St. Paul: The Architect of Christianity,
Hardback - 293 pages,
by
Sinasi Gunduz.
Description :
Paul is one of the most controversial figures in the history of Christianity who is often viewed as a missionary, an original thinker, a prominent theologian, as well as a messenger and a prophet who preached the message of Christ. However, by others he is noted as a follower of Hellenism, a Gnostic or an individual from the traditions of secret societies, the one who went far beyond the teachings of historical Jesus.
Gündüz expounds the role of Paul in shaping Christianity and his relation to historical Jesus and argues that it is Paul who shaped the current Christocentrism‚ perception of salvation, eschatology‚ cosmology‚ concepts of divine law and sovereignty and other alike thoughts, and hence deserves the name “real architect of Christianity.” Thus, historical Jesus is not the founder of Christianity.
As Gündüz argues, contrary to current Christian belief, historical Jesus is an eschatological messenger, a believer of one-God and hiovereignty and a social reformist.
Contents :
---Abbreviations 7,
---Introduction 11,
---Paul's Life 29,
---The Environment in which Paul was Raised and the Cultural Background 85,
---The Historical Jesus 119,
---Paul's Understanding of Jesus 197,
---Evaluation 249,
---Notes 253,
---Bibliography 275,
---Index 287.
About the Author :
Sinasi Gunduz (Ph.D., University of Manchester, 1991) is Professor of
History of Religions at Istanbul University in Istanbul, Turkey. He has
published works on heterodoxies, Gnostic religions, Islam in modern
Turkey, early history and theology of Christianity, interreligious
dialogue, comparative religions, and religious conflict and diversity.
His book, The Knowledge of Life: The Origins and Early History of the
Mandaeans and their Relation to the Sabians of the Qur an and to the
Harranians, Oxford University Press 1994, was supported by the Spalding Trust based in Cambridge.
