Polhill’s comprehensive textbook on Paul follows in the footsteps of F.F. Bruce’s classic Paul: Apostle of the Free Spirit (Paternoster, 1977) in combining study of Paul’s life with study of his letters. Polhill uses Luke’s narrative in Acts as his framework for writing on Paul, explicitly indicating his confidence in its value as a historical record. He also accepts all the letters attributed to Paul as authentic.

Polhill indicates clearly that he is not writing a theology of Paul and so this volume will complement rather than compete with the major recent theological works by J.D.G. Dunn and T.R. Schreiner. What Polhill does, however, he does very well, providing careful (if necessarily concise) comment, on the biblical text of Acts and the Pauline letters while also providing a wealth of background information. The notes at the end (unfortunately!) of each chapter show that Polhill is familiar with a wide range of scholarship, including recent literature. This book is certainly worthy of careful attention from students, teachers and preachers.