Pioneer for Israel’s Messiah Written by Jacob Van Bruggen This detailed yet eminently readable description of Paul’s life and theology clearly depicts the life of a pioneer: adventurous, unpredictable, nonlinear, full of risks. Partitioned in two, in the section Paul the Pioneer, the author, a well-known Dutch New Testament scholar, describes the course of Paul’s remarkable life. In Paul the Apostle, he discusses the place Paul occupies in the church’s historical development. The apostle Paul was no marginal or reactionary figure, but someone driven by a profound awareness of Christ’s kingship. He realized that the Christian faith was not a new religion, but the fulfillment of the messianic promises made to Abraham. Thus Paul was, above all, a pioneer for the Messiah. The author presents Paul’s life, letters and historical position as an integrated whole and, in addition, supplies maps, figures, and chronological charts to help readers gain a clearer perspective on the “moving target” that was the apostle Paul. Paperback, 416 pages, notes, bibliography, Scripture Index, General Index
