Like widely differing siblings raised by the same parents, each
letter produced by Paul has its own distinguishing character. For
the historically minded critic, each letter s unique traits provide
important clues for detecting the circumstances in which Paul wrote
it as well as what he hoped to achieve with it. Scholars assume
that by examining the content of the letter (the answer ), they can
infer the readers situation that Paul is addressing (the question
)--a method sometimes called mirror reading. In the case of Romans,
however, both the particular traits and the overall content are so
unusual that scholars continue to debate why Paul wrote precisely
this letter and what he hoped to achieve by it in Rome."
So begins Leander Keck's seminal work on the New Testament book
of Romans. Keck asserts that because Romans is part of the New
Testament, we can compare it with the other letters ascribed to
Paul, as well as with what Acts reports about his message and
mission. But the first readers of Romans had only this letter; they
could compare it only with what they may have heard about him.
While this commentary does from time to time compare Romans with
what Paul had said before, it concentrates on Romans itself; what
Paul says in this text should not be conflated with--nor inflated
into--what he thought comprehensively, though it is essential to
understand that as well.
"We do not really need another major commentary on Romans] that
loses us in the minutiae of word studies, literary parallels,
sociological and rhetorical hypotheses; we have such in plenty. The
Abingdon series, however, by its limited size, forces the
contributor to focus on the primary task of the commentator: to
clarify the meaning (intended or potential) of the words of the
text and to provide some basic reflection on its/their continuing
significance. And that is where Keck excels." - James D. G. Dunn,
Review of Biblical Literature 04/2006."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!