Sacra Pagina: Romans: Volume 6

by Brendan Byrne

Overview

This commentary adopts a literary-rhetorical approach, viewing the letter as an instrument of persuasion designed to transform readers through a celebratory presentation of the Gospel. Reflecting upon the fate of Jews and Gentiles, Paul wins his audience to a vision of a God who always acts inclusively. The God who, in the person of Israel's Messiah (Jesus), has acted faithfully to include the Gentile peoples within the community of salvation, will not fail to see to the eventual inclusion of Israel as well. In the victory of grace displayed already in the risen humanity of Jesus, the original design of the Creator for human communities and for the world begins to come true.

The interpretation of Paul's letter to Rome has accompanied and stimulated the path of Christian theology down to today. Romans touches upon virtually all main issues of Christian theology, as well as presenting a rewarding introduction to Paul. Byrne facilitates full access to Paul and his Gospel through the letter, allowing Christians today to hear his voice as intelligibly and powerfully as it has spoken to past generations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814658086
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	06/01/1996
Series:	Sacra Pagina , #6
Pages:	528
Product dimensions:	6.36(w) x 9.44(h) x 1.76(d)

About the Author

Brendan Byrne, SJ, is a professor of New Testament at Jesuit Theological College, within the United Faculty of Theology, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of Romans (1996) in the Sacra Pagina series, Lifting the Burden: Reading Matthew's Gospel in the Church Today (2004), A Costly Freedom: A Theological Reading of Mark's Gospel (2008), Life Abounding: A Reading of John’s Gospel (2014), and The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke's Gospel (2015), published by Liturgical Press.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Editor’s Preface   ix
Preface   xi
Note on References   xiii
Abbreviations   xv

            Introduction
A. Recent Interpretation of Romans   2
     1. History as Paradigm   2
     2. New Approaches to the Interpretation of Romans   3
     3. The Approach Taken by This Commentary   8
B. Why Paul Wrote to Rome   8
     1. The Historical Circumstances   8
         a) Paul’s Own Situation   8
         b) The Christians in Rome   10
     2. Romans as a Letter and Instrument of Persuasion   13
         a) Letter Form   13
         b) Instrument of Persuasion   16
     3. Why Paul Wrote to Rome: Conclusion   18
C. Paul’s Rhetorical Task   19
     1. “Knowledge” Paul Has in Common with the Christians of Rome   20
         a) The Heritage from Judaism   20
         b) The Shared Christian Pattern of Belief   21
     2. “Knowledge” More Particularly Distinctive of Paul   22
D. The Structure of the Letter   26
     Outline of the Structure of the Letter   27
E. Two Further Issues   29
     1. The Integrity of the Letter   29
     2. Paul and Israel   29 
General Bibliography  31
     A. The Socio-Rhetorical Approach   31
     B. Christianity in Rome   32
     C. Occasion and Purpose of Romans   33
     D. Commentaries   33
     E. General   34

            Translation, Interpretation, Notes
Introduction (1:1-17)   37
         a) Address and Greeting (1:1-7)   37
         b) Thanksgiving and Theme (1:8-17)   47
Body of the Letter (1:18–15:13)   62
   I. THE INCLUSIVE SAVING POWER OF THE GOSPEL (1:18–11:36)   62
      A. The Inclusion of the Gentiles on the Basis of Righteousness by Faith (1:18–4:25)   62
           i. No Other Righteousness (1:18–3:20)   63
              a) The Revelation of God’s Wrath Against the Gentile World (1:18-32)   63
              b) Those Who “judge” Are Not Immune from the Wrath (2:1-11)   79
              c) Possession of the Law Makes No Difference (2:12-29)   87
                  1. The Law and the Gentiles (2:12-16)   87
                  2. The Law and the Jews (2:17-24)   95
                  3. The “Real Jew” (2:25-29)   101
              d) God’s Faithfulness to Israel Stands (3:1-8)   106
              e) Scripture’s Witness to Universal Lack of Righteousness (3:9-20)   115
           ii. The “Righteousness of God” Now Available to All Believers (3:21-26)   122
           iii. Faith, the Sole Basis Upon Which the One God Justifies All (3:27-31)   135
           iv. Scripture’s Witness to Righteousness by Faith (4:1-25)   141
              a) Abraham, Justified on the Basis of Faith (4:1-12)   144
              b) Abraham, Paradigm Receiver of the Promise on the Basis of Faith (4:13-25)   151
B. The Sure Hope of Salvation Springing from Righteousness by Faith (5:1–8:39)   162
           i. The Hope That Springs from God’s Love (5:1-11)   164
           ii. The Legacy of Christ (Righteousness and Life) Outweighs the Legacy of Adam (Sin and Death) (5:12-21)   173
           iii. The Freedom to Live Out the Righteousness of God (6:1–8:13)   187
              a) Dead to Sin/Alive to God in Christ (6:1-14)   188
              b) The New Obedience (6:15-23)   199
              c) Free in Christ from the Law (7:1-6)   208
              d) The Fatal Encounter with the Law (7:7-13)   216
              e) Life Under the Law—Ethical “Impossibility’’ (7:14-25)   224
              f) Life in the Spirit—Ethical “Possibility” (8:1-13)   234
           iv. Hope of Glory for God’s Children (8:14-30)   247
              a) Children and Heirs of God (8:14-17)   247
              b) The “Groaning’’ of Creation (8:18-22)   254
              c) The “Groaning” of “Ourselves” (8:23-25)   262
              d) The “Groaning” of the Spirit (8:26-28) and God’s Eternal Plan (8:29-30)   266
           v. The Coming Victory of God’s Love (8:31-39)   274
C. The Inclusion of Israel (9:1–11:36)   281
           i. The Bitter Problem of Israel’s Present Unbelief (9:1-5)   284
           ii. The Elective Pattern of God’s Working (9:6-29)   289
              a) The Elective Pattern Shown in the Patriarchs (9:6-13)   291
              b) The Elective Pattern Shown in Moses and Pharaoh (9:14-18)   295
              c) God’s Freedom Defended Against Human Complaint (9:19-21)   296
              d) The Elective Pattern Shown in the Composition of the Believing Community (9:22-29)   300
           iii. Israel’s Present Rejection of the Gospel (9:30–10:21)   307
              a) “Stumbling” Before the Righteousness of God (9:30–10:4)   308
              b) Scripture’s Witness to Righteousness by Faith (10:5-13)   316
              c) Israel Has Heard but Not Responded to the Gospel (10:14-21)   323
           iv. Israel’s Ultimate Inclusion in the Community of Salvation (11:1-32)   328
              a) God Has Not Rejected Israel—the “Remnant” (11:1-10)   329
              b) Israel’s “Stumbling” Has a Saving Purpose (11:11-24)  336
              c) The “Mystery”: the Final Salvation of “All Israel” (11:25-32)   348
           v. Hymn to God’s Inscrutable Wisdom (11:33-36)   358
II. SUMMONS TO LIVE ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL (12:1–15:13)   361
           i. Christian Life as “Rational Worship” (12:1-2)   362 
           ii. The Basic Demands of Christian Living (12:3–13:14)   367
              a) A Due Assessment of One’s Personal Gift (12:3-8)   367
              b) Love in Action Within the Community (12:9-16)   374
              c) Love in Action Outside the Community (12:17-21)   380
              d) Duties Towards Civil Authorities (13:1-7)   384
              e) The Sole Debt of Love (13:8-10)   393
              f) “Knowing the Time” (13:11-14)   397
           iii. Tolerance in Contentious Areas of Community Life (14:1–15:13)   403
              a) The Tolerance Incumbent upon All (14:1-12)   407
              b) The Tolerance Asked Particularly of the “Strong” (14:13-23)   414
              c) The Example of Christ as Grounds for Tolerance (15:1-6)   423
              d) Christ’s “Acceptance” as Model for Community Acceptance (15:7-13)   428
Conclusion of the Letter (15:14–16:24[27])   433
           i. Paul’s Ministry of the Gospel to the Gentiles (15:14-33)   433
              a) Paul’s Apostolic Mission Until Now (15:14-21)   434
              b) Paul’s Plans for the Future and Concluding “Grace” I (15:22-33)   439
           ii. Commendation and Greetings (16:1-27)   446
              a) Commendation of Phoebe (16:1-2)   447
              b) Greetings I (16:3-16)   449
              c) A Warning (16:17-20)   455
              d) Greetings II and Concluding “Grace” II (16:21-24)   459
              e) (Inauthentic) Concluding Doxology (16:25-27)   461

            Indexes
Scripture Index    465
Index of Ancient Writings    487
Author Index    494
Subject Index    499
Supplementary Bibliography    504

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