'Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.' -Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians 13:5

With insight and illumination from today's most acclaimed writers and scholars, the Riverhead Sacred Text series has been specially designed to guide the modern reader through the ancient books of the Bible. This edition of the Letters of Paul includes the King James version of the Epistles, with a preface by Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong.

In a series of letters called Epistles, Paul the Apostle shared his understanding of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. These letters became the basis for what came to be known as the fundamental principles of Christianity. Writing between the years 50-64 C.E., Paul addressed the themes of creation, fall, sin, grace, and redemption, which have defined for two millennia the bedrock of traditional Christian theology. This special Riverhead edition includes the authentic Pauline letters, such as Romans, First and Second Corinthians, and Philippians, as well as those that have been mistakenly attributed to him, such as Timothy, Titus and Hebrews. They are presented here in the King James version, not in the order found in the New Testament, but rather in the chronological order that most scholars thing they were actually written.

The preface by John Shelby Spong, author of Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, offers a fresh, modern perspective that makes the letters both inspiring and relevant for today's reader.