"The New Testament is basically divided between the Gospels and the Epistles. The Gospels are those of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and they variously communicate the one Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as he preached it in his earthly life. The Epistles are mostly those of Paul, and in them he has his own Gospel to communicate from his experience of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. Then he came to recognize his presence at once in heaven and in his suffering members on earth, according to his words, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" The words are addressed to him from heaven, while they refer to the persecuted Christians on earth. They are addressed to Saul, who subsequently changes his name to Paul, and such is the impression the words make on his mind that in all his Epistles he is always speaking of Jesus, particularly in terms of the three basic virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity."
Peter Milward was born in London on October 12, 1925, and educated at Wimbledon College (a Jesuit high school). He entered the Society of Jesus in 1943, and after various studies he went on to specialize in the Classics and English at Oxford University. He came to Japan in 1954 and after further studies was ordained priest in 1960. From 1962 onwards he has taught English literature at Sophia University in Tokyo. In addition to founding the Renaissance Institute, the Hopkins Society of Japan and the Chesterton Society of Japan, he has published some 400 books, mostly as textbooks for Japanese students, many of them translated into Japanese, but now most of them out of print. Several of his books, especially those on the drama of Shakespeare and the poetry of Hopkins, have been published in England and America. Even in retirement he is still teaching and writing, as he enters his 88th year (or beiju).
