The goal of this book is to present a comprehensive introduction to the life and thought of the apostle Paul. It is intended as a textbook that takes a didactic perspective on the material as a whole and documents all important positions in Pauline research. At the same time, it is an independent contribution to the ongoing debate, outlining my own position on disputed points.

Since each section can be read as an independent unit, intended to be understandable on its own, some overlapping and repetition were unavoidable. I have attempted to reduce these to a minimum, although experience has taught that textbooks are usually not read straight through—and thus some repetition is in fact necessary and helpful.

I here express my gratitude to Dr. Michael Labahn and Dr. Manfred Lang, my coworkers at the University of HalleWittenberg, for their continuing expert advice as well as for their help in correcting the proofs. I am grateful to Dr. ClausJürgen Thornton not only for his customary good care regarding publication details but also for his discussions regarding the contents of this book.Halle, November 2002Udo Schnelle