Paul's letter to the Romans has been called "the quintessence and perfection of saving doctrine." Perhaps the most challenging and thoroughly doctrinal book of the entire New Testament, Romans deals with many issues that are basic to Christian theology and practice. In this volume respected New Testament scholar Douglas J. Moo provides a superb study of Paul's letter to the Roman Christians and restates the enduring message of Romans for Christians today. Based on the English text but bringing into the discussion the underlying Greek at every point, this commentary focuses both on theological meaning and on contemporary significance. Moo contributes to the continuing debate regarding Paul's teaching on such issues as Jewish law and the relationship between Jews and Gentiles in the people of God. He also critically interacts with "the new perspective on Paul," highlights Romans's emphasis on "practical divinity," and traces the theme of gospel throughout the epistle. - Publisher.

"Why does the Apostle Paul personify righteousness as slave-master and athlete in Romans 6 and 9? David J. Southall explores Pauline personification as a trope of character invention in which righteousness becomes an equivalent term for Christ."--BOOK JACKET.

An exegetical and practical commentary for pastors and teachers This volume in the Kregel Exegetical Library combines up-to-date scholarship and concrete application to serve as an ideal guide for preaching and teaching the foundational New Testament book of Romans. After an in-depth introduction that surveys the book's key elements, reception history, literary devices, and current scholarly debates, John D. Harvey provides a thorough explanation of every verse of Romans followed by theological insights and hands-on takeaways. Readers will benefit from Harvey's approach, which asks and answers three questions about each verse: (1) What did Paul say? (2) Why did he say it? (3) What should I do with it? Outlines and summaries provide useful homiletical and pedagogical tools, while footnotes point to resources for further study.

This book offers a fresh approach to Paul's gospel. Applying linguistic discourse analysis to Romans 1:16-8:39, it helps the reader to gain a comprehensive understanding of the argumentative structure and contents of the gospel of Paul. As well as revealing the two underlying descriptive frameworks that Paul uses to explain his gospel about God's salvation - the interactive framework between God and humans, and the 'two-realm' framework - this book demonstrates that Paul's gospel consists of one 'peak point' that shows the central role of Jesus, and two 'sub-peaks' elucidating salvation.

Building on his own translation from the Greek, Hultgren walks readers through Romans verse by verse, illuminating the text with helpful comments, probing into major puzzles, and highlighting the letter's most inspiring features. He also demonstrates the forward-looking, missional character of Paul's epistle -- written, as Hultgren suggests, to introduce Roman Christians to the major themes of Paul's theology and to inspire in them both confidence in the soundness of his teaching and support for his planned missionary efforts in Spain.

Explore Romans 4 from a sociorhetorical perspective Andrew Kimseng Tan examines Romans using sociorhetorical interpretation to determine how Paul attempted to alleviate dissension between Judean (or “Jewish”) and non-Judean (or “gentile”) Christians. Through his analysis of Paul’s rhetoric, Tan reveals that Paul used Abraham’s faith in Genesis to demonstrate that the both groups were equally children and heirs of Abraham whose acceptance by God was through the same kind of faith that Abraham possessed, not through the Mosaic law, which Judean Christians claimed gave them a special honored status with God. Features A model for the application of sociorhetorical interpretation for analyzing close readings of biblical texts A demonstration of the persuasive power of Romans 4 through the use of sociorhetorical interpretation Exploration of the relationships between important theological topics such as resurrection, the Mosaic law, the Holy Spirit, righteousness, ethical living, and eschatological salvation

Revised thesis (doctoral)--Brunel University and London School of Theology, London.

While Paul’s 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 Paul’s epistle in light of early Jewish theology, the historical situation of Rome in the middle of the first century A.D., and Paul’s 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. Witherington’s groundbreaking work also features a new, clear translation of the Greek text, and each section of the commentary ends with a brief discussion titled “Bridging the Horizons,” which suggests how the ancient text of Romans may speak to us today.

Paul and Rhetoric contains essays that have been presented in a seminar called "Paul and Rhetoric" in the annual meetings of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the leading international forum for New Testament and Christian Origin scholars. Translated into English, these essays, by leaders in the field and in the topic, engage and represent modern scholarship on Paul and rhetorical studies. The foundational essays are listed under the heading "State of the Discussion", attempting to take the major rhetorical categories of the time contemporary with Paul (types of rhetoric, invention and arrangement, and figures and tropes) and, first, lays out where the discussion is now. They then note the problems and highlights where continued discussion and deliberation would be helpful. The "Broad Questions" section asks what can be learned about reading Paul's letters to congregations in light of ancient epistolography, how theology and rhetoric are related (because the two are often treated as if they are alien to one another), and how ancient rhetoric and ancient psychology are associated with one another. All in all a volume that illustrates, examines and assesses where we are now in the study of rhetorical traditions in Pauline scholarship, and in some instances suggests the direction of future studies.

This book investigates 1 Corinthians 1-4 from a rhetorical and social perspective and explores that a divisive culture of rhetorical and paternal elitism lies behind the schisms and problems identified in the letter. This culture appears to have been shaped to some extent by the legacy of Cicero. Paul's references to "boasting" and "imitation" indicate both his subversive use, and his critique, of this Greco-Roman wisdom. In the final chapter, this analysis of wisdom traditions and their social consequences among first-century Corinthians leads to a critical reflection on similar dynamics among Korean Christians in twenty-first-century Korean-Confucian culture. In particular, Korean Protestants are encouraged to take a more positive stance towards Confucian wisdom traditions (as exemplified by T'oegye's legacy), and some insights are suggested into the ethics of imperial worship, ancestral veneration, and ethnic exclusivity.