"Much of the popular understanding of the apostle Paul has been shaped not by Paul's letters themselves but by the Acts of the Apostles. This understanding, many believe, leads to misunderstanding Paul's theology. In The Apostle Paul and the Pauline Tradition Stephen Finlan takes a new approach, focusing on the letters themselves. He views the Pauline tradition as including the teachings and writings of Paul himself, the assimilation and often simplification of Paul's ideas by those who followed him and then wrote letters in his name, and the final form of the letters the church has labeled as Paul's."--BOOK JACKET.