ABSTRACT
The importance which the apostle attached to the idea of the death of Christ cannot be exaggerated. It is such an essential element in his preaching that the whole faith rests on Jesus-Christ crucified or on the cross of Jesus-Christ. While in the case of the apostle Paul a direct connection between experience and doctrine can be established it must not be supposed that his theology is essentially subjective in character and is nothing more than speculation on his own personal experience. Paulinism is thus both a personal religion springing from inspiration and a religion inherited from a tradition. Paul’s early education was Greek both in form and language. The Hellenistic Judaism of Tarsus and a Gentile environment made such an impression on the future apostle that he presented his gospel in a form which enabled it to spread through the Greek world.
