Description
In this new contribution to the New Testament Library, renowned New Testament scholar Beverly Roberts Gaventa offers a fresh account of Paul's Letter to the Romans as an event, both in the sense that it reflects a particular historical moment in Paul's labors and in the sense that it reflects the event God brings about in the gospel Paul represents.
Attention to that dual sense of event means that Gaventa attends to the literary, historical, and theological features of the letter.
Throughout the commentary, Gaventa keeps in view central questions of what Paul hoped the letter might accomplish among its listeners in Rome and how his auditors might have heard it when read by Phoebe. In posing potential answers to these questions, Gaventa touches on vital themes such as the intrusion of the gospel of Jesus Christ that prompts Paul to write in the first place, what that event reveals about the situation of all creation, how it relates to both Israel and the Gentiles, and what its implications are for life in faith.
The New Testament Library series offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, providing fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, careful attention to their literary design, and a theologically perceptive exposition of the biblical text. The contributors are scholars of international standing. The editorial board consists of C. Clifton Black, Princeton Theological Seminary; John T. Carroll, Union Presbyterian Seminary; and Susan E. Hylen, Candler School of Theology, Emory University.
Reviews
"The fruit of a life shaped by conversation with Paul and his interpreters, Beverly Gaventa's magisterial commentary on Romans constantly surprises the reader with new insights into a letter that never gets old. With her characteristic clarity and close attention to the text, Gaventa ushers her readers into a thoroughgoing apocalyptic reading of Romans marked by theological passion and pastoral acumen. This is a must-read for every serious student of Paul and Paul's gospel." —Susan Eastman, Associate Research Professor Emerita of New Testament, Duke University Divinity School
"Beverly Gaventa's new commentary on Romans exemplifies what we have come to know, expect, and respect about Gaventa's scholarship: careful and thorough analysis of details of the biblical text, in this case arguably the magnum opus of the Apostle Paul's writings. Moreover, such details are consistently followed by accurate summaries of the passages and major sections of this complex letter, including regularly noting Paul's singular focus on God's Gospel as revealed in Christ. Gaventa provides a fresh translation of the Greek text, and invokes the historic, recent, and copious scholarship on the letter, with important and creative new approaches on key issues. A unique perspective throughout the analysis includes asking what would the original "auditors" have heard, including as they heard the letter read to them from Paul's envoy, Phoebe of Cenchreae, to whom Gaventa dedicates the volume. Gaventa on Romans is a must read for all students and scholars alike of Paul, Romans, and the New Testament." —Efrain Agosto, Bennett Boskey Distinguished Visiting Professor in Latina/o Studies, Williams College