Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

by Ben Witherington III

While Paul’s letter to the Romans is the most studied and commented-on document from the biblical period, the major exegetical books on Romans from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have been overwhelmingly shaped by the Reformed tradition. Through a careful survey of work on Romans by both ancient Church Fathers and modern exegetical scholars, Ben Witherington III here argues that the interpretation of Romans since the Reformation has been far too indebted to — and at key points led astray by — Augustinian readings of the text as filtered through Luther, Calvin, and others.

In this first full-scale socio-rhetorical commentary on Romans, Witherington gleans fresh insights from reading the text of Paul’s epistle in light of early Jewish theology, the historical situation of Rome in the middle of the first century A.D., and Paul’s own rhetorical concerns. Giving serious consideration to the social and rhetorical background of Romans allows readers to hear Paul on his own terms, not just through the various voices of his later interpreters. Witherington’s groundbreaking work also features a new, clear translation of the Greek text, and each section of the commentary ends with a brief discussion titled “Bridging the Horizons,” which suggests how the ancient text of Romans may speak to us today.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Biblical Studies, New Testament, Christianity, Religion

459 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2004

About the author

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books, including The Jesus Quest, The Paul Quest, and The New York Times bestseller The Brother of Jesus. He has appeared on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have yet to decide if it is truly worth reading this commentary.

On the one hand, Witherington offers interesting insights into the first-century situation behind Paul’s letter. His view of the strong and weak as Gentile and Jewish believers respectively is particularly intriguing.

But on the other hand, he has many misguided axes to grind. Among these are the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, Romans 7, predestination, and the role of women in the Church. Young and impressionable readers will fall captive to his eloquent-but mistaken-arguments.

Regretfully, I think I must advise that potential readers avoid this admirable but flawed work and move on to more faithful and productive reading.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty rough writing, but good content otherwise.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent commentary

[Alina Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a bit of a learning curve to understanding his rhetorical paradigm, but once you’ve gotten over the curve it is easier to appreciate what he is saying.

[Ali McNeely]

Series: Romans (Aug 2023-Nov 2024)

[James Korsmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Witherington is one of the most prolific New Testament scholars writing today, and he brings a great volume of learning to the texts. In this book, a "socio-rhetorical" commentary, he takes a careful look at Paul's letter to the Romans, paying special attention to the social setting of Paul and his readers, and also analyzing carefully Paul's rhetorical structure and flow. These two emphases make this book a bit different than many commentaries, in that they bring out these two facets of the text, but I think this makes his book the stronger for it. This well-written commentary does justice to this very important and theological letter, discussing the many important issues of interpretation, all the while keeping Paul's "rhetorical strategy" in view. This helps, in my estimation, to help keep sight of the forest among the trees, by placing particular verses and passages within the larger narrative flow, to help see the relations between the passages and their role in supporting his main argument or countering possible objections. This, in turn, helps keep Paul's main idea always in view.

Witherington, with the help of doctoral student Darlene Hyatt, also adds "Bridging the Horizons" sections that illumine applications of texts and themes to our modern day, a very helpful addition. It is certainly not a comprehensive "application" section, but it demonstrates one possible direction one could go when looking at a particular text, and some of them prove quite insightful.

Overall, I think this is a great book on Romans. Witherington's Methodist leanings certainly show through, as do any commentators, but I think this provides a refreshing, non-Reformed and non-Lutheran take on this letter that is still very balanced and seems to take into account Paul's major points with ease. While not the only book one could or should read on Romans (I'm sure there is no such thing), this book is a worthy addition to a library and makes for very good reading.

[Sagely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Ben Witherington's The Acts of the Apostles. When I was preaching through Acts, that text was endlessly helpful. So Romans came up in the lectionary this summer, I skipped over a few other commentaries and purchased Witherington's work on Romans. I'm mildly disappointed.

The Introduction is the highlight. Witherington's presentation on the role of prejudice between Gentile and Jewish Christians in the wake of Claudius' edict of expulsion and its subsequent obsolescence was earth-moving in my understanding of this book. I preached five weeks on the role of prejudice in our congregation and our view of God's story, mostly thanks to this commentary.

But when I turned to Witherington's comments on what he calls the heart of the argument in Ro chs 9-11, I was sorely disappointed. Instead of placing Paul's key argument in is social/rhetorical contexts, Witherington fights backdoor wars the whole time with hardline Calvinists. I'm not fan of hard doctrines of predestination--and I don't find them supported in Scripture. However, I didn't need ongoing commentary on how Arminian approaches are correct. I needed a commentary on Romans.

A worthwhile read, but not as helpful as I'd hoped.

[Porter Sprigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on Romans. I appreciated this commentary a lot.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great study book. What I appreciate about Witherington is that in all his books he sites other theologians and adds their comments on a passage, especially those he does not agree with, and gives the reader the opportunity to decide for themselves what the best interpretation might be.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply one of the best commentarys on Romans I have ever read!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid commentary on Romans. In-depth enough to be usable for a theology class, understandable enough to be used by laypeople.

[Matthew Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good commentary, though perhaps not as detailed as I would have liked. Appreciated the rhetorical approach of Witherington.