The Letters of Paul - Volume 2 Alfred Kuen

The Letters of Paul rank, along with the Gospels, among the documents that have exerted the greatest influence on the history of humanity. They constitute one of the richest yet also most difficult parts of the Bible. No writing in world literature has sparked as much commentary—or as much controversy:

• Who was Paul? What influences did he undergo?
• Where and when did he write these letters?
• Why? What were the problems facing his correspondents?
• Are all these letters authentic?

For a long time, historians and theologians have endeavored to answer these questions by gathering data from the Bible and from historical tradition to help us better understand these texts. This introduction takes stock of these studies to make the results of a century of research accessible to any reader of the Bible. It contains:

Chapters of general introduction:

• Historical context of these letters
• Paul’s life before the writing of the first epistles
• Chronology of his life and work
• Sources of his thought
• Formation of the collection of epistles
• How to better understand these letters

A specific introduction to each epistle:

• Recipients (social, moral, and religious context, foundation and composition of the Church)
• Occasion and purpose of the letter
• Place and date of writing
• Distinctive characteristics, theme, contemporary relevance
• Authenticity and unity of the epistle
• Detailed outline (to follow the thread of the thought)
• List of commentaries

Bibliography of 497 works on Paul and his work Index (616 authors cited, 1781 references)

ISBN: 9782940488421