The Imitation Of Saint Paul

Recognizing that we can’t actually imitate Christ, St. Paul calls us to use him as a model and imitate him in his conformity to the paschal mystery.

The Imitation of Saint Paul takes us behind the headlines of his career and offers a fresh, compelling, contemporary look at the man who changed the world. When the exemplary apostle got into the face of his converts, he bluntly held up his own life as the pattern for theirs. How risky is that? The purpose of this readable work with a modern twist is to discover how Paul viewed his divine commission and how he managed to survive incredible obstacles and hardships that threatened to undo him. What elements in the apostle's life made him the man he was? How does his life become the format of ours? What changes can we make to follow in his footsteps? This work serves as both an introduction to the apostle for those new to the Christian faith and as a healthy reminder for those who want to go deeper in their obedience to and service for Christ.

The Imitation of Saint Paul takes us behind the headlines of his career and offers a fresh, compelling, contemporary look at the man who changed the world. When the exemplary apostle got into the face of his converts, he bluntly held up his own life as the pattern for theirs. How risky is that? The purpose of this readable work with a modern twist is to discover how Paul viewed his divine commission and how he managed to survive incredible obstacles and hardships that threatened to undo him. What elements in the apostle's life made him the man he was? How does his life become the format of ours? What changes can we make to follow in his footsteps? This work serves as both an introduction to the apostle for those new to the Christian faith and as a healthy reminder for those who want to go deeper in their obedience to and service for Christ.

All of Christendom has heard of the imitation of Christ. Few within Christendom have heard much of the imitation of Paul. Perhaps there is nothing extraordinary about such a state of affairs. After all, Christ fills a far more significant role in Christianity than the Apostle Paul does. And yet, when one looks at the matter purely statistically, it is striking to find that the thought of the imitation of Paul comes to literal expression in the New Testament five times, while the thought of the imitation of Christ is found literally expressed only twice. -From the Introduction

In recent years much has been written on spiritual direction. However, confusion and at times outright contradiction exist between the aims and methodologies of various models of Christian spiritual direction. In order to develop solid criteria for evaluating and critiquing these models it is necessary to root the practice of spiritual direction in the biblical record. The intention of this study is to provide such biblical moorings by examining the Apostle Paul as a case study in his function as a spiritual director--with respect to his aims and praxis of spiritually forming the members of the congregations he founded.

Examines the origins and development of the episcopacy in the early church with an eye toward its implications for current ecumenical issues relating to the episcopacy and apostolic succession.

Relates the life and influence of this missionary, Saint. Illustrated in full color.