Introducing Romans: Critical Issues in Paul’s Most Famous Letter
Overview
Paul’s Letter to the Romans has proven to be a particular challenge for commentators, with its many highly significant interpretive issues often leading to tortuous convolutions and even “dead ends” in their understanding of the letter. Here, Richard N. Longenecker takes a comprehensive look at the complex backdrop of Paul’s letter and carefully unpacks a number of critical issues, including:
- Authorship, integrity, occasion, date, addressees, and purpose
- Important recent interpretive approaches
- Greco-Roman oral, rhetorical, and epistolary conventions
- Jewish and Jewish Christian thematic and rhetorical features
- The establishing of the letter’s Greek text
- The letter’s main focus, structure, and argument
This volume is packed with fresh insight and highly original content. With the Logos edition, all Scripture passages in this volume are tagged and appear on mouse-over. What’s more, Scripture references are linked to the wealth of language resources in your Logos library. This makes the text more powerful and easier to access than ever before for scholarly work or personal Bible study. With the advanced search features of Logos Bible Software, you can perform powerful searches by topic or Scripture reference—finding, for example, every mention of “grace,” or “Romans 14:1.”
- Examines the authorship and integrity of Paul’s letter to the Romans
- Focuses on the background and context of the letter
- Discusses the contents of Romans itself
- Part One: Important Matters Largely Uncontested Today
- Author, Amanuensis, and Involvement of Others
- Integrity
- Occasion and Date
- Part Two: Two Pivotal Issues
- Addresses
- Purpose
- Part Three: Conventions, Procedures, and Themes
- Greco-Roman Oral, Rhetorical, and Epistolary Conventions
- Jewish and Jewish Christian Procedures and Themes
- Part Four: Textual and Interpretive Concerns
- Establishing the Text
- Major Interpretive Approaches Prominent Today
- Part Five: Focus, Structure, and Argument of Romans
- Focus or Central Thrust of the Letter
- Structure and Argument of the Letter
Top Highlights
“Augustine, however, writing during the final decade of the fourth century and the first three decades of the fifth (i.e., from 391 until his death in 430), came more and more to interpret the expression iustitia Dei in his Latin Bible not only in a subjective or attributive sense but also in an objective or communicative sense—that is, not only as an attribute of God and his actions, but also with reference to God’s justification of repentant sinners, his bestowal on them a status of righteousness, and his endowment of them with his own quality of righteousness.” (Page 295)
“Thus most Latin theologians came to understand ‘the righteousness of God’ in primarily an attributive sense—that is, as an attribute of God, with an emphasis on his character as being absolutely just and his actions as always expressed justly and in terms of justice.” (Page 294)
“Taking all the data and possibilities into account, Ambrosiaster’s explanation of the situation seems most credible: (1) that Christianity first entered Rome by way of Jewish believers in Christ who already lived in the city, whether as free or freed residents, slaves, or traveling merchants; (2) that Jewish believers formed the nucleus of the earliest Christian community; (3) that through the witness of those Jewish believers, a number of Gentiles also heard the message of the gospel and became believers in Christ; and (4) that the early Christian faith at Rome had a distinctly Jewish character, whether as practiced and proclaimed by Jewish believers themselves or as accepted by Gentiles, or both.” (Pages 71–72)
Introducing Romans, a kind of introduction-ahead-of-time to Richard Longenecker’s forthcoming commentary on Romans, is a major achievement in its own right, the fruit of at least fifty years of scholarship on the apostle Paul and on Romans in particular. It can stand alone as an indispensable handbook for anyone venturing to write a commentary of one's own or for anyone who wants to teach or understand that classic letter. Above all, Longenecker succeeds admirably in putting the many issues surrounding Romans in the broadest possible historical context, encompassing not just recent fashions but the legacy of centuries. Seasoned scholars and beginning students alike have every reason to be grateful.
—J. Ramsey Michaels, professor emeritus of religious studies, Missouri State University
Longenecker addresses here the major questions about this intriguing letter, setting out his own views cogently and clearly, with fairness and respect for those with whom he disagrees, and drawing upon decades of research and reflection. Reasonable, clear, well-informed, and instructive in every chapter, this extensive introduction to Romans deserves a place in any scholarly collection on Paul's most-discussed letter.
—Larry Hurtado, emeritus professor of New Testament language, literature, and theology, University of Edinburgh
A veteran interpreter of Paul here takes on issues—some perennial, some of more recent focus—important for understanding Paul’s weightiest letter. Students will find this to be an informed introduction to a host of crucial subjects; as a handy reference work, the book merits a place on the shelves of scholars as well. Warmly commended for both!
—Stephen Westerholm, professor, McMaster University
This extended introduction to Romans is in effect the first installment of Dick Longenecker’s forthcoming major commentary on the epistle, and publishing it separately has enabled him to deal more comprehensively with the issues than in any existing commentary. . . . I warmly commend it and look forward eagerly to the publication of the commentary whose harbinger it is.
—I. Howard Marshall, emeritus professor of New Testament exegesis, University of Aberdeen
- Title: Introducing Romans: Critical Issues in Paul’s Most Famous Letter
- Author: Richard N. Longenecker
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 2011
- Pages: 518
Richard N. Longenecker is professor emeritus of New Testament at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. His many books include The Christology of Early Jewish Christianity and The Message and Ministry of Paul.
Reviews
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Matlyn Collins
9/22/2023
Clifford B. Kvidahl
1/24/2015
