I used the library’s online catalog to begin my search for a book using the keywords “Paul” and “Christianity” because I was interested in how Paul influenced the spread of Christianity throughout history. I find it fascinating that one man could make such an impact on the world. The first result that appeared was Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity. I felt this title grasped the general idea I hope to expand on with my paper- the origins of how Paul began his journey to spread the gospel. I am interested in further investigating Christianity before and after Paul.

After a brief flip through I found this book to cover a variety of topics including a timeline of major events and figures, a map of cities Paul visited, Christianity before Paul, and reading the gospels from Paul’s perspective. I found the map and timeline particularly helpful as they each gave me glimpse in the general events and cities part of Paul’s history. I know have a more concrete understanding of when Paul’s journey began at his conversion, when he began to write his letters and preach, and eventually executed. As I flipped through the chapters I found the organization to be helpful as many of the writer’s ideas are supported by references to passages in the Bible. It aids in my understanding of the foundation of Paul’s teachings. There are also extensive notes that cover each chapter in detail regarding the author’s sources.

I know this is a credible source because the author is not only the chair of the department of religious studies at the University of Carolina at Charlotte but also holds a Ph.D. in biblical studies from the University of Chicago and is an expert on Christian origins. In addition to his writing and teaching, he has also done field work in archaeology at a number of sites in Israel and Jordan.

I used the library’s online catalog to begin my search for a book using the keywords “Jainism” and “life” because I was interested in how Jains live out their religion in more ways than just yoga and daily rituals. As I was looking for my selection I noticed that the shelves were filled with books on religion (as expected) but each shelf seemed to touch on a different subcategory or theme such as science and religion or religion and anthropology. These topics were near my selection of “Life Force: The World of Jainism” by Micheal Tobias.

After a brief flip through I found this book to be a good selection as it focused only on Jainism and it contained eight clearly divided chapters exploring different aspects of the religion from the ascetics to the laity and even more recent developments in the community of Jainism. I also found it very helpful that the back of the book contained a three-page glossary of terms used in the book. I think using the original terms and vernacular adds authenticity to the work and helps the reader better understand the foundations of Jainism. The chapters ultimately describe the values and ethical decisions associated with Jainism and how they came to be. I am very interested in how these values play out in their daily lives and specifically how Jains came to be known as a relatively successful community. I found it compelling that the final chapters of this book touch on the fact that this religion of restraint has led Jains to reap great rewards without giving up any of their values.  This 100-page book offers a easy-to-read and succinct overview of the most important elements of life as a Jain.