Description: An erudite commentary on the Acts of Paul, one of the most important of the Apocryphal Acts, including an improved translation of the text.
Richard I. Pervo provides the most complete translation of the pseudepigraphic Acts of Paul in English, together with a detailed commentary. The research perspective of this work is primarily literary, with detailed attention to the history of composition and revision. The author encourages a fresh look at this section of the 'Apocraphal Acts' through the lens of the Pauline legacy and in the context of ancient popular narrative.Review Quotes: With characteristic energy and erudition, Richard Pervo reintroduces the Acts of Paul to the specialist and the non-specialist. The translation is exhilarating, at times even racy. The introduction, notes, and commentary are rich and disciplined. The volume will serve as the new point of departure for students of this important but neglected apocryphal book - likely in origin the First of the 'major' apocryphal acts and thus standing at the threshold between Christian canon and Christian apocrypha.--Julian Hills, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin