Romans (BIB 472): Topics in Romans

Apocalyptic Paul: Cosmos and Anthropos in Romans 5-8 by Beverly Roberts Gaventa (Editor) Romans 5-8 revolve around God's dramatic cosmic activity and its implications for humanity and all of creation. Apocalyptic Paul measures the power of Paul's rhetoric about the relationship of cosmic power to the Law, interpretations of righteousness and the self, and the link between grace and obedience. A revealing study of Paul's understanding of humanity in light of God's apocalyptic action through Jesus Christ, Apocalyptic Paul illuminates Romans 5-8 and shows how critical this neglected part of Romans was to Paul's literary project.

Christ Is God over All by George Carraway; Chris Keith (Contribution by) This book is written against the background of Christological scholarly thought since thepublication of Kyrios Christos by Bousset. Carraway argues that the syntax of Romans 9:5 suggests Paul meant to refer to Jesus as God, and that his statement is not out of place at thebeginning of Romans 9-11.He addresses objections to this conclusion, responding to those who claim that a monotheist such as Paul would not refer to Jesus as God, and to those who point out that Paul does not elsewhere identify Jesus as God. After demonstrating that there is a connection between Romans 9:5 and the remainder of Romans 9-11, the argument continues by tying Paul's monotheistic statements regarding the one God of both Jews and Gentiles in Romans 3, the concept of the one Lord of all in Romans 10:5-13.The book concludes that the redeemer from Zion in 11:25-27 is Christ, and is the same as the Christ from Israel in 9:5.

Creation Language in Romans 8 by Gregory P. Fewster

Election of the Lesser Son by David R. Wallace God chooses Israel (salvation “first to the Jew and then the gentile”), but without showing favoritism? Paul genuinely grieves for Israel as one speaking “in” Christ, yet prays to be cursed, cut off from Christ? Romans 9–11 remains one of the most difficult and contested biblical texts in scholarship today. Theological discussions often limit the focus of this passage to God’s sovereignty, emphasizing that God’s mind is not known, or to Paul’s defense of God’s faithfulness, insisting that Israel has failed. Less attention has been devoted to Paul’s unique form and style, which, rightly understood, resolve significant issues, revealing the merciful and wise character of God in his choice of Jacob, the lesser son. David R. Wallace demonstrates how Paul weaves two distinct Jewish literary forms together––lament and midrash—into a logical narrative concerning Israel’s salvation. Attention is given to Paul’s poetical structures, key literary terms, and use of Old Testament contexts. The result is new insight into the meaning of the letter, and into the theology of Paul.

Paul's Gospel in Romans by Jae Hyun Lee Using linguistic discourse analysis, this book offers a fresh approach to Paul's gospel in Romans 1-8 and provides a comprehensive understanding of his argumentative structure and subject matter including the central points of Paul's gospel.

The Word of God Has Not Failed by Aaron Sherwood Debates rage over Paul's understanding of election in Romans 9–11. But is election really what Paul had in mind? Aaron Sherwood argues that this debate is foreign to Paul's purpose here. Paul primarily intended these passages to be a defense of God's covenantal faithfulness.In The Word of God Has Not Failed, Sherwood examines the first major passage of this section, Romans 9:6–20, giving special attention to the Old Testament Scriptures Paul used. It is vital to understand Paul's interpretation of these texts in order to understand the thrust of Paul's message. Sherwood shows how Paul viewed the rejection of the gospel by unbelieving Jews as idolatry, and the inclusion of believing Gentiles as a fulfillment of God's promises to Israel.

Zeal Without Knowledge by Dane C. Ortlund This book examines the concept of'zeal'in three Pauline texts (Rom 10:2; Gal 1:14; Phil 3:6) as a way-in to discussion of the'New Perspective'on Paul. The concept of zeal has been discussed in a sustained way by James D. G. Dunn, who argues that Paul was drawing on a long and venerable tradition of Jewish zeal for the nation of Israel, that is, a concern to maintain Israel's distinction from the surrounding nations by defending and reinforcing its boundaries. Ortlund interacts with Dunn, agreeing that this concern for distinctiveness was a crucial, and neglected, concern of Paul's before his conversion. Nevertheless, Ortlund contends that Dunn has presented an overly narrow understanding of Pauline zeal that does not sufficiently locate zeal in the broader picture of general obedience to Torah in Jewish tradition. As such, Ortlund shows in this work that zeal refers most immediately to general obedience to Torah - including, but not to be centrally circumscribed as, ethnic distinction.

Paul's Use of the Old Testament in Romans 9:10-18 by Brian J. Abasciano This study of Paul's use of the Old Testament in Romans 9:10-18 examines it against the background of ancient interpretive traditions surrounding the text.

Reading Romans As Lament by Channing L. Crisler; Mark A. Seifrid (Foreword by) Reading Romans as Lament examines how and why Paul uses such a high volume of Old Testament lament in his letter to the Romans. Lament is not merely a poignant cry of distress, but a distinct form of prayer scattered across the pages of the Old Testament. It contains a distinct literary footprint and theology. Although often overlooked, Romans contains a great deal of this prayer form through its various lament citations and echoes. When these citations and echoes are heard, it impacts the interpretation of the letter's argumentation and sheds historical light on suffering in the early church. Building on the work of both Old Testament scholarship and recent trends in Pauline Studies, most notably Claus Westermann and Richard B. Hays, this book explores how Paul uses the language and theology of Old Testament lament to address the tension between what his gospel promises and the pain his listeners experience. The echoes of lament in Romans indicate that suffering stems from various sources, but they share a common concern with divine wrath. The experience of pain, including concern over God's wrath, is a reality for the'righteous'in Rome. Paul consistently answers their cries of distress with the gospel.

If You Call Yourself a Jew: Reappraising Paul's Letter to the Romans by Rafael Rodriguez If You Call Yourself a Jew reads Romans as a dialogue between Paul and a Gentile proselyte to Judaism. This fresh reading brings Romans into focus as Paul's exposition of the revelation of God's righteousness--his faithfulness to his covenant promises to Abraham, which climaxed in the announcement that "in you all the tribes of the earth will be blessed" (Gen 12:3). Paul insists that the righteousness of God is revealed, "for the Jew first as well as for the Greek" not through Torah but through the faith(fullness) of Jesus. Torah and the prophets provide corroborating witness for God's righteousness, but Gentiles who bend their necks to Torah's yoke miss the actual mechanism for finding peace with God. Paul found in the story of Jesus the image of complete faith in/faithfulness to God; in Jesus' resurrection he found the image of God's complete faithfulness, "for the Jew first as well as for the Greek" Whereas Torah resulted in curse and death, it also anticipated the unconditional faithfulness of God for both Jew and Gentile. For Paul, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the account of the outworking of God's faithfulness: the end of Torah's curses and the fulfillment of its blessings Sources other than Library of Congress.

Paul and the Politics of Difference by Jae-Won Lee Paul lies at the core of the constant debate about the opposition between Christianity and Judaism both in biblical interpretation and public discourse. The so-called new perspective on Paul has not offered a significant break from the formidable paradigm of Christian universalism versus Jewish particularism in Pauline scholarship. This book liberates Paul from the Western logic of identity and its dominant understanding of difference. Drawing attention to the currency of discourses on difference in contemporary theories as well as in biblical studies, the author critically examines the hermeneutical relevance of a contextual and relational understanding of difference. He applies it to interpret the dynamics of Jew-Gentile difference reflected particularly in meal practices (Gal 2:1-21 and Rom 14:1-15:13) of early Christian communities. Paul and the Politics of Difference argues that by deconstructing the hierarchy of social relations underlying the Jew-Gentile difference in different community situations, Paul promotes a politics of difference. This affirms a preferential option for the socially ‘weak’ – solidarity with the weak. Paul’s politics of difference is invoked as the potential for liberation in a vision of egalitarian justice in the face of contemporary globalism’s proliferation of difference.

Reading Romans Within Judaism by Mark D. Nanos Over fifty years ago, Vatican II's Nostra Aetate 4 drew from Romans 11 to challenge the way Paul's voice has been used to negatively discuss Jews and Judaism. The church called for Catholics to conceptualize Jews as'brothers'in'an everlasting covenant,'and many other Christian organizations have expressed similar sentiments in the years since. Nevertheless, the portrayal of Jews as'branches broken off,''hardened,''without faith,''disobedient,'and'enemies of God'whom Christians have'replaced'as'true Israel,'are among the many ways that readers encounter Paul's views of Jews and Judaism in today's translations and interpretations of this chapter, and throughout the letter as well. In the chapters in this volume, Nanos shows why these translations and interpretive decisions, among others, do not likely represent what Paul wrote or meant. Each essay offers challenges to the received view of Paul from the research hypothesis that Paul and the Christ-followers to whom he wrote were still practicing Judaism (a Jewish way of life) within subgroups of the Jewish synagogue communities of Rome, and that they understood Paul to observe Torah and promote Judaism for their communities.

The so-called Jew in Paul's letter to the Romans by Thiessen, Matthew Decades ago, Werner G. Kummel described the historical problem of Romans as its “double character": concerned with issues of Torah and the destiny of Israel, the letter is explicitly addressed not to Jews but to Gentiles. At stake in the numerous answers given to that question is nothing less than the purpose of Paul’s most important letter. In The So-Called Jew in Romans, nine Pauline scholars focus their attention on the rhetoric of diatribe and characterization in the opening chapters of the letter, asking what Paul means by the “so-called Jew" in Romans 2 and where else in the letter’s argumentation that figure appears or is implied. Each component of Paul’s argument is closely examined with particular attention to the theological problems that arise in each.