James tabor paul and jesus

So a lively and thought provoking attempt to resolve some of the historical problems that Paul poses–yes. But, sadly, tendentiousness and text-selectivity renders most of the thesis increasingly implausible.

James D.

G. Dunn, who is the Emeritus Lightfoot Professor of Divinity in the department of theology and religion at Durham University in England reviewed my new book Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity in Biblical Archaeology Review (March/April 2013; 39:2, pp.

60-62).

In this “compulsively readable exploration of the tangled world of Christian origins” (Publishers Weekly), religious historian James Tabor illuminates the earliest years of Jesus’ teachings before Paul.

I greatly admire “Jimmy” Dunn, as many of us know him, and I have learned immensely from his work over the years–including his several volumes dealing with the Apostle Paul. I am honored to have his evaluation of my work.

You can read the complete review on-line here.

The BAR editors have titled the review: “The Real Founder of Christianity?” The question mark is important since I never maintain that Paul founded Christianity, so much as transform