Finding
All of the post-Pauline books reflect the attempt to 'neutralize' Paul lest he destroy the church by his prophetic individualism.
Paper
The Genius of Paul: A Study in History . By Samuel Sandmel. New York: Schocken Books, 1970. xvi + 233pp. $6.50 cl., $2.45 pb.
Citations: 0
Full text
Semantic ScholarAbstract
This book was first published in hardcover in 1958, and the new edition is apparently distinguished from the original only in its paperback availability, in a somewhat extended introduction, and in the alteration of the final page to include some remarks on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Even the pagination remains the same. The book is indeed clear and readable and is presented for the general reader as a non-technical study. It includes an appreciation of Paul as a unique man of genius with a highly creative mind who became a central figure in the emergence of Christianity. Yet the chief interest of the book is to be found in the author's challengingthough not always persuasive suggestions as to the actual course of the earliest period of Christian history. Paul's general position is explained by the fact that his Judaism was Hellenistic rather than Palestinian. Because of Paul's immediate experience of the presence of the risen lord he saw himself as the minister of the new covenant. He was the great innovator who completely altered the nature of the original Jewish Christianity and accordingly influenced, directly or indirectly, all of the New Testament writings. All of the post-Pauline books reflect the attempt to 'neutralize' Paul lest he destroy the church by his prophetic individualism. Only in this way could Paul's contributions be retained within a continuing institutionalized Christianity.
Authors
H. Shires
Journal
Church History