Summary of N. T. Wright's Paul

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The story of Saul of Tarsus begins when he was a young boy, soaking up the stories of his ancestors. He would enjoy the Jewish festivals, especially Passover, which commemorated the nation’s freedom.

#2 The tradition of zeal is part of the freedom story. It was young Saul’s duty to root out wickedness in Israel, and he knew it. But he also knew the goyim were a threat, and he wanted to protect his people.

#3 The story of Balaam and the Israelites is a great example of how the people were running wild, and how Phinehas, one of Aaron’s sons, intervened and saved the day. He was given a perpetual personal covenant by God.

#4 The story of Phinehas and Abraham is a prime example of how the Jewish people were zealous for God and the law. Saul of Tarsus grew up hearing this story, and it influenced his zeal for God and the law.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822520721

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Insights on N. T. Wright's Paul

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The story of Saul of Tarsus begins when he was a young boy, soaking up the stories of his ancestors. He would enjoy the Jewish festivals, especially Passover, which commemorated the nation’s freedom.

#2

The tradition of zeal is part of the freedom story. It was young Saul’s duty to root out wickedness in Israel, and he knew it. But he also knew the goyim were a threat, and he wanted to protect his people.

#3

The story of Balaam and the Israelites is a great example of how the people were running wild, and how Phinehas, one of Aaron’s sons, intervened and saved the day. He was given a perpetual personal covenant by God.

#4

The story of Phinehas and Abraham is a prime example of how the Jewish people were zealous for God and the law. Saul of Tarsus grew up hearing this story, and it influenced his zeal for God and the law.

#5

The story of Phinehas and Elijah would have resonated with Saul, as it did with many other devout Jewish families, who lived peacefully alongside their goyische neighbors, but were always ready to defend their way of life against external attacks and internal corruption.

#6

Saul had a dream to free Israel from the rule of foreigners, and he went to Jerusalem to fulfill it. He was shaped by the debates between the two greatest rabbis of his time, Hillel and Gamaliel.

#7

The term zeal is used to describe the actions of those who are passionate about something, but it can also be used to describe the actions of those who are passionate about God and Torah.

#8

After the death of Stephen, Saul became even more zealous to rid Jerusalem of the Jesus-followers. He set off to track down and kill the followers, but he was not recognized as a true covenant member until after he had killed many of them.

#9

The road to Damascus is a honey trap for psychological speculation. We spend our time wondering how the sign lights up without even realizing that the sign is saying something. The whimsical English poet John Betjeman puts it like this: St. Paul is often criticized by modern people who’re annoyed at his conversion, saying Freud explains it all.

#10

The historian and biographer can study the levels of motivation that are available, not least the implicit narratives that run through a culture or the mind of a political leader.

#11

The hope of Israel was the virtue that Saul of Tarsus had learned and practiced. It was a dogged and deliberate choice when the world seemed dark, and it depended not on a feeling about the way things were or the way they were moving, but on faith in the One God.

#12

The Israel vocation had gotten to the point where it needed rescuing. The Jews were still in exile, and they needed forgiveness. That was the ancient hope, cherished not only by Saul of Tarsus but by thousands of his fellow Jews.

#13

The Temple in Jerusalem was designed as a small working model of the entire cosmos. When it was destroyed, this vision was shattered, but the prophets declared that God would one day return. The people had better be prepared.

#14

The first-century Jew Saul of Tarsus was zealous and dedicated to God’s will, and he sought to enter