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So far in our study of Romans, we’ve looked at Paul’s extended, fifteen-verse introduction, in which he introduced himself and his ministry, summarized the message to which he’s dedicated his life, and tried to bring his Roman audience on board. Over the next three posts, we’ll be looking at the next two verses, which form … Continue reading Good News of Justice & Faith: Romans 1.16-17, Part I

After spending a whole four posts on four short (though dense) verses, today we’re finally able to move on to the next section of text. In it, Paul says more about his relationship with the Roman churches and what he ultimately wants for them. Let’s look at the text. Text [8] First of all, I … Continue reading Paul’s Prayers: Romans 1.8-15

Over the last three posts on Romans 1.1-7 we’ve looked at some of the background issues facing the study of Romans: Who was the author and what are his aims in writing? Who were his recipients? And what was the situation that caused Paul to write them when and how he did? And, to what … Continue reading The Holy Gospel according to St. Paul: Romans 1.1-7, Part 4

So far in this surprisingly long study of the introductory verses to Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, we've looked at Roman letter-writing and the book’s author, and explored why determining the extent to which Paul intended the letter to be political is difficult. Today we’ll turn to the letter’s recipients, which it turns out is … Continue reading Who Were the Romans?: Romans 1.1-7, Part 3 (Plus 16.1.1-15)

One of the biggest trends in scholarship surrounding Paul’s work, and especially Romans, since the last decades of the twentieth century has been the question of the extent to which Paul is writing with an anti-imperial agenda. Certainly this represents a huge shift from the customary readings of the Reformation that see Romans as a … Continue reading Paul vs. The Empire?: Romans 1.1-7, Part 2