Paul himself had times when he groped in the darkness.
Paul pondered these questions and came to a solid and sharp answer.
Yet these questions have continued to challenge readers and thinkers ever since, not least in the modern world, which is often bewildered by the many different aspects of human life, including those sometimes defined by the complex and nuanced term "religion."
Paul poses many questions and challenges not only to the world in which he lived, but also to the world in which we live.
This book, a biography of Paul, is an attempt to address these questions.
I hope this book will shed light on these difficult issues.

--- p.24

Today, most Westerners think of "religion" as a distinct sphere of life, a kind of private hobby enjoyed by those who like it separate from politics, public life, science, and technology, by definition (and in some countries by law).
In Paul's time, 'religion' meant almost the opposite of what I just said.
The Latin word religio has to do with 'binding' things together.
Worship, prayer, sacrifice, and other public rituals were designed to bind together the city's invisible inhabitants (the gods and perhaps the city's ancestors) with its visible inhabitants, the living, providing an indispensable framework for daily life, as well as for business, marriage, travel, and family life.

--- p.51

The Judaism referred to here is not a mere 'religion' as modern Westerners think of it, a system of piety and morality called 'Judaism', but rather it means actively spreading the way of life handed down from our ancestors, preserving that way of life against external attacks and internal corruption, and diligently advising other Jews on the traditions of the Torah, especially when other Jews seem to be abandoning and compromising with those traditions.
--- p.68~69

I suspect that Paul was deliberately seeking to emphasize the following fact: that there is one 'Lord', one Kyrios, and that Caesar (the Roman Emperor) is not that Lord.
The defining characteristic of the community of those who grew up through his proclamation of the Gospel and were faithful (again, pistis) to Jesus was precisely this profession of loyalty.
This confession was extremely simple and yet profound: Kyrios Ie.sous Christos, that is, “Jesus the Messiah is Lord.”
Paul would have known exactly how these words would sound to people's ears.

--- p.188

When people of our time wonder what made Paul a man and why his schemes ultimately succeeded, they often claim that he was a difficult, difficult, and stubborn customer who was always at odds with people.
He certainly deserves that impression.
This impression may have been especially strong when Paul demonstrated the ability to see through the lies and contradictions in what someone said, whether it was someone who had become an apostle before him, like Peter, or local officials, like the Philippian officials.
However—and perhaps it is important to emphasize this point before moving on to examine Paul's activities in southern Greece, where his personal relationships were not always smooth—all indications are that Paul quickly established long-lasting, deep-rooted bonds of mutual love and trust in the churches of northern Greece.

--- p.306~307

Was all that work in vain? Would the message of the one God and His Son forever remain a paltry, exclusive privilege, reserved for a small subset of the Jewish people—those who followed Jesus, the Messiah? Imagine him finally managing to shake off his friends and enter a theater to address a massive crowd.
Could he have done it well? Could he have found the words he needed at that moment? Would the Spirit have empowered him? Could he have spoken clearly and refreshingly about Jesus, the true Lord? That hadn't happened during his recent visit to Corinth.
What if it doesn't happen here? What if it doesn't happen again? It's a question I ask myself over and over again, but was it all for nothing?
--- p.421

Now imagine all the complex yet coherent Jewish thought Paul must have pondered and prayed over as he traveled, working in his stuffy, cramped workshop, staying in roadside inns, and teaching young Timothy about the vast world of the Bible, the place where he always felt most at home.
Imagine Paul, after seeing the gospel at work in present-day Turkey and Greece, returning to Jerusalem and praying deeply about it all right there in the temple.
Imagine Paul, in particular, here in the temple, discovering a fresh insight into how Jesus has now ascended to the throne as the focal point of all creation, the focal point of wisdom and mystery, the focal point of the profound meaning of what it means to be truly human, and the Lord of all the powers that can exist.

--- p.463

He prays and prays again with that prayer.
He prays that prayer in time with the rhythm of his breathing.
He prays that prayer, following the breath of the Spirit that resides in his deepest inner self.
He declares once again his pistis, his loyalty, his love.
I proclaim one God, one Lord.
Emphasize the word 'one'.
What he did throughout his life was to openly and boldly testify to everyone about the Kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus.
He still does it while praying, even as the executioner draws his sword.
He loves this one God with all his heart, mind, and strength.
And finally, he loves with his life.

--- p.686~687