The title of this textbook, Thinking through Paul, provides a key to the book's major strength. Longenecker and Still provide readers with a thorough study of Paul that does not merely summarize current scholarship in Pauline studies but also invites readers to engage this scholarship for themselves. The result is an informative and accessible book that moves readers from thinking about Paul to thinking through Paul, from thinking about Paul's life, letters, and theology to developing their own thinking on the important matters Paul engages through his letters.
The volume is divided into three parts: Paul's life, Paul's letters, and Paul's theology. Following the survey of Paul's life and ministry in part 1, the second part of the book examines the letters of Paul, providing readers with the sociohistorical context of each letter, identification of the central vision of the letter, and an analysis of the letter's contents. The book concludes in part 3 with an exploration of Paul's theology, focusing on the primary components within Paul's theological worldview, and the relationship between Paul's theological narrative and the narratives of Israel and the Roman imperial order, and connecting Paul's narrative with everyday life within the communities of Jesus-followers. All chapters in the book begin with an overview of the chapter's contents and key verses from Paul's letters. Chapters conclude with questions for discussion, questions for contemporary theological reflection, and a list of sources for students who want to engage in further reading. In addition, each chapter is enhanced by the inclusion of colorful artistic images, maps, and informative sidebars on a wide variety of topics. These artistic images, maps, and sidebars as well as the effective introductions and conclusions to chapters contribute to the book's value as a tool for both instructors and students.
Longenecker and Still present a balanced view of contemporary Pauline scholarship. They differ from the majority of contemporary Pauline scholars in their reliance on Acts as a source for historical details in Paul's life and in advocating Pauline authorship of 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, and 2 Timothy. Despite occasionally siding with the minority position among interpreters of Paul, Longenecker and Still present all major scholarly positions clearly and objectively. Their balanced treatment of disputed areas in Pauline studies fulfills a stated goal for the book: to help readers think through Paul by seeking to be good and honest guides rather than telling readers what to think about Paul (81).
The expertise of the authors is apparent throughout the book but is most evident in part 3, which explores Paul's theology. Longenecker and Still analyze major movements in Pauline scholarship with ease and instead of drawing conclusions encourage further thinking on the topic. In addition, reading the third part of the book leads readers to make insightful connections between the narratives that emerged from Paul's historical context and Paul's life, thinking, writing, and theology. One example of this is in the section treating the apocalyptic narrative that undergirds Paul's theological thinking. In only a few pages the authors are able to introduce readers to some major interpreters of Paul, such as J. C. Beker, Richard Hays, Tom Wright, Ben Witherington III, and Michael Gorman, give an account of the apocalyptic narrative that Paul presupposed, and draw a connection to Galatians, in which Paul presents his own life as a microcosm of the larger apocalyptic narrative of God's reclamation of the cosmos (301–4).
Longenecker and Still have written a thorough, accessible, and insightful introduction to Paul and his letters. The first sentence of the book states: “To study Paul well can be exciting. To study Paul well can be challenging. To study Paul well can be life-changing” (10). This textbook captures the spirit of that statement and encourages readers to engage in an exciting, challenging, and perhaps life-changing encounter with the apostle Paul and his letters.
