Romans

by Christian A. Eberhart, Barbara E. Reid OP (Editor)

Overview

Can a feminist interpretation of Romans discover anything new? In this volume, Christian Eberhart pays special attention to the fact that Paul entrusted Phoebe, a gentile woman, with the task of delivering the letter to Rome. There, she would have been the person who recited it aloud and by heart in front of various audiences. Yet as the leader of a congregation in Corinth, Phoebe had likely also been involved in the process of composing the letter, as some passages reveal. This multifaceted engagement of a woman gives new meaning to the vision of human society in Romans that celebrates the full participation of women and men, Jews and gentiles, weak and strong, and free and slave.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814681954
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	04/05/2025
Series:	Wisdom Commentary Series , #46
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	520
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Christian A. Eberhart is professor of religious studies at the University of Houston, Texas. He is also director of the religious studies program and former chair of the department of comparative cultural studies at the same institution. His books include Kultmetaphorik und Christologie: Opferund Sühneterminologie im Neuen Testament (2013), What a Difference a Meal Makes: The Last Supper in the Bible and in the Christian Church (2016), Sacrifice, Cult, and Atonement in Early Judaism and Christianity: Constituents and Critique (co-edited with H. L. Wiley, 2017), and The Sacrifice of Jesus: Understanding Atonement Biblically (2nd ed., 2018).
Mary Ann Beavis is professor emerita of religion and culture at St. Thomas More College (Saskatoon, Canada). She received MA degrees from the University of Manitoba and the University of Notre Dame; she holds a PhD from Cambridge University (UK). Her areas of interest and expertise include Christian origins, feminist biblical interpretation, Christianity and Goddess spirituality, and religion and popular culture. She is the author of several single-author and edited books as well as many peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and book reviews.
Barbara E. Reid, general editor of the Wisdom Commentary series, is a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is the president of Catholic Theological Union and the first woman to hold the position. She has been a member of the CTU faculty since 1988 and also served as vice president and academic dean from 2009 to 2018. She holds a PhD in biblical studies from The Catholic University of America and was also president of the Catholic Biblical Association in 2014–2015.

Table of Contents

Contents
List of Abbreviations   ix
List of Contributors   xv
Foreword: “Come Eat of My Bread . . . and Walk in the Ways of Wisdom”   xvii
     Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
Editor’s Introduction to Wisdom Commentary: “She Is a Breath of the Power of God” (Wis 7:25)   xxi
     Barbara E. Reid, OP
Author’s Introduction Romans and Sophia   xli
Romans 1:1-17   Letter Opening   1
Romans 1:18–3:31   Justification through Faith: No Distinction   49
Romans 4:1–5:21   The Gift of Grace: Including Women   111
Romans 6:1–8:39   Freedom through the Love of Christ   143
Romans 9:1–11:36   The Election of Israel: The Depth of God’s Wisdom   217
Romans 12:1–15:13   Living as God’s Loving People   263
Romans 15:14–16:27   Letter Closing: About Phoebe and Other Important Women and Men   311
Conclusion 367 
Works Cited   371
Index of Scripture References and Other Ancient Writings   413
Index of Subjects   421

Editorial Reviews

"Those who thought we did not need another thick commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Romans, will probably change their mind after reading this volume. Christian Eberhart manages to combine a polyphony of intersecting voices, detailed exegetical discussions of verses and words and his own original ideas. My guess is that this commentary will be a must read for future generations of Roman scholars, due to its variety and solidity."
Marianne Bjelland Kartzow, Professor of New Testament Studies at the Faculty of Theology, University of Oslo
 

From the Publisher