Gerald Hawthorne and Ralph Martin have compiled over two hundred in-depth entries on Saint Paul and his letters. The one hundred-plus Evangelical Protestant scholars involved in this work are listed in the front of the dictionary along with their credentials. The A-to-Z dictionary is prefaced with directions on how to use the book, followed by several pages of abbreviations. The entries vary in length depending on the importance of the topic. Topics like Abraham, baptism, canon, and Jesus are longer than ones such as olive tree, intercession, and such. Each entry is signed and is formatted with an introduction, an outline, and the body of the entry, ending with the bibliography.
There are entries on Pauline theology, Paul’s world and times, and his letters. There are cross-references and see-also references throughout the dictionary. The dictionary ends with three indices: the Pauline letters index, subject index, and articles index. There are unfortunately no illustrations or maps in this dictionary, which would have made it more visually appealing.
Gerald F. Hawthorne is a professor of Greek at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and chair of the Institute for Biblical Research. He is the author of Philippians in the Word Biblical Commentary (2003) and The Presence and the Power: the Significance of the Holy Spirit in the Life and Ministry of Jesus (2003) and served with O. Betz as editor of Tradition and Interpretation in the New Testament: Essays in honor of E. Earle Ellis (1988).
Ralph P. Martin was formerly professor of New Testament and directory of graduate studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and since 1988 has been associate professor in biblical studies at the University of Sheffield in Sheffield, England. He is the author of numerous studies and commentaries on the New Testament including 2 Corinthians and James in the Word Biblical Commentary, for which he serves as the New Testament editor.
This dictionary is an academic production, but it can be of great use to non-academics in their studies of Paul’s writings, which are a major part of the New Testament. The scholars are Evangelical Protestants, but that should not prevent Catholics, Orthodox, or other Protestants from benefiting from this dictionary. The dictionary is recommended to those studying St. Paul’s letters and would be a great reference source in academic, public and private libraries.