What do you think?
Rate this book
New Covenant Commentary
Romans
A helpfully concise commentary on Paul's letter to the early Christians in Rome, which the Apostle wrote just a few years before the outbreak of Nero's persecution. Keener examines each paragraph for its function in the letter as a whole, helping the reader follow Paul's argument. Where relevant, he draws on his vast work in ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman sources in order to help modern readers understand the message of Romans according to the way the first audience would have heard it. Throughout, Keener focuses on major points that are especially critical for the contemporary study of Paul's most influential and complex New Testament letter.
"By grounding his exposition of Romans in the world of the first century, yet keeping his eye on the needs and concerns of the contemporary world, Keener offers here a rare commodity: a lucid commentary that is simultaneously conversant with the latest biblical scholarship and pastorally sensitive."
--John T. Fitzgerald
University of Miami, USA and North-West University, South Africa
"Craig Keener has written a marvelous commentary that will prove to be a valuable tool for ministers, students, and scholars alike. By insightfully introducing and contextualizing, as well providing excurses that guide the reader from ancient to modern times, Keener has done with excellence what a commentary should do."
--Manfred Lang
Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg
Craig Keener (PhD, Duke University; professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary) is author of fourteen books, including a number of commentaries.
"By grounding his exposition of Romans in the world of the first century, yet keeping his eye on the needs and concerns of the contemporary world, Keener offers here a rare commodity: a lucid commentary that is simultaneously conversant with the latest biblical scholarship and pastorally sensitive."
--John T. Fitzgerald
University of Miami, USA and North-West University, South Africa
"Craig Keener has written a marvelous commentary that will prove to be a valuable tool for ministers, students, and scholars alike. By insightfully introducing and contextualizing, as well providing excurses that guide the reader from ancient to modern times, Keener has done with excellence what a commentary should do."
--Manfred Lang
Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg
Craig Keener (PhD, Duke University; professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary) is author of fourteen books, including a number of commentaries.
568 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2009
88 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Craig S. Keener
144 books245 followersCraig S. Keener (PhD, Duke University) is professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of many books, including Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, the bestseller The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, The Historical Jesus of the Gospels, Gift and Giver, and commentaries on Matthew, John, Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, and Revelation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 30, 2017
Pretty good for historical context and cross references but doesn't provide much application or interpretation. It is good as a reference source our for detailed study but not really designed as any sort of devotional.
Read
September 2, 2021A very accessible though shorter commentary that manages to avoid some of the more contentious debates surrounding the text. This will be a positive or negative attribute depending on what you are looking for.
October 7, 2022
Un bon survol de l'épître mais par moment trop superficiel pour être pleinement satisfaisant. Mais c'est le format de la série qui veut ça (même si dans cette même série Gordon Fee a beaucoup mieux géré avec l'apocalypse) bien que les excursus soient très bons.
March 31, 2025
I read this in conjunction with a study at church. While I found some good information, the book is very academic and scholarly, best suited for a theology student or professor. Dr. Keener is obviously very learned in his subject area.
December 20, 2023
As always, Keener writes with detail and application.
April 20, 2024
One of my favorite Romans commentaries that I have read.
August 24, 2011
At 193 pages, excluding the bibliography and appendices, Romans in the New Covenant Commentary series is indeed concise. Do not let its brevity deceive you, dear reader. This book is excellent.
Craig Keener has done an amazing job of bringing out the main point of each pericope in the book of Romans. That was the purpose of the commentary, to give the big picture. Amazingly enough, while showing the big picture, Keener still brings out many details.
Should the apparent (though not real) paucity of material disturb the reader, Keener extensively annotates and references other scholarly works. He also gives an extensive bibliography. In fact, the book is worth its cost just for the notes and bibliography.
The strong point of this commentary is that it addresses the big picture of Romans while doing so, not in a simplistic way; but in a simple way. There is depth to this book, yet it is a profound simplicity. That is a good thing, because the book is good for scholars, academics, pastors, and the so-called average reader. It is accessible to all.
The one negative that I must mention is the binding. For a book that will be used as a reference and will be on someone's desk, the binding is very poor. The printer seemed to have tried to economize on the glue that is used at the spine. Because of this the pages easily pull loose and come out. I hope that this was an anomaly that is unique to my copy.
Other than the issue with the binding, I highly recommend this commentary.
Disclosure of Material Connection (FTC 16 CFR, Part 255): Review copy provided by publisher. A positive review was not required; opinions expressed are those of the blogger.
Craig Keener has done an amazing job of bringing out the main point of each pericope in the book of Romans. That was the purpose of the commentary, to give the big picture. Amazingly enough, while showing the big picture, Keener still brings out many details.
Should the apparent (though not real) paucity of material disturb the reader, Keener extensively annotates and references other scholarly works. He also gives an extensive bibliography. In fact, the book is worth its cost just for the notes and bibliography.
The strong point of this commentary is that it addresses the big picture of Romans while doing so, not in a simplistic way; but in a simple way. There is depth to this book, yet it is a profound simplicity. That is a good thing, because the book is good for scholars, academics, pastors, and the so-called average reader. It is accessible to all.
The one negative that I must mention is the binding. For a book that will be used as a reference and will be on someone's desk, the binding is very poor. The printer seemed to have tried to economize on the glue that is used at the spine. Because of this the pages easily pull loose and come out. I hope that this was an anomaly that is unique to my copy.
Other than the issue with the binding, I highly recommend this commentary.
Disclosure of Material Connection (FTC 16 CFR, Part 255): Review copy provided by publisher. A positive review was not required; opinions expressed are those of the blogger.
Read
June 9, 2014[This is a summary from my blog review http://wp.me/p2YKx0-1gd]
Craig Keener has provided a helpful and brief commentary on Romans. The commentary itself is just under 200 pages, which is impressive for such a rich book. While the brevity makes this attractive to general readers, some may struggle with some unexplained technical/theological jargon; however, this should not dissuade one from picking Romans up. Keener’s Romans would serve well both as a broader overview commentary, or as a second opinion alongside a larger work like those of Kruse, Schreiner or Moo.
Keener’s clear writing, attention to Paul’s rhetorical purposes, and fantastic tables and excurses all make his Romans commentary a welcome contribution to a dense and difficult book of Scripture.
Many thank to The Lutterworth Press for providing a copy of this commentary in exchange for a fair review.
Craig Keener has provided a helpful and brief commentary on Romans. The commentary itself is just under 200 pages, which is impressive for such a rich book. While the brevity makes this attractive to general readers, some may struggle with some unexplained technical/theological jargon; however, this should not dissuade one from picking Romans up. Keener’s Romans would serve well both as a broader overview commentary, or as a second opinion alongside a larger work like those of Kruse, Schreiner or Moo.
Keener’s clear writing, attention to Paul’s rhetorical purposes, and fantastic tables and excurses all make his Romans commentary a welcome contribution to a dense and difficult book of Scripture.
Many thank to The Lutterworth Press for providing a copy of this commentary in exchange for a fair review.
October 28, 2016
A very good commentary by Craig S. Keener. This is the first commentary in this series that I have read. I found it to be both pastoral and academic. A few times it went over my head when it was more academic in nature, but overall this is an excellent commentary on the book of Romans. I look forward to reading the next one in the series that I own (Revelation).
Read
April 13, 2012A great commentary use this all the time .
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews