Karen Armstrong, The First Christian

[bibliogramma]

An early work by the acclaimed writer on religious issues Karen Armstrong, The First Christian: St. Paul's Impact on Christianity, explores the life and writings of St. Paul, giving insight both into how his became the voice that shaped the philosophical core of Christianity, and why it was his views that prevailed over those of other early interpreters of christian ideas and ideals.

It places the source of many key elements of Pauline Christianity - the most important of these for me being the anti-sex and anti-woman sentiments that strongly informed church teachings - in the cultural milieu, the nature and survival needs of the nascent Christian church, and the deeply felt millennialism of Paul himself.

Interesting read for anyone curious about the history of religions in general or Christianity in particular.