters in a life of Paul”, is a book that was originally written by John Knox in the 1950s. The book was revised by the author and later edited by Douglas R. A. Hare, who also wrote the introductory section of the book. This revised edition was published in the year 2000 by Mercer University Press. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is 0865542813 while the book’s length is 160 pages. There are three key subjects round which the book revolves. These are Religion, Biblical Criticism and Interpretation, and the New Testament. John Knox, the author of “Chapters in a Life of Paul” was a clergyman of the Scottish origin and the Protestant Reformation leader who was responsible for bringing reformation to Scotland Church. After attaining his education at the University of Saint Andrews, John Knox underwent ordination as a Catholic priest in the year 15361. He joined the movement to reform the Scottish church under the influence of early church reformers like George Wishart. Majority of his books including “Chapters in life of Paul”, were published in the 1950s. Editing was done much later on in the early phases of the 21st century. The book gives a comparison of the life of Paul and that of Jesus Christ. The author notes that a student studying the life of Paul encounters a much simpler problem compared to a student studying the life of Jesus. This is because reconstructing the life of Jesus involves enormous difficulties. A student concerned with the life of Jesus has to rely almost entirely on the four Gospels, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. The earliest gospel book was written a generation following the end of Jesus’ ministry. Neither Jesus nor any of his disciples wrote the gospel books. Therefore, there is a high probability that the memories of his actions and words were changed, even beyond recognition. Information during that period was conveyed orally, hence subject to misinterpretation and modification. When stories are told and retold, they always change. The probability of change is further enhanced by the continual development of Christian faith and the paramount importance of Jesus and His life. Faith played the role of transfiguring faith. This clearly shows that change was inevitable. This process of change continued even after the first Gospel has been written. There is a great difference among the four Gospels. The same case applies even to the Synoptic Gospels, which share a literary ground2. Therefore, the author attempts to show that studying and comprehending the life of Jesus is extremely difficult compared to understanding the life of Paul. Paul wrote different letters to the apostles as well as to the Galatians, Corinthians, Thessalonians, Ephesians and many more. In his letters, he gives an account of his life as well as the incidents that occurred during that time. This is contrary to the Gospels where neither Jesus nor his disciples is involved in writing. Therefore, it is much easier for a reader to understand Paul’s life because the words are coming from the horse’s mouth. It is more like first-hand information and hence not subject to enormous modifications and changes. The probability of misinterpretation is also very minimal. Paul presents the career of the apostle. The main work of the apostle was missionary work, which entailed spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul is a good example of an apostle and his work entailed travelling extensively through Roman. In the course of his travels, he preached and taught free of charge. He chose to earn or make money via manual labor. This clearly shows selflessness, a virtue that should be embraced by Christians. Paul believes that the apostles were role models. This means that their actions had to be in line with biblical teachings. Hence, there is a common phrase that “one cannot preach water and drink wine”. This means that the actions of the apostles had to be approved and acknowledged by the people they ministered to. It is evident that the apostles were devoted and faithful to Jesus Christ to an extent that they were willing to suffer and even be persecuted for spreading the gospel. Therefore, the book, “Chapters in life of Paul” highlights the fact that ministry work was the primary career of an apostle3. The final part of the book highlights the man in Christ. According to Paul, being in Christ meant standing within that new order of relationship which was dictated by God in connection with Jesus Christ. To be in Christ meant to be part and parcel of a new creation. This implies that a person has to change or transform his life and live according to the will of God. Paul uses his own life and experience to explain the new life “in Christ”. Paul was a believer, and this is the main reason why he emphasized on believing in God. The new life in Christ entailed forgiveness and emancipation, or simply, “justification”, a term that is closely related to “reconciliation”. For a person to attain a new life in Christ, he has to be forgiven and delivered from the power of sin. A critical evaluation of the book shows that its main concern is the life of Paul and the distinction of this life from his thoughts. Hence, rather than presenting a “life of Paul”, it tries to shed light on a few issues that a writer of such a life has to consider. These issues or problems serve as a preliminary to his work or in the course of his work. Though some of the issues addressed are extremely essential when studying Paul’s life, it is evident that not all questions asked are truly important4. The book hardly mentions a number of the most basic and difficult problems. For instance, the author fails to give the sociological and historical background of Paul’s career. Therefore, this is a major criticism worth noting concerning the book. Despite the flaw mentioned above, the author has managed to give a detailed overview of specific aspects of Paul’s life. John Knox presents extensive information on the notable differences between Paul’s letters and the book of Acts that pertain to the journeys and life of Paul. It is also worth noting that the author gives convincing explanations as to why he discusses the points he does. This means that each point presented in the book is supported by adequate proof, evidence and justifications. The author broadly covers topics like the man in Christ and the career of the apostle. One notable aspect is that each of the broad topics covered is split into fine details for easy comprehension. In conclusion, “Chapters in a life of Paul” I a book that discusses three important issues: Religion, Biblical Criticism and Interpretation, and the New Testament. John Knox, the author gives a comparison of the life of Paul and that of Jesus Christ. In the book we get to know that Paul wrote different letters to the apostles as well as to the Galatians, Corinthians, Thessalonians, Ephesians and many more. The last part of the book gives a clear description of Jesus . Being in Christ meant standing within that new order of relationship which was dictated by God. John Knox presents extensive information on the notable differences between Paul’s letters and his journey as a disciple of Christ. Notes Knox, John. Chapters in a Life of Paul. Mercer University Press, 2000. Read More