Synopses & Reviews
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Synopsis
While Paulbs letter to the Romans is the most studied and commented-on document from the biblical period, the major exegetical books on Romans from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have been overwhelmingly shaped by the Reformed tradition. Through a careful survey of work on Romans by both ancient Church Fathers and modern exegetical scholars, Ben Witherington III here argues that the interpretation of Romans since the Reformation has been far too indebted to -- and at key points led astray by -- Augustinian readings of the text as filtered through Luther, Calvin, and others.
In this first full-scale socio-rhetorical commentary on Romans, Witherington gleans fresh insights from reading the text of Paulbs epistle in light of early Jewish theology, the historical situation of Rome in the middle of the first century A.D., and Paulbs own rhetorical concerns. Giving serious consideration to the social and rhetorical background of Romans allows readers to hear Paul on his own terms, not just through the various voices of his later interpreters. Witheringtonbs groundbreaking work also features a new, clear translation of the Greek text, and each section of the commentary ends with a brief discussion titled bBridging the Horizons, b which suggests how the ancient text of Romans may speak to us today.
Table of Contents
Authorship and the text-critical issues in chapter 16 -- Integrity -- Date -- Audience -- Structure and rhetoric -- Language, style, and intertextuality -- 1.1-7 -- 1.8-15 -- 1.16-17 -- 1.18-32 : the unbearable likeness -- 2.1-16 : critique of a judgmental Gentile hypocrite -- 2.17-3.20 : censoring a censorious Jewish teacher -- 3.21-31 : the manifestation of the righteousness of God apart from the law -- 4.1-25 : Abraham as forefather of all the "righteous" by faith -- 5.1-11 : the results of rectification -- 5.12-21 : from first Adam to last (a comparison) -- Shall sin, death, and the law continue now that Christ has come? -- 6.1-14 : shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? -- 6.15-7.6 : slaves to righteousness -- 7.7-13 : retelling Adam's tale -- 7.14-25 : Adam's lost race -- 8.1-17 : life in the spirit; that was then, this is now -- 8.18-39 : life in Christ in glory -- 9.1-11.36 : God's justice and Israel's future -- 12.1-21 : living sacrifices and loving service -- 13.1-14 : taxing situations and the debt of love -- 14.1-15.13 : the weak and the strong and what goes wrong -- 15.14-21 : the knowledge and apostle of the Gentiles -- 15.22-33 : travel plans, apostolic parousia, peroratio -- 16.1-27.