The apostle Paul and his significance for the New Testament and Christianity is a perennial topic of interest, but few evangelical surveys of his life offer a truly holistic picture of the man and his world. Now available in trade paper, John McRay’s Paul explores the apostle’s preconversion days, missionary travels, and theological contributions. A specialist in archaeology, the author draws on his more than forty years of teaching experience as well as knowledge gained from extensive travels to the places Paul visited. Paul is a comprehensive and readable presentation of Paul’s ministry and theology that weaves together historical backgrounds, archaeological discoveries, and theological themes.

“McRay’s commentary on the life of the Apostle Paul is an excellent resource for ministers, teachers, and students wishing to add to their New Testament library. . . . I found McRay’s text to be very helpful as it placed much of Paul’s writing, travels, and theology in the context of ancient history. . . . McRay provides a good overview of Pauline theology by discussing many of Paul’s letters in conjunction with Acts and the history of the early church. He weaves Paul’s travels with the letters and provides the reader with both a chronological guide to the ministry of Paul and the early church.”–Ron Clark, Restoration Quarterly

“Aiming this textbook at the college level, McRay makes excellent use of charts, maps, and pictures from his travels. . . . McRay’s chronology of Paul’s life is straightforward and effectively harmonizes the Acts narrative with the Pauline NT writings. . . . First century background information offered is helpful, such as descriptions of ancient cities, Roman customs, and rabbinic practices. The second half of the book, on Paul’s teaching, gives clear descriptions of Pauline theology. . . . McRay offers a novel examination of discernable patterns of Paul’s use of pronouns as a key to understanding Paul’s theology. . . . This book is valuable for students, pastors and teachers.”–James R. Wicker, Southwestern Journal of Theology

“A gem of a purchase that will prove to be one of your most-used volumes in the years ahead. . . . McRay’s prose is lively and engaging. . . . Because of his awareness of recent studies, McRay was able to convince me to shift significantly the timelines I have been using. . . . Glean[s] an incredible amount of useful background and interpretive insight that will benefit pastors, students, teachers, and all who wish to dig into Paul’s letters.”–Wayne Brouwer, Calvin Theological Journal

“McRay’s book should be a welcome addition to the field. . . . This book will provide an informed overview of the topic.”–John D. Harvey, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

“The strength of this book is the author’s extensive knowledge of the geography and archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean world.”–J. E. Lunceford, Choice

John McRay (PhD, University of Chicago) is professor emeritus of New Testament and archaeology at Wheaton College Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of Paul: His Life and Teaching and Archaeology and the New Testament and coauthor of Bible Archaeology.