Recently, I was asked by my associate pastor if I would teach a class on Romans for the leadership of our church over the summer. The church will start offering classes such as Old & New Testament surveys and the like in the near future.
I am excited about the possibility certainly, but I am also a bit overwhelmed by the daunting task that lay ahead. I am wondering what those of you who have taught Romans, had a class on Romans, and/or have read widely in this book have as suggestions for resources. I have the commentaries by Fitzmeyer, Moo, Schreiner, Jewett, and Keck.
I am in the very early stages of preparing my own translation, but that is as far as I have gotten.
Let me know what you think.
Check out Katherine Grieb's the "Story of Romans".
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Bryan L
I too would highly recommend Crieb's The Story of Romans. I also think reta Haltemann Finger Paul and the Roman House Churches is very helpful for getting church people to think through the social situation in Rome and how that affected their expression of Christian faith. Tom Wright is, of course, excellent - both in the NIB and his Paul for Everyone series. I also think Philip Esler's Conflict and Identity in Romans is fascinating but not entirely convincing.
ReplyDeleteMatthew,
ReplyDeleteI have used NT Wright's Romans commentary (as Simon mentions) in the NIB series. Also a small book, Klaus Haacker's Theology of Paul's Letter to the Romans in Dunn's NT Theology series (Cambridge). I also usually emphasize the Claudian edict approach to help understand the occasionality of the letter. .. And you can't beat Dunn's WBC either!
Matthew,
ReplyDeleteI use a variety of commentaries but as as textbook I require
Johnson, L. T. Reading Romans: A Literary and Theological Commentary. Macon, GA.: Smyth & Helwys, 2001. ISBN: 157312276
I find it not only readable but a great introduction that can then launch students into other texts.
John
Dunn's commentary on Romans is very helpful - it clarifies the logic of Paul's train of thought when he moves between discussing works of the Law, circumcision, and whether God is the God of Gentiles as well as Jews.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of good material on Romans, of course. The following have all worked well with students, and those that could be used in a church context I have asterisked:
ReplyDeleteLuke Johnson, Reading Romans. A gem.*
Kathy Grieb, The Story of Romans*
Ben Witherington, Romans commentary* (maybe)
Klaus Haacker, theology of Romans
Brendan Byrne, Sacra Pagina--good with the Greek and theologically rich
I took a Greek exegesis course on Romans and have used Moo (a classic note on Romans), Schreiner (highly recommended from a reformed perspective), Dunn (very good from a new perspective interpretation), Jewet ( a massive commentary). He refers to God as "She" in Romans:). Probably the most elegant work on Romans is that of Barrett.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Lou
Wright's commentary is nice as an accessible, shorter overview. I reviewed Haacker's Theology of Romans and wasn't that excited about it.
ReplyDeleteDrop me an e-mail off line. jrdkirk[at]gmail[dot]com
I want to thank everyone for their input! I plan on following this advice in my research.
ReplyDelete