Paul and the Intellectuals
A. T. Robertson's "Paul and the Intellectuals" emerged from his lectures at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, addressing the tension between Christian faith and intellectual respectability in the modern academy. Writing as both a distinguished New Testament scholar and defender of orthodox Christianity, Robertson sought to demonstrate that the apostle Paul's encounters with Greek philosophy and Roman intellectualism provided a timeless model for engaging secular thought without compromising biblical truth.
Robertson argues that Paul's missionary strategy reveals a sophisticated apologetic method that neither retreats from intellectual engagement nor capitulates to worldly wisdom. Through careful exegesis of Acts 17 and passages from Paul's letters, he shows how the apostle employed philosophical vocabulary and concepts while maintaining the scandal of the cross at the center of his message. Robertson contends that Paul's approach at the Areopagus demonstrates how Christians can find points of contact with secular thinkers while ultimately calling them beyond human reason to divine revelation. The work emphasizes that Paul's intellectual prowess—evident in his rabbinical training, Greek literary knowledge, and rhetorical skill—equipped him to engage elite audiences without diluting the gospel's supernatural claims.
This volume has retained value as an early twentieth-century example of conservative evangelical apologetics that takes intellectual engagement seriously while maintaining theological boundaries. Robertson's dual expertise in biblical scholarship and apologetic concern speaks to perennial questions about faith and learning that continue to challenge Christian academics and church leaders.
Who should read this: Pastors, seminary students, and Christian academics interested in apologetic methodology and the relationship between faith and intellectual culture will find Robertson's approach instructive, though readers seeking more contemporary philosophical engagement or nuanced cultural analysis may find his approach dated.