Paul Maier died at 94 – American historian
Biography and cause of death of Paul Maier
May 31, 1930 – February 27, 2025 was the birthday of Paul Maier . (1) and (2) was a writer and historian from the United States. He penned novels centered on Christian history and a number of nonfiction books on Christianity, both academic and popular. After retiring in 2011, he continued to hold the position of professor emeritus in the History Department at Western Michigan University, where he had been the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History. He was the third vice president of the Missouri Synod of Lutherans before this.
Paul Maier Origins of formal schooling
The Lutheran Hour’s founder and long-time speaker, Walter A. Maier (1893-1950), is Maier’s father. He earned a Master of Arts degree from Harvard in 1954 and a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in 1955. Maier attended the Universities of Heidelberg and Basel in Germany and Switzerland, respectively, while funded by a Fulbright Scholarship. Maier was a student of Karl Barth and Oscar Cullmann at the University of Basel. With the thesis “summa cum laude,” he earned his doctorate in 1957.
Life outside of work Maier’s marriage to Joan produced four kids. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod was his religious affiliation.
Paul Maier Career
His literary output includes sixteen novels, nonfiction works, and collections of historical anecdotes. The national best-selling religious fiction novel of all time is one of his historical works. In addition to the following works: The Very First Christmas (1998), More Than A Skeleton (2003), Pontius Pilate (1968), The Flames of Rome (1981), and A Skeleton in God’s Closet (1993).
Paul Maier has translated and abridged Josephus’ writings in Josephus: The Essential Works, and he has translated Eusebius’ Church History in The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea, both of which are non-fiction works. The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? was co-written by Christian theologian Hank Hanegraaf and Maier.
This work serves as a scathing critique of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, a best-selling novel from 2003. Along with that, he has contributed more than two hundred articles and reviews to journals like Christian Herald, Concordia Journal, Hermes: Zeitschrift für Klassische Philologie, Concordia Theological Quarterly, Mankind, Christian Century, Christianity Today, and Harvard Theological Review.
Paul Maier was often on the go, giving talks and tours. His 2004 appearances on 100 Huntley Street, a Canadian Christian daily talk program, spanned the whole year. He made many appearances on the program.
Paul Maier What one sees
After seeing an ABC News program called “The Search for Jesus” that included many critical scholars—including Jesus Seminar members—Maier decided to make an appearance in the 2000 documentary “Who Is This Jesus?”, which was made by D. James Kennedy’s Coral Ridge Ministries. The Bible: Fact or Fiction? was an episode of the 2004 season of the Showtime comedy Bullshit! in which Maier made an appearance. The hosts of the program claimed that the Bible should not be taken at face value.
In addition to providing pertinent background information on the text, Maier was asked to provide a counterargument. His opponent was Michael Shermer, founder of the Skeptics Society. On the TV show Mysteries of the Bible, Maier made an appearance in the episode called “Paul The Apostle.”
Paul Maier List of published works
Maier Books for adults
A man spoke, a world listened: the story of Walter A. Maier [1963]
Pontius Pilate [1968] ISBN 0-8254-3296-0 (Paperback), ISBN 0-8254-3261-8 (Hardcover)
First Christmas: The True and Unfamiliar Story in Words and Pictures [Harper & Row, 1971] ISBN 0-06-065396-5 (Hardcover)
First Easter: The True and Unfamiliar Story in Words and Pictures [Harper & Row, 1973] ISBN 0-06-065397-3 (Hardcover)
First Christians: Pentecost and the Spread of Christianity [Harper & Row, 1976] ISBN 0-06-065399-X
The Flames of Rome [1981] ISBN 0-8254-3297-9 (Paperback), ISBN 0-8254-3262-6 (Hardcover)
Josephus, the Essential Writings: A Condensation of Jewish Antiquities and the Jewish War [1988] ISBN 0-8254-2963-3
In the Fullness of Time: A Historian looks at Christmas, Easter and the Early Church [1991] ISBN 0-8254-3329-0
A Skeleton in God’s Closet [1994] ISBN 0-8407-7721-3
Eusebius – The Church History: A new translation with commentary [1999], ISBN 0-8254-3328-2
More Than A Skeleton: It was one man against the world [2003] ISBN 0-7852-6238-5
The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? (co-written with Hank Hanegraaf) [2006] ISBN 1-4143-1035-8
A Skeleton in Rome [2011]
The Constantine Codex [2011] ISBN 1-4143-3773-6
Paul Maier Books for children
The Very First Christmas [1998] ISBN 0-570-05064-2
The Very First Easter [1999] ISBN 0-570-07053-8
The Very First Christians [2001] ISBN 0-570-07175-5
Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World [2004] ISBN 0-7586-0626-5
The Real Story of the Creation (illustrated by Robert T. Barrett) [2007] ISBN 0-7586-1265-6
The Real Story of the Flood (illustrated by Robert T. Barrett) [2008] ISBN 0-7586-1267-2
Paul Maier List of DVDs
Christianity: The First Three Centuries [2003]
The Odyssey of St. Paul [2003]
Jesus: Legend or Lord? [2003]
How We Got the Bible [2009]
Christianity and the Competition [2010]
The Week that Changed the World [2011]