Paul – one of the most fascinating figures in the history of Christianity – has been described in many ways: “apostle par excellence”, “greatest missionary”, “true founder of Christianity”, “enfant terrible of Christian origins”. Romano Penna, an internationally renowned scholar of the New Testament and the Corpus Paulinum, explores the origins of Saul of Tarsus, his cultural development, his experiences and ordeals – including the persecutions to which he was subjected and then later perpetrated – his decisive role in shaping the Christian identity of primitive communities, his missionary travels, and especially the strength of his revolutionary thinking. This book provides a close-up portrait of a devoted Jew who became Jesus’ “apostle” and introduced Christianity into the travails of history.

Romano Penna is professor emeritus of New Testament Studies at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome and also teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, the University of Urbino, and the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem.