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In 1845, F. C. Baur published Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ, in which he presented his theory of two rival missions in the first-century church. So began a debate concerning the nature of Paul’s relationship to the Jerusalem apostles that continues today. With this reprint of the English translation, Baur’s two-volume classic is once again available, now bound together in one book.

“One hundred and sixty years ago F. C. Baur posed, in inescapably sharp form, a question which has haunted Christianity throughout its history: is Christianity simply a form of Judaism, a development from Judaism, or was it, as Baur argued, from the beginning something quite distinct, a religious spirit or consciousness which could not be or become itself until it broke through the limits and restrictions of its historical origins? Baur’s radical answer set the agenda for the rest of the nineteenth century, and though neglected for most of the twentieth century, the question has reemerged with renewed force in a post-Holocaust world. Baur’s continues to be an important voice in the resulting debate.”
—James D. G. Dunn, Lightfoot Professor of Divinity, University of Durham

“It will be extremely helpful to New Testament critics to have F. C. Baur’s influential work on Paul—long out of print and often no longer even available on most theological library shelves—conveniently at hand. Baur’s application of Hegel’s dialectical theories to the writings of Paul profoundly shaped the discourse of his mid-nineteenth century German contemporaries, including that of those who sought to challenge certain aspects of his interpretation. They did not escape the powerful force of his conceptualization of the world, including a deeply negative evaluation of the Oriental spirit (i.e., Judaism and Jewishness), which was central to his project. The legacy of these developments—the so-called Tübingen school—has deeply influenced NT studies (and arguably world history) ever since, and continues to assert its influence on the interpretation of Paul’s voice to this day, although often now in unrecognized ways. With the availability of this edition, that is about to change. Thank you, Hendrickson Publishers!”
—Mark D. Nanos, Ph.D., The Galatians Debate, The Irony of Galatians, The Mystery of Romans

“Perhaps the most influential book of nineteenth-century New Testament scholarship, Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ offered a novel, breathtaking synthesis of the apostle’s place in the development of early Christianity. The maverick convert, according to the authentic writings that have survived from his hand, initiated an unprecedented mission to the Gentiles. Paul’s championing of justification by faith apart from the works of the Mosaic Law set the stage for a bold confrontation with the Torah-observant followers of Simon Peter, the revered disciple of Jesus Christ. According to F. C. Baur, subsequent generations well into the second century struggled to find a middle ground between these two towering figures, even as subsequent generations in the nineteenth century and beyond would grapple with Baur’s own reconstruction of early Christianity based strictly on reason. In seeking the authentic writings of Paul, the generative center of his thought, the role of the Law and its relationship to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the historical value of the book of Acts, and the views of Paul’s opponents, Baur’s work set an agenda that continues to dominate modern inquiry.”
—A. Andrew Das, Assistant Professor, Theology and Religion, Elmhurst College

“The history of Pauline and even New Testament studies is a continuing dialogue with the assumptions and conclusions of Ferdinand Christian Baur. No Pauline scholar—recent efforts notwithstanding—has so shaped the set of questions asked of Paul’s letters, as did Baur. This is not to say that Baur got it right—far from it. He was no doubt wrong, and sometimes quite wrong, on a number of crucial issues in each of the areas that he so significantly influenced. Nevertheless, his legacy regarding the influence of fundamental conflicts in the early church, and the need for critical rather than simply theological scrutiny of the letters, is still of importance as we continue to study Paul’s letters in the context of the New Testament and early Christianity.”
—Stanley E. Porter, President, Dean, and Professor of New Testament, McMaster Divinity College

Reviews

“Ferdinand Christian Baur (1792-1860) is one of those legendary figures of the nineteenth century whose dialectical reconstruction of early Christianity indelibly influenced the way in which a good deal of subsequent scholarship approaches the book of Acts, the Pauline corpus, and Christian origins from the mid-nineteenth century onward. Not surprisingly, Baur and his followers remain the subject of ongoing attention. . . . The Hendrickson republication of Baur’s Paul provides scholars and students with a convenient way to access his ‘most prized’ work on Paul, as Baur himself regarded it. By reading Baur’s own work on Paul, scholars and students can probe his suppositions, means of argumentation, and the evidential basis of his influential conclusions regarding many issues that have remained the staple of scholarly debate ever since: the historical reliability of the book of Acts, the scope of the authenticity of the epistles of the traditional Pauline corpus, the nature and contours of Pauline theology, and (more broadly) his conception of Christian origins. While Baur’s suppositions, means of argumentation, and conclusions with respect to these subjects are very vulnerable on many points, no one can justly deny his historical influence in the critical study of Paul or the importance of the questions that he raised more than a century and a half ago.

“At the level of presentation, two improvements might have enhanced this republication of Baur’s Paul: first, the print of the two volumes might have been reset for greater ease of reading. Second, the addition of an introductory essay on Baur and his ongoing influence would have provided helpful background information to modern readers, particularly students, only mildly informed about him.”
—Review of Biblical Literature

“Baur’s major work, originally published 1873-75, has had a major impact on Pauline studies which lingers on to the present day in discussions of the historical origins of the Pauline letters and the reliability of Acts as a historical record. The republication of this book is to be welcomed as it provides students and scholars greater opportunity to evaluate Baur’s thesis on its own terms, even if they then reject his radically skeptical conclusions (as I believe they frequently should!). According to the scholarly conventions of the time, no concessions are made for those who do not read Greek or Latin.”
—Themelios

“This reprint of the 1873 English translation of F. C. Baur’s two-volume work in one volume is a welcome addition to the scholar’s library. Although Baur has rarely been read in the English-speaking world in recent generations, his influence on contemporary scholarship is evident to anyone who reads this book. While Baur’s reconstruction of the history of early Christianity has few advocates, his work set the agenda for issues that are still under discussion. Readers who have the patience to work through the prose of this nineteenth century translation will recognize the extent to which contemporary scholarship consists of a response to Baur.”
—Restoration Quarterly

“Without knowing this work, Pauline scholars will not understand the origins of much of what is said in the discipline today about Paul, the shape of earliest Christianity and its divisive battler, and the development of second and third-century Christianity. Hendrickson has done New Testament scholarship a significant service with their publication of this volume.”
—Lexington Theological Quarterly

Ferdinand Christian Baur (1792–1860), church historian and New Testament scholar, was a Professor of Church History and Dogmatics, Tübingen.

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