The Apostle Paul explained by a historian: short, bald, likely a widower, circumcised Timothy himself, once preached circumcision, and may have died wondering if he'd failed. Josh sits down with historian, archaeologist and August Media founder Dr. Matthew Larsen — Yale, Princeton, Copenhagen, and now a chaired professor at the University of Texas — to meet the Paul most Christians never have. A former persecutor and a maverick who clashed with the apostles who'd walked with Jesus, whose letters are blunter in Greek than any translation shows, and whose whole life pointed at Jerusalem before he was shipped to Rome and executed. Underneath the history is a bigger question: what if you can be faithful to what God called you to and still feel like you're failing? In this episode: - Six things people don't know about Paul — appearance, Timothy, circumcision, marriage, Jerusalem, and where he was born - How the apostles received the man who used to kill them - Paul vs. the "super-apostles"; why his letters are sharper in Greek - How did Paul die? Spain, Rome, and the 2008 excavation under St. Paul Outside the Walls - 1 Corinthians 5: "I will hand this man over to Satan" — what the Greek actually says - Second Corinthians as four letters stitched together - Phoebe, Euodia, Syntyche, Junia — the women who funded and led - Long hair, beards, and what's cultural - Was Paul's life a success or a failure — and what that means for us Guest: ► August Media — https://augustmedia.co/ ► Nobody Like Paul and The Desert (series) Chapters: (00:00) Cold open (00:56) August Media (03:38) What genre is The Desert? (05:52) Who was Paul? (08:08) #1 Short, bald, bow-legged — who plays Paul in the movie? (09:57) #2 Paul circumcised Timothy himself (11:39) #3 Paul once preached circumcision (12:43) #4 A widower (13:04) #5 Was his life a success? (14:58) The first four centuries, and archaeology (16:39) How the apostles received him (18:03) A maverick and the super-apostles (22:03) Blunter in Greek (23:52) How did Paul die? (26:30) The 2008 excavation (29:12) #6 Born in Galilee, deported to Tarsus (32:05) Sneaking into a dozen ancient prisons (34:45) The Corinthian correspondence (36:41) "I will hand this man over to Satan" (41:31) Success or failure? (45:45) Women, hair and Phoebe (50:27) "Can I grow my hair out?" (50:56) August Media Related: The Desert Isn't Punishment, It's Preparation — Dr. Matthew Larsen's first conversation, Ep. 67 Topics: Apostle Paul, Paul the Apostle, was Paul married, how did Paul die, Matthew Larsen, August Media, New Testament history, 1 Corinthians 5, Phoebe, early church, biblical archaeology Follow No Longer Nomads on Spotify so new episodes land automatically. Merch + support: https://www.nolongernomads.co/ No Longer Nomads — because no one was meant to wander alone.
