New Testament scholar Gerd Ludemann continues his exploration of the life and teaching of Paul in this groundbreaking monograph, which synthesizes the research of his earlier books on Christianity's leading apostle. Ludemann comes to the conclusion that Paul should be considered not only Christianity's most influential proselytizer, but in truth deserves the title of the founder of the religion that ostensibly originated with Jesus of Nazareth. Though other scholars have previously made the point that Paul's interpretation of the Christian message actually obscured the original teachings of Jesus, Ludemann goes further. His painstaking historical research shows that Paul created the major tenets of the Christianity we know today and that his theology--an original synthesis of Hebrew and Greek belief systems--differs significantly from what we now know the historical Jesus to have preached.

This brilliant exegesis, based on twenty-five years of research by a leading New Testament scholar with an unwavering commitment to historical accuracy, presents a message rarely heard from any pulpit but one that churches can no longer honestly ignore.