Bestselling authors of The Last Week and The First Christmas, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan have teamed up again to present a new understanding of early Christianity—this time to reveal the radical Paul who had been obscured by the church. Paul is second only to Jesus as the most important figure in the birth of Christianity, and yet he continues to be controversial, even among Christians. Paul's letters can be used both to call for Radical Grace and to support systems of oppression - slavery, the subjugation of women, condemnation of homosexuality. Borg and Crossan use the latest biblical and historical knowledge to explain the reasons for Paul's mixed reputation and show us what scholars have known for decades: that the later "Pauline letters" were created by the early church to dilute Paul's egalitarian message into something more "acceptable". The authors argue that there are actually “three Pauls” in the New Testament: the first “radical Paul”: the author of seven authentic letters, the second “conservative Paul”: the author of three controversial letters, and the third “reactionary Paul”: the author of three unreliable letters. By carefully examining this progression of Paul's letters—from authentic to apocryphal—the authors show how the apostle's letter was slowly but steadily deradicalized to conform to Roman social norms regarding slavery, patriarchy, and patronage. In truth, Paul was a compelling apostle of Jesus whose vision of life "in Christ," one of his favorite phrases, is remarkably true to the message of Jesus himself. About the Authors Marcus J. Borg (Marcus Borg, March 11, 1942, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, USA - January 21, 2015, Portland, Oregon, USA) is an American New Testament scholar, theologian and writer. Participant of the Jesus Seminar. He was formerly Professor Emeritus of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University, a position from which he retired in 2007. Borg was one of the widely known and influential voices of progressive Christianity and a major figure in studies related to the "historical Jesus." John Dominic Crossan is Professor Emeritus of Religion. He teaches at DePaul University in Chicago. He is the author of several best-selling books, including God and Empire, The Historical Jesus, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, The Birth of Christianity, and Who Killed Jesus? He lives in Minneola, Florida. Visit the author online at www.johndcrossan.com. [translated from English for the Esxatos website]. – 110 pp. – (Modern Biblical Studies). Esxatos website for private use only, from THE FIRST PAUL: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church's Conservative Icon Copyright © 2009 by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan HarperCollins e-books ISBN 978-0-06-180330. -7