8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if creation itself bears witness to every human deed, and an angel leads you beyond the grave?
The Apocalypse of Paul is an anonymous early Christian vision ascribed to the apostle Paul. It takes up the unexplained journey to the third heaven mentioned in his second letter to the Corinthians. According to the text, an angel guides Paul through a world where souls face judgment, reward, and punishment, and earthly choices carry consequences beyond death.
The journey moves from creation reporting human sins to the places where souls meet their angels. Paul crosses the river Ocean toward the land of promise, then witnesses fiery rivers and dark pits of punishment. Widely read by medieval Christians, this vision explores divine justice and mercy through striking scenes rather than a calm account of doctrine.
What you’ll discover
- A discovery in Tarsus Explore the preface's story of an angelic appearance in Paul's home town.
- Creation as a witness Encounter a vision in which the natural world reports human wrongdoing to God.
- Souls at the threshold Follow Paul's account of the angels who accompany each soul at death.
- Landscapes of promised reward Cross Ocean with Paul toward the land where, according to the vision, saints will live.
- Justice beside mercy Consider how this harsh vision places compassion alongside the consequences of human actions.
Is it for you?
This summary suits readers of early Christian writing, students of how people imagined the afterlife, and anyone curious about the roots of Dante's vision. Readers who want a calm doctrinal treatise may find its vivid and often harsh scenes less suited.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A vision said to be found in Tarsus
- All creation reports human sins to God
- At death every soul meets its angels
- The land of the promised and the city of Christ
- Hell is a tour of fitting punishments
- Mercy on Sunday and a long afterlife
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: USD 0.14 a day, then USD 0.27 a day, never raised. Or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Apocalypse of Paul in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
Apocalypse of Paul
by Attributed to the Apostle Paul· 380
An angel guides Paul through the judgment of souls.
Excellent
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A vision said to be found in Tarsus
Many Latin copies open with a preface that tells how the book came to light. In the reign of the emperor Theodosius, an angel appears to a man living in Tarsus, the home town of Paul. The angel tells him to break up the foundation of the house where Paul once lived. Beneath it the man finds a marble box holding the revelation, which is then sent to the emperor.
Most scholars treat this tale as a literary device. Stories of a hidden book found in a sacred place were a familiar way to give a new text the weight of an old one. The preface also fixes a date near the year 388, but historians doubt that the book appeared then. They think the preface was added later and that the text itself came from about the same time or a little before.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More like this
FreeOur mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Apocalypse of Paul
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs USD 5.95 on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: USD 5.95 for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is the Apocalypse of Paul about?
It describes a vision in which the apostle Paul is led by an angel through heaven and hell. He sees souls judged at death, the city of Christ, and punishments matched to sins.
Is the Apocalypse of Paul in the Bible?
No. It was never accepted into the Christian canon. Augustine of Hippo rejected it, and a later list known as the Gelasian Decree also names it among works not to be received, though it was widely read in the Middle Ages.
When was the Apocalypse of Paul written?
Scholars generally place the Greek original in the late fourth century, though some think parts are older. A preface claims it was found in Tarsus around 388, but most historians treat that story as a literary framing.
Popular in the lost books
See all
