The Origin of Paul’s Religion
Overview
J. Gresham Machen is considered the last in the lineage of the Great Princeton Theologians, following in the steps of Archibald Alexander, Charles Hodge, A. A. Hodge, and B. B. Warfield. Machen taught at Princeton Seminary for almost 15 years and established himself as a well respected New Testament scholar. After a dispute that divided faculty members over an emerging modernist theology, Machen left Princeton and became one of the principal founders of Westminster Theological Seminary, where he taught until his death.
The Origin of Paul’s Religion consists of eight lectures on the history of Christianity that J. Gresham Machen delivered as part of the James Sprunt Lecture series at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. Machen examines and refutes the modernist theories which denied Paul’s claim of the supernatural origin of his religion, and shows both by the witness of the opposers themselves, and by the Scriptures, that Paul’s own explanation is the only satisfactory one. “Explain the origin of the religion of Paul,” writes Machen in the Introduction, “and you have solved the problem of the origin of Christianity.”
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Key Features
- Discusses the question of the origin of Christianity
- Examines the question as being historical and practical
- Utilizes the testimony of Paul as a gateway to address this critical issue
Contents
- Introduction
- The Early Years
- The Triumph of Gentile Freedom
- Paul and Jesus
- The Jewish Environment
- The Religion of the Hellenistic Age
- Redemption in Pagan Religion and in Paul
- The Lordship of Jesus
Top Highlights
“Three important facts have thus far been established; (1) Paul regarded himself as a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, (2) he was so regarded by the intimate friends of Jesus, (3) he had abundant sources of information about Jesus’ life. The natural conclusion is that Paul was a true disciple of the real Jesus.” (Pages 141–142)
“The fundamental evidence with regard to the origin of Christianity is therefore twofold. Two facts need to be explained—the Jesus of the Gospels and the religion of Paul.” (Page 5)
“What is really most significant in the Pauline Epistles therefore, is the complete absence of any defense of the Pauline doctrine of Christ, the complete absence, indeed, of any systematic presentation of that doctrine. The Pauline view of Christ is everywhere presupposed, but nowhere defended.” (Page 136)
“The most important practical question for the modern Church is still the question how Christianity came into being.” (Page 4)
“Explain the origin of the religion of Paul, and you have solved the problem of the origin of Christianity.” (Pages 4–5)
No device or dodge of the rationalist is suffered to go unchallenged. The whole battlefield of modern radicalism, so far as it concern’s Paul’s witness to Christ, is spread forth in this book, and the victory of faith is assured. Every minister should have this book, to read it, and then to read it again.
—The Union Seminary Review
Professor Machen has written a notable volume. Whether measured by literary standards or by standards of scholarship, it is a book to be reckoned with. With sound scholarship, broad sympathy, and clear insight, he has made more reasonable than ever the sense of certainty which the church has always cherished a respects the Apostle Paul.
—The Biblical Review
Professor Machen makes a notable contribution to a debate of the deepest interest in the field of New Testament study.
—The Homiletic Review
The Princeton professor shows clearly that the terminology of St. Paul’s writings, supported by St. Luke’s testimony in the Acts, admits of no sustained distinction between the redemptive conception of Christianity and the general teaching of the Apostle of the Gentiles.
—The Ecclesiastical Review
This book at once takes its place among the most important theological works of the day. It meets and overcomes the subjectivity and unhistorical position of modern works, and provides a perfectly reasonable and eminently satisfactory account of the great apostle and his presentation of the gospel of Christ.
—Bibliotheca Sacra
In an age when the nature and content of Paul’s message are once again under scrutiny, evangelical and Reformed readers will benefit immensely from a close reading of Machen’s masterwork. This book is an outstanding example of careful, patient scholarship that received high praise when it was first published and continues today to demand attention.
—R. Scott Clark, professor of church history and historical theology, Westminster Theological Seminary, CA
J. Gresham Machen not only believed, practiced, and proclaimed Paul’s gospel, he was also able to defend its authenticity at the highest scholarly level. Because The Origin of Paul’s Religion penetrates to the heart of the matter it continues to speak to contemporary controversies over the nature of the gospel and the Christian faith.
—Sinclair Ferguson, professor of systematic theology, Westminster Seminary, Dallas, TX
Product Details
- Title: The Origin of Paul’s Religion
- Author: J. Gresham Machen
- Publisher: Macmillan
- Publication Date: 1921
- Pages: 329
John Gresham Machen (July 28, 1881–January 1, 1937) was an American Presbyterian theologian in the early twentieth century. He was the professor of New Testament at Princeton Seminary between 1915 and 1929, and led a conservative revolt against modernist theology at Princeton and formed Westminster Theological Seminary as a more orthodox alternative.