When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel according to Paul (Theological Explorations for the Church Catholic)

Too often what we have read is enough. Gave at challenges us to see new life in Romans. Worth reading.

This is more like a sermon than a commentary as most people would expect commentaries to be. It examines the Book of Romans thematically, as the themes run throughout the book, illustrating the themes with popular culture and contextualized in contemporary church struggles. If you are expecting the chapter by chapter and verse by verse exegesis, you will not find it here. What you will find is helpful lens with which to understand the epistle.

I was delightfully surprised by the fresh insights of deep significance that Gaventa uncovers in the book of Romans, of all things--that book about which so, so much has already been written. She helps the reader approach the letter's themes as if one were reading it for the first time with 1st-century lenses, and in the process expands and reorients the reader's understanding of salvation, and the question of why Paul is even writing in the first place. The 21st-century repercussions of what Gaventa presents here would take another volume, but she does at points connect some of these dots herself. One notable reason why Gaventa's reading seems so fresh is that while it touches on them very briefly, but doesn't dwell on so many of the recurrent topics in recent discussions on Paul, such as "faith/fulness of Christ" or "works of the law" or "righteousness/justice of God." She simply helps focus attention on what to keep in mind when reading Romans in order to understand what is happening in and through its complex arguments. And I couldn't put it down until I finished. Although I would otherwise say we need another Romans commentary like we need rocks in our shoes, it offers much promise that Gaventa's big commentary which she is producing might very well revolutionize our understanding of aspects of Romans, and perhaps even Paul in general. At the very least, if it expands on what she has already given us in this slim volume, it will absolutely reenergize our engagement with this part of the New Testament.

Gaventa wrote an intriguing introduction to the book of Romans.She begins by setting up what we can know about the setting, and likewise critiques some overreach in some other treatments.The chapters which traces significant themes of sin/salvation; righteousness; worship; community; and the Jewish problem throughout the book. The threads she knits together move past the simplistic, and are convincing.Where she loses me is in the conclusion. Her argument that "all" is necessarily universal as it stretches to salvation seems to ignore much of what Paul himself wrote in Romans.Yes, sin is universal. Salvation is universally available. But universal availability doesn't suggest universal application.

The presentation and content of this commentary was unique amongst ones I have read and it was very enjoyable. The difference in perspective and focus was very helpful to me in my studies.

Finally a scholarship who admits to being unable to fully understand Paul's reasoning. For years I've read portions that seem to be in conflict and indeed they are. A great survey of Romans.

The author provides new ways to look at Paul’s message to the Romans, uses classical and contemporary studies, and makes you look at the book in a different way. Highly recommend for anyone - laity or clergy, who teach the Bible

Would recommend this carefully crafted book by a biblical scholar. The book wrestles salvation, identity, and purpose as written in Paul’s letter to the Romans.

"When in Romans" confirms Gaventa’s place in the rare company of biblical scholars whose writing demonstrates theological sensibilities and is at the same time accessible to pastors and laypeople. Gaventa is clearly informed of the most recent scholarly debates, as evidenced in the endnotes, but she wears her learning lightly. Her lucid prose is peppered with references to contemporary culture, including, for example, a discussion of Terrence Malick’s film, The Tree of Life.While a full commentary on Romans from Gaventa is in the works, this short book is a collection of essays which are united by the conviction that Romans is much larger, much grander, and much more interesting than is often recognized. While Paul’s letters to the Romans provides, for Protestants, some of the most well-known verses in Scripture, Gaventa contends that most Christians have not paid enough attention to the letter as a whole and to the overall shape of Paul’s argument. Gaventa’s collection of essays is an invitation to linger in Romans and encounter the breath-taking scope of the Apostle Paul’s theological vision.The first essay picks up on some of the predominant themes of her previous work, "Our Mother Saint Paul", arguing that salvation must be understood for Paul in terms of an apocalyptic drama played out against a cosmic backdrop. The second essay explores the place of Israel in Paul’s thought. While much interpretation has focused on the anthropological dimension of Israel’s faithfulness, or lack thereof, Gaventa argues that Israel, in Paul’s thought, can only be properly understood from a theological perspective. Israel is the creation of God. In the third essay, Gaventa attempts to re-frame discussions surrounding the relationship between the indicative and the imperative in Paul, by situation both within the context of worship. The final essay of the collection brings Paul’s discussion of dietary practices in Romans 14-15 to bear on the anxiety associated with the challenges confronting the contemporary North American Church. A short reflection upon the recurring presence of the pronoun ‘all’ in the letter and its radical implications stands as the conclusion to the book.

Good item