Book Review - What Paul Meant

St. Paul has been a center of controversy probably since the day he first encountered the Risen Lord and began to change the course of history. He sparred with St. Peter over the issue of circumcision and the relationship of Gentiles and Jews. Later on, his words would be used as a cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation. In modern times, he has been accused of starting a religion that Jesus never intended and has been attacked for his bias against women.

Garry Wills in "What Paul Meant" seeks to rehabilitate St. Paul's reputation and get to the bottom of what he actually wanted to convey. Of the thirteen letters attributed to Paul in the New Testament, Biblical scholars today only accept seven as certainly by him: the 1st Letter to the Thessalonians, Letter to the Galatians, Letter to the Philippians, Letter to Philemon, 1st and 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, and the Letter to the Romans. Wills relies only on those letters to form his picture of Paul.

Wills spends much time comparing and contrasting Paul's versions of events with the version provided by Luke in the "Acts of the Apostles." Wills refers to Luke as a "theological artist. He creates for a purpose, and the purpose can shift from one part of the story to the next." As a result, his words are not necessarily historically accurate although they were used to illustrate theological truth.

"What Paul Meant" explores Paul's travels, his relationship with Peter and the other brothers in Jerusalem, his feelings on women (which really weren't all bad), and what he was trying to accomplish with his letters. It makes for interesting reading and a good introduction to the life and times of Saint Paul. The appendix of the book on "translating Paul" is especially enlightening, showing how words which Paul used have been translated into terms that he would never have considered using, such as "Christians, Church, Gospel, etc.) because they didn't exist yet.

Someone interested in finding out all about Paul would probably want to do further reading in order to get a more balanced portrayal of his thought, but it is always good to get some new insights and this book does provide them.