3-EN ( 英文 ), 0200-Exegesis ( 聖經研究 ), 0285-聖經人物/故事 

The dynamic career of Paul of Tarsus has exerted a fascination on writers of every age and of every country. From St. John Chrysostom to Strauss, Renan, Prat, Lagrange and Loisy there has been no lack of works, both orthodox and heretical 0 but there are very few modern biographies in print in England. Father Perez is the best authority in Spain on his subject and very highly regarded. What he has done here is to show the giant stature of St. Paul, the compelling spiritual odyssey of “a young man named Saul” who was looked on, to quote Father Perez, as ‘the head and ruling bishop of all the churches founded by him’. His authority could not be questioned ‘received as it was from the Apostles and from Christ Himself’.

There is nothing comparable to the inspiring story of the tent-maker of Tarsus for awakening noble enthusiasms, keen desires and high ambition. Who would have expected this undersized Jew, newly turned Christian, to be instrumental in building a new order on the ruins of the once mighty Roman Empire? His sole weapons were heroic ardour, sweeping eloquence, and a consuming love for Christ.

Father Perez believes that St. Paul would find much the same conditions to fight against if he came back to earth today, as the world is returning to paganism and the soul-confining narrowness of unbelief. St. Paul is for us the Doctor of the Gentiles and the teacher of salvation, as he was for the contemporaries of Nero and Caligula. His great dogmas are precisely the remedy which is needed to cure us of our spiritual ills and restore our sanity, and he would teach us the true way to peace.

Father Perez’ book is a distinguished contribution to the corpus of Pauline literature. Out of an expert knowledge of classical antiquity, theology, and a deep love for his subject, he has fashioned a skilful portrait of Paul the man, the saint, the theologian, the writer and the missionary – and his biography makes fascinating reading. 

Prologue

A Young Man Named Saul
At the Feet of Gamaliel
On the Road to Damascus
The Vessel of Election
The Voice in the Temple
The Years of Silence
The Third Heaven
“Set Apart for Me Saul and Barnabas”
“Behold, We Now Turn to the Gentiles”
The Testimony of Blood
False Brethren
“Timothy, My Dearly Beloved Son”
The Prison Gates Swing Wide
As a Father Comforts His Children
The Unknown God
Conflicts Without, Anxieties Within
Before the judgment Seat of Gallio
The Doctor of the Gentiles
Solicitude for All the Churches
“Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
The Mystery of Life and Death
The Prisoner
“I Appeal to Caesar”
In Perils in the Sea
Ambassador in Chains
To the Ends of the Earth
“I Have Finished My Course”
The Man and the Saint