Introduction
Considering the untold number of pages written on the apostle Paul’s life and theology over the past two thousand years, one may rightly question whether it is possible to write a very short introduction to Paul. Paul: A Very Short Introduction, by E. P. Sanders, is an attempt to present such a “very short introduction.” While Sanders does introduce Paul in a reasonably short amount of space, it is an introduction given exclusively from a theologically liberal-critical perspective. Sanders (1937–2022) was Professor of Religion at Duke University and is often recognized for his role in popularizing the New Perspective on Paul.
Summary and Analysis
Chapters 1-3
Chapter 1 introduces Paul and defines some of the questions that will occupy the remainder of the book. In chapters 2 and 3, Sanders provides some biographical details of Paul’s life and surveys Paul’s methods of evangelism. While Sanders does make use of the book of Acts for general ideas of Paul’s life, the trustworthiness of the details found in Acts is rejected (18). The books of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are completely rejected as sources for Paul’s life and thought since Sanders assumes they were written by anonymous individuals after Paul’s death (19). Despite a tendency toward skepticism, Sanders does make some interesting speculative reconstructions of Paul’s life.
Chapters 4-5
Focus turns to the theological side of Paul beginning in chapter 4 which centers on Paul’s statements related to Jesus’s return and the resurrection of the dead. Sanders believes that Paul expected Jesus’s imminent return and builds his discussion accordingly (32). Particularly insightful in this chapter is Sanders’s description of the Bible’s portrayal of resurrected, spiritual bodies (35-36).
Chapter 5 considers two presuppositions found in Paul’s writings: “there is one God; God controls the world” (41). Sanders places the presuppositions within the context of Judaism in Paul’s day, especially relying on the writings of Josephus and Philo. While the basic presentation of the two presuppositions is well done, Sanders’s assessment is highly critical of Paul’s logical abilities – a tendency that will be addressed below.
Chapters 6-7
Chapters 6 and 7 cover the concepts of righteousness by faith and being united with Christ as found in Galatians and Romans respectively. Throughout these two chapters, Sanders emphasizes that being united with Christ has priority over a judicial understanding of salvation (89). Sanders’s overview of the difficulties for English speakers related to the words “believe,” “justify,” “righteous,” and “faith” was insightful. This quirk of the English language leads Sanders to adopt the phrase “righteoused by faith,” which he considers a more consistent translation than the more common “justified by faith” (53-55).
Chapters 8-9
Chapter 8 is a surprisingly brief chapter on the Christology found in Paul’s writings. Sanders’s rejection of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus no doubt contribute to this fact. Sanders concludes that Paul does not have a “single doctrine of the person of Jesus Christ” (95). Chapter 9 covers Paul’s view of the Old Testament Law. Sanders rightly points out that Paul’s statements regarding the Law often depend on context (98), but similar to his conclusion in chapter 8, Sanders concludes that Paul does not have “one single theology of the law” (99).
Chapters 10-11
Chapter 10 surveys Paul’s ethical teachings and focuses particularly on sexual morality and idolatry (123). Several pages are dedicated to the concept of homosexuality in Graeco-Roman society, at the conclusion of which Sanders points out that, regardless of what some modern scholars suggest, Paul is clear on his absolute condemnation of all homosexual activity (132). Sander’s assertion that Paul wanted sexual desire to be limited even within the bounds of marriage, however, is debatable (133-134).
Other than a brief, somewhat dated, appendix on further reading, the book concludes with chapter 11. This chapter revolves around the question of the salvation of ethnic Israel and ultimately, according to Sanders, everyone. This chapter is built on the assumption that when Paul states that “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26) he means ethnic Israel (139). If, on the other hand, “Israel” is God’s people (i.e., all those who are in Christ, regardless of ethnicity), then the entire chapter is built on a wrong understanding of the text. Sanders concludes the chapter by asserting that Paul taught Universalism: that all creation would be saved (139). This would contradict what Paul says elsewhere, but that is okay according to Sanders, because Paul is “an ad hoc theologian … a charismatic” that should not be bound by “logical arrangement” (148).
Sanders as Judge over Paul
The previous sentence is indicative of a major problem found throughout the book: Sanders, not accepting Paul as an inspired writer, sets himself as judge over Paul and rules that Paul’s writings are full of contradictions. Paul’s arguments can be built “without logical success” (45), it is implied that Paul cannot hold his ideas together without writing them down on a single page (95), and one of Paul’s arguments is compared (unfavorably of course) with “modern fundamentalism” (66). In light of Sanders’s rejection of Paul as a coherent thinker, one cannot help but wonder if Sanders’s unique conclusion that the “I” in Romans 7 is not an individual, but a “cry of theological difficulty” (114) is a projection of his own theological difficulties.
Conclusion
So, is it possible to write a very short introduction to the apostle Paul? Apparently, yes, but only by sacrificing nuance and explanation. Sanders does not have space to defend his views or interact with others, so the book relies largely on simple assertions. There are many good insights sprinkled throughout the book, but Sanders’s low view of Scripture, his acting as judge over Paul, and his questionable interpretation of key passages make this an inadequate introduction to the apostle Paul. The book is, however, a good introduction to a theologically liberal-critical view of Paul.
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