In 1977 a collection of essays appeared that quickly became a standard for studying the purpose and occasion of Romans. Now "The Romans Debate: Revised and Expanded" "Edition" is available in a newly designed and enlarged format. Besides the original essays, the new edition includes thirteen of the most cogent, recent articles on this subject; a comprehensive bibliography; and an index.
This is not a volume for the "already decided." Spanning the spectrum of interpretation, these essays attempt to challenge opposing views, complement points of consensus, and above all contribute to our understanding of Paul's controversial letter to the Romans. In its own unique way, each of these articles compels the reader to return to the text and to listen anew to the message of Romans both for Paul's day and for ours.

This book breaks new ground in offering an exposition of the theological message of the Shorter Pauline Letters. Karl P. Donfried expounds the theology of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, examining the cultural setting of these letters and the particular milieu in which their distinctive themes took shape. He shows that the notion of election is a key theme in the Thessalonian correspondence, while both letters have important things to say to people in our own day about Christ, about forgiveness, and about a sanctifying God who pours out his Spirit. I. Howard Marshall's study of Philippians brings out especially the understanding of the theological basis of the Christian life which underlies the letter, while his discussion of Philemon emphasises how the main theme of the letter is the relation between the gospel and Christian ethics; the implications of Paul's teaching on slavery are considered in a manner which goes much further than the surface of the text might imply.

Concentrating on major Pauline themes and on I Thessalonians in its cultural and religious context, this book explores other major issues, especially with reference to chronology and Judaism. The question of Paul's Jewishness is therefore raised with a new urgency. What kind of a Jew was Paul? Why do we find so many coherences between his language and thought with that of the Community of the Renewed Covenant (the Essenes)? One of the essays, "Paul and Qumran", suggests that the Dead Sea Scrolls offer valuable clues to understanding Pauline language and thought. If, in fact, there was contact between Paul and the Essenes, where would it have taken place? If such meetings were held, possibly, in the Essene Quarter of Jerusalem, is there a connection between that area and the location of the earliest Christians in Jerusalem? And what kind of Christians were they and how did they impact on the Apostle's missionary activity? In connection with this discussion of Paul and Judaism, a number of challenges are offered to the so-called "New Perspective on Paul", especially in the work of E.P. Sanders and James D. G. Dunn, to suggest that a closer study of the Dead Sea Scrolls raises serious questions about the appropriateness of their interpretation of both Judaism and Paul, as well as opening new perspectives.