The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church’s Conservative Icon

“Borg and Crossan reveal a figure who, besides being neither anti-Semitic, anti-sex, nor misogynist, stresses social and political equality among Christians and between them and others. A refreshing and heartening exculpation of a still routinely maligned figure of the first importance to culture and civilization.” — Booklist (starred review)

John Dominic Crossan and Marcus J. Borg—two of the world’s top-selling Christian scholars and the bestselling authors of The Last Week and The First Christmas—once again shake up the status quo by arguing that the message of the apostle Paul, considered by many to be the second most important figure in Christianity, has been domesticated by the church. Borg and Crossan turn the common perception of Paul on its head, revealing him as a radical follower of Jesus whose core message is still relevant today.

Borg and Crossan dismantle centuries of misconception to reveal the authentic, radical Paul:

• Radical Paul: A clear distinction between the authentic, visionary author of the seven genuine letters and the domesticated, conservative figure created by later writings.
• Christ vs. Caesar: An illuminating look at how Paul’s proclamation of "Jesus is Lord" directly confronted and subverted the official Roman imperial theology that deified the emperor.
• Justification by Grace: A fresh interpretation of Paul’s most famous doctrine, not as a transaction for the afterlife, but as God’s commitment to distributive justice for this world.
• Christian Equality: An exploration of Paul’s counter-cultural vision for community, where hierarchies of gender, class, and ethnicity are dismantled "in Christ."

Marcus J. Borg (1942–2015) was a pioneering author and teacher whom the New York Times described as "a leading figure in his generation of Jesus scholars." He was the Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University and canon theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, and he appeared on NBC's The Today Show and Dateline, ABC's World News, and NPR's Fresh Air. His books have sold over a million copies, including the bestselling Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Jesus, The Heart of Christianity, Evolution of the Word, Speaking Christian, and Convictions.

John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus at DePaul University, is widely regarded as the foremost historical Jesus scholar of our time. He is the author of several bestselling books, including The Historical Jesus, How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian, God and Empire, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, The Greatest Prayer, The Last Week, and The Power of Parable. He lives in Minneola, Florida.