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Word Biblical Commentary #38A
Romans 1-8
The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.
513 pages, Hardcover
First published October 26, 1988
35 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
James D.G. Dunn
130 books90 followersJames D. G. ("Jimmy") Dunn (born 1939) was for many years the Lightfoot Professor of Divinity in the Department of Theology at the University of Durham. Since his retirement he has been made Emeritus Lightfoot Professor. He is a leading British New Testament scholar, broadly in the Protestant tradition. Dunn is especially associated with the New Perspective on Paul, along with N. T. (Tom) Wright and E. P. Sanders. He is credited with coining this phrase during his 1982 Manson Memorial Lecture.
Dunn has an MA and BD from the University of Glasgow and a PhD and DD from the University of Cambridge. For 2002, Dunn was the President of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the leading international body for New Testament study. Only three other British scholars had been made President in the preceding 25 years.
In 2005 a festschrift was published dedicated to Dunn, comprising articles by 27 New Testament scholars, examining early Christian communities and their beliefs about the Holy Spirit. (edited by Graham N. Stanton, Bruce W. Longenecker & Stephen Barton (2004). The Holy Spirit and Christian origins: essays in honor of James D. G. Dunn. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. ISBN 0-8028-2822-1.)
Dunn has taken up E. P. Sanders' project of redefining Palestinian Judaism in order to correct the Christian view of Judaism as a religion of works-righteousness. One of the most important differences to Sanders is that Dunn perceives a fundamental coherence and consistency to Paul's thought. He furthermore criticizes Sanders' understanding of the term "justification", arguing that Sanders' understanding suffers from an "individualizing exegesis".
Dunn has an MA and BD from the University of Glasgow and a PhD and DD from the University of Cambridge. For 2002, Dunn was the President of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the leading international body for New Testament study. Only three other British scholars had been made President in the preceding 25 years.
In 2005 a festschrift was published dedicated to Dunn, comprising articles by 27 New Testament scholars, examining early Christian communities and their beliefs about the Holy Spirit. (edited by Graham N. Stanton, Bruce W. Longenecker & Stephen Barton (2004). The Holy Spirit and Christian origins: essays in honor of James D. G. Dunn. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. ISBN 0-8028-2822-1.)
Dunn has taken up E. P. Sanders' project of redefining Palestinian Judaism in order to correct the Christian view of Judaism as a religion of works-righteousness. One of the most important differences to Sanders is that Dunn perceives a fundamental coherence and consistency to Paul's thought. He furthermore criticizes Sanders' understanding of the term "justification", arguing that Sanders' understanding suffers from an "individualizing exegesis".
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 9, 2010
The book was a slog, but worth it. I had never read James Dunn before this, but I had heard of him (all bad), and I assumed that he and Ed Sanders, unlike N. T. Wright who was pretty cool, were the "Sith Lords" of the New Perspective on Paul. But once I got into the book itself I kept going "well, duh" to most of his points. I don't agree with everything he says, but I think in terms of the narrative of Romans, and the ongoing theme of "Jew and Gentile," it was extremely helpful. It's a highly technical commentary with lots of Greek and sections like "[long string of Greek letters:] . . . and this is an obvious pun;" which leaves me yelling "what's so funny?" Because he doesn't tell you. He expects you to see the punning in the Greek. Guess I'm a pleb. But still, its worth the time to wade through it. Your efforts will be rewarded.
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There's been a lot of controversy about the "New Perspective on Paul," and there are various accusations floating around Reformed and Presbyterian circles that it teaches justification by works and undermines Sola Fide. Here's some of Dunn's comments to the contrary:
"Faith is both the initial and the continuing access point for the saving power of God into human life, the common denominator which God looks for in every case" (40)
"This understanding of Paul's language largely removes two issues which have troubled Christian theology for centuries: (1) Is 'the righteousness of God' subjective genitive or objective genitive; is it an attitude of God or something He does? Seen as God's meeting of the claims of his covenant relationship, the answer is not strictly either-or, but both-and, with emphasis on the later" (41)
". . . man's righteousness is always to be understood as faith which explains why man's righteousness is nothing other than God's righteousness. . . . And it is his fellow Jews' forgetfulness of this fact which, in Paul's view, has resulted in a distorted understanding of their part within the covenant . . . . For Paul justification is always by faith in the sense that the correlative of God's creative and sustaining is always the human creature's dependent trust (faith), of which justification (of Jew and Gentile equally) by faith is a specific expression, and which indeed provides the existential context in and through which Paul's understanding of God's righteousness comes to clarity and focus" (42)
"[faith:] for Paul has the twofold sense: both of belief that--acceptance of the truth/reliability of what has been said . . . but also of consequent trust in, reliance upon" (43)
"Paul will go on to analyze the plight of man as his failure to accept this status of complete dependence on God . . . including his fellow Jews whose narrower definition of covenantal righteousness in terms of ethnic identity and 'works' (9:6-13) in Paul's view involved a departure from the fundamental recognition that faith on man's side is the only possible and sufficient basis to sustain a relation with God, as exemplified above all in Abraham's unconditional trust and total dependence on God and his promise" (43)
"for Paul the counterpart to God's faithfulness is not man's faithfulness . . . but faith, his trust in and total reliance upon God. If man's faithfulness is a consistent expression of that faith, good and well. But Paul's charge against Israel will be that the definition of faithfulness as observance of the law amounts to a serious misunderstanding of faith--and so of righteousness (both God's and man's), and so also of the life which follows from it" (46)
"Paul does not see the gospel as something which merely begins someone on the way to salvation, but as something which embraces the totality of the process toward and into salvation. The gospel is not merely the initial proclamation of Christ which wins converts, but is the whole Christian message and claim . . . Paul here is talking not just about the initial acceptance of the proclamation of the crucified and risen Christ, but about that together with the life which follows from it as the whole process which leads into final wholeness. This is the point of the present tense--'to all who believe and go on believing'; namely, to all who not only come to a decision of faith, but whose whole life is characterized as a trustful acceptance of and commitment to the gospel which is God's power to salvation" (47)
"He who is maintained within or has been brought into the relationship with God which brings about salvation, by the outreach of God's faithfulness to his own faith, shall experience the fullness of life which God intended for humankind as he lives in the dependence of faith on the continuing faithfulness of God" (49).
----
There's been a lot of controversy about the "New Perspective on Paul," and there are various accusations floating around Reformed and Presbyterian circles that it teaches justification by works and undermines Sola Fide. Here's some of Dunn's comments to the contrary:
"Faith is both the initial and the continuing access point for the saving power of God into human life, the common denominator which God looks for in every case" (40)
"This understanding of Paul's language largely removes two issues which have troubled Christian theology for centuries: (1) Is 'the righteousness of God' subjective genitive or objective genitive; is it an attitude of God or something He does? Seen as God's meeting of the claims of his covenant relationship, the answer is not strictly either-or, but both-and, with emphasis on the later" (41)
". . . man's righteousness is always to be understood as faith which explains why man's righteousness is nothing other than God's righteousness. . . . And it is his fellow Jews' forgetfulness of this fact which, in Paul's view, has resulted in a distorted understanding of their part within the covenant . . . . For Paul justification is always by faith in the sense that the correlative of God's creative and sustaining is always the human creature's dependent trust (faith), of which justification (of Jew and Gentile equally) by faith is a specific expression, and which indeed provides the existential context in and through which Paul's understanding of God's righteousness comes to clarity and focus" (42)
"[faith:] for Paul has the twofold sense: both of belief that--acceptance of the truth/reliability of what has been said . . . but also of consequent trust in, reliance upon" (43)
"Paul will go on to analyze the plight of man as his failure to accept this status of complete dependence on God . . . including his fellow Jews whose narrower definition of covenantal righteousness in terms of ethnic identity and 'works' (9:6-13) in Paul's view involved a departure from the fundamental recognition that faith on man's side is the only possible and sufficient basis to sustain a relation with God, as exemplified above all in Abraham's unconditional trust and total dependence on God and his promise" (43)
"for Paul the counterpart to God's faithfulness is not man's faithfulness . . . but faith, his trust in and total reliance upon God. If man's faithfulness is a consistent expression of that faith, good and well. But Paul's charge against Israel will be that the definition of faithfulness as observance of the law amounts to a serious misunderstanding of faith--and so of righteousness (both God's and man's), and so also of the life which follows from it" (46)
"Paul does not see the gospel as something which merely begins someone on the way to salvation, but as something which embraces the totality of the process toward and into salvation. The gospel is not merely the initial proclamation of Christ which wins converts, but is the whole Christian message and claim . . . Paul here is talking not just about the initial acceptance of the proclamation of the crucified and risen Christ, but about that together with the life which follows from it as the whole process which leads into final wholeness. This is the point of the present tense--'to all who believe and go on believing'; namely, to all who not only come to a decision of faith, but whose whole life is characterized as a trustful acceptance of and commitment to the gospel which is God's power to salvation" (47)
"He who is maintained within or has been brought into the relationship with God which brings about salvation, by the outreach of God's faithfulness to his own faith, shall experience the fullness of life which God intended for humankind as he lives in the dependence of faith on the continuing faithfulness of God" (49).
June 4, 2023
The commentary is excellent, of course, but I didnt enjoy this one as much as Dunn's commentary on Galatians. While the commentary was consistently scholarly it did slip into churchy pronouncements occasionally.
March 22, 2021
This is an amazing commentary.
James Dunn is a superb exegete.
I read this alongside Douglas Moo; they disagree a lot.
T H O U G H R O U G H.
James Dunn is a superb exegete.
I read this alongside Douglas Moo; they disagree a lot.
T H O U G H R O U G H.
January 31, 2011
This is the classic New Perspective work on Romans. Throughout Romans Dunn seeks to apply E.P. Sanders model of covenant nomism. The main contribution of Dunn to the New Perspective is his view of "works of the law."
I gave Dunn three stars since I am not a proponent of the New Perspective. However, some portions of this commentary are quite helpful, such as his work on Romans 8. While I would not recommend this commentary to a member in my church, a pastor preaching through Romans should consider consulting Dunn.
CB
I gave Dunn three stars since I am not a proponent of the New Perspective. However, some portions of this commentary are quite helpful, such as his work on Romans 8. While I would not recommend this commentary to a member in my church, a pastor preaching through Romans should consider consulting Dunn.
CB
August 5, 2016
Have been reading this in conjunction with teaching a Bible study on Romans. As far as commentaries go, this one is excellent and offers a different perspective on the traditional so-called reformed take on the Apostle Paul's important letter.
February 11, 2016
Truly an important set of commentaries. The exegetical work is phenomenal, and the commentary layout forces him to clarify and summarize.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews