Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles
And so we say farewell to FF Bruce. For this last post, I have
decided to focus on a few chapters across the last half of the book. I have
enjoyed reading Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, and I would recommend it to any
Christian (not afraid of a bit of mental exertion) who wants to delve deeper
into the life and times of the historical Paul. Bruce brings together the
Biblical accounts and the context from Ancient Historians, and he considers the
scholarly hypotheses in a concise and clear way. You don’t need to read the
whole thing right through. If you were preparing for Bible Studies on Galatians,
or reading up for a sermon series on Romans, then here’s a useful book to get
down off the shelf.
And so to chapters sixteen and seventeen. Bruce continues to
follow Paul chronologically and he spends time with him in each of the places
he visited. The Jerusalem conference had gone well. Paul’s gospel was
recognized as the authentic gospel and his vocation was clearly to preach it to
the Gentiles. Bruce tells us that it was, “probably impossible for one who
concentrated on Gentile evangelisation to be at the same time an effective
missionary to Jews.” Once Paul made contact with the God-fearers who attended
the synagogue and they had embraced the gospel, he was inevitably no longer
welcome in the synagogue. And so what about his own people? Paul could hope
that in time the Jews would be jealous of the Gentiles availing themselves of
God’s blessings and would, “assert their right to share in them.”
Paul’s success created a problem for the Jewish Christians.
In chapter seventeen Bruce tells us that the demanding ethical standards of the
church were seen to be in danger from the influx of morally lax Gentiles. Have
you ever wondered why Peter stopped eating with Gentiles or why some Jewish
Christians were so adamant about circumcision? Bruce clarifies the context and explains
the probable reasons behind these wrong teachings and behaviours that could so undermine
the gospel going out to the Gentiles.
I loved Bruce’s description of Paul’s time in Corinth in
chapter twenty-three. He gives some fascinating historical context to the city
and even goes into detail about the lives of Priscilla and Aquila. Have you ever
wanted to know more about the teacher Apollos who had such devoted followers,
who set themselves up as a rival personality cult to those who followed Paul? Bruce outlines all the problems Paul wrote to
the Corinthians about and shows his steadfast commitment to the gospel and his
loving attitude in the face of every challenge.
In chapter thirty-one we see Paul in custody in Caesarea and
I appreciated Bruce’s fascinating background on Felix, the governor responsible
for investigating the complaints made against Paul. He explains why it was that
Felix was removed and replaced by the less sympathetic Festus and so then why
Paul was left in a position where he felt that his only option was to appeal to
Caesar. The way Bruce takes the Biblical text and brings in the historical
context from the Ancient historians is simply wonderful. Did Paul hope to make
it to Rome and share the gospel with the Emperor himself? In chapter thirty-seven
Bruce tackles the arguments and the traditions and outlines the most likely course
of events at the end of Paul’s life.
Thank you, FF Bruce. I am not sure that I will remember
everything that I loved reading in your book, but I know that you have
challenged me to know Paul better and so therefore to want to know Christ
better.