Introducing Romans: Critical Issues in Paul's Most Famous Letter

by Richard N. Longenecker

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,
* 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

518 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2011

About the author

Richard N. Longenecker is Ramsey Armitage Professor of New Testament, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. He receivec the B.A. and M.A. degrees from Wheaton College and Wheaton Graduate School of Theology, respectively, and the Ph.D. from New College, University of Edinburgh. His principal publications include Paul, Apostle of Liberty (1964), The Christology of Early Jewish Christianity (1970), The Ministry and Message of Paul (1971), Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period (1975), “The Acts of the Apostles” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1981), and The New Testament Social Ethics for Today (1984).

Reviews

[Keith Pinckney · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could read one book of the Bible for the rest of my life it would without a doubt be Romans. Longenecker is comprehensive in dealing with the background and critical issues of the text. The book gets into the nitty gritty of things such as textual criticism, Greek rhetorical and oratory functions, and some of the major contextual concerns that shed light on the subtleties of Romans. I am ignorant to the original language of Koine Greek which would aid in checking some of Longenecker’s work per se. I don’t agree with some of his brief interpretive comments, but nonetheless his arguments are tight and sophisticated. While this book doesn’t do exegetical work it prepares the scholar, pastor, or interested lay person to do the tedious exegetical work in digging the gold mine that is Romans.

[James Korsmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longenecker provides an informative and in-depth survey of the major background issues to the study of Romans. It is basically composed of the material you'd expect to find in the intro of a commentary, but at greater depth. There is some repetition between the chapters, and some of the book could have been tightened up through more smoothly relating the various chapters to one another. It also seemed that his discussion interacted most with sources that were at least a decade or more old (at one point he refers to an article from 1997 as "recent"), though he does selectively draw on some recent studies. But his conclusions are well-reasoned and balanced. There isn't much that is earth-shattering. But I found one of his foundational insights rather fruitful. In his discussion of the recipients, he surveys Roman Christianity, and one of the assertions he makes is that, much like the Judaism in that city, the Roman Christians would have had a close connection with Jerusalem. This is fruitful because it means that it would not have only been ethnic Jews who may have held the law in high regard and may have held a key place for it in the plan of salvation. This insight comes up in a number of chapters and helps reread some of the evidence for what Romans is about in a fresh light. There is definitely much of benefit here, and it certainly whets the appetite for the full commentary (to which he defers discussions repeatedly). In all, a nice volume by a wise scholar.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to the book of Romans for those looking for more advanced/critical studies. Longenecker is well-informed of the literature and theology surrounding this study, and is in much discussion with it. His approach to understanding any of this book is to see how it fits in with the whole. It is immediately apparent that this is an impossible task, but I don't think that means it we shouldn't journey up the mountain. He offers some great suggestions for putting the various sections of Romans together, but I think he falls short in explaining 9-11 into his scheme. I am really looking forward to the commentary that is to follow this introduction.

[Jonathan Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a massive book that does just what its title claims - it introduces Romans. It is divided into five sections with 11 main issues. This is not a commentary. Longenecker wrote this introduction as preparation for his full exegetical commentary in the New International Greek Testament Commentary series. I would highly recommend this book to anyone preparing to teach through Romans as it leaves no stone unturned concerning the major questions within the letter. I probably would not recommend it to someone in a Bible class, not because it is not good, but because it is probably too much. Longenecker is clear and thorough. He is fond of lists and summaries which helps when taking in this much information