What Paul Meant (audio)

by Garry Wills

Publisher:

Blackstone Publishing

, 2006

Overview

Throughout history, Christians have debated Paul’s influence in the church. Though revered, Paul has also been controversial — apocryphal writings by Peter and James charge Paul with being a tool of Satan. In later centuries, Paul was scorned by such writers as Thomas Jefferson, George Bernard Shaw, and Nietzsche. In this masterly analysis, Pulitzer Prize—winning author Garry Wills chronicles Paul’s tremendous influence on the first explosion of Christian belief, the controversy surrounding Paul through the centuries, and the meaning of his words. He argues eloquently that what Paul meant was not contrary to what Jesus meant — rather, the best way to know Jesus is to discover Paul. Unlike the Gospel writers, who carefully shaped their narratives many decades after Jesus’ life, Paul wrote in the heat of the moment, offering the best reflection of those early times. “[Wills] is simply the most astute Catholic writer in America today.” “Wills’ precise diction and preacherlike narration add to the listening experience … listeners can’t help appreciating Wills’ voice, his scholarship and his conclusions.” “Wills hones in on whatis at stake in complex arguments, makes the issues clear, and presents a compelling case for reading Paul with historical attentiveness.” “Dazzlingly enlightening.”

Product Details

• Title: What Paul Meant (audio)
• Author: Garry Wills
• Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
• Print Publication Date: 2006
• Logos Release Date: 2022
• Era: era:modern
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Audio
• Subjects: Religion › Christian Theology--General; Religion › Biblical Studies--New Testament--General
• ISBNs: 9781481542838, 1481542834
• Resource ID: LLS:9781481542838
• Resource Type: Media
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-01-24T22:42:22Z

About Garry Wills

Garry Wills is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and the author of more than forty books, including New York Times bestsellers Reagan’s America (1987), Lincoln at Gettysburg (1992), Papal Sin (2000), What Jesus Meant (2006), and Why Priests? (2013). A frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books, Wills is professor of history emeritus at Northwestern University. He is a two-time winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and received the National Humanities Medal in 1998. Wills lives in Evanston, Illinois.