Jesus Creed

Jesus Creed

Pastor’s Bookshelf: Romans

posted by Scot McKnight | 4:13pm Wednesday May 6, 2009

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In college a professor of mine told me he realized he had 40+ commentaries on Romans and that he decided that 10 was enough — so he unloaded 30. It is not hard to accumulate commentaries on Romans, but each of us has to determine how many we can really use. Romans is special, so I don’t mind having extra commentaries on Romans, but I’ve decided that for every new one I buy, I get rid of one — it cuts down my purchases because I have to think of getting rid of one. But here are my top commentaries on Romans, and I’m open to suggestions of others:

I begin, out of habit, with CEB Cranfield’s 2 volumes in the ICC series:The Epistle to the Romans
.

Then I stay in Durham and go to Jimmy Dunn’s 2 volumes in the Word series:Romans
.

Then I shift to my former colleague Doug Moo: The Epistle to the Romans
.

Every session with Romans raises new issues, and at this point I consult these three:

Robert Jewett’s magnum opus: Romans
.
JA Fitzmyer’s Anchor Bible commentary: Romans
.
And NT Wright’s “Romans” in the New Interpreter’s Bible: The New Interpreter’s Bible : Romans
.



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Comments read comments(11)
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Dave

posted May 6, 2009 at 5:45 pm


Which Romans commentaries would you select from among digital versions?



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Jordan

posted May 6, 2009 at 6:31 pm


Scot, what’s your brief evaluation of Schreiner’s addition? Also, are there any forthcoming Romans commentaries in the works that you’re looking forward to? Thanks.



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Scot McKnight

posted May 6, 2009 at 6:39 pm


Jordan,
I’ve not used Tom’s much; I’m sure it is solid.



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BPRjam

posted May 6, 2009 at 10:09 pm


Just curious – why is Wright’s so low on the list? Do the primary three you mentioned just do things better?
I ask because I’m in the market for a commentary, and Wright’s was at the top of my list…I’m wondering if I should re-think.



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Mark Farmer

posted May 7, 2009 at 1:40 am


Scot, you had me holding my breath right to the end to see if Wright’s commentary was on the list! I’ve read through about half of it and found it superb. Reading the introductory material is essential, though, to understanding and benefiting fully from the verse-by-verse comments. Well worth the investment.



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Kevin Scull

posted May 7, 2009 at 1:42 am


Scot, you have listed the Romans commentaries I go to first. Though my order is a bit different. I start with Jewett, its massive and brand new (thus, new citations). Then I consult Dunn, Cranfield, and Moo. I must admit though I have not interacted with Wright’s commentary. What does it add to the above five commentaries?



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Colin

posted May 7, 2009 at 4:01 am


Any thoughts on Barth’s Epistle to the Romans? It just seems like such a classic, but perhaps it operates on a different level than what you are looking for here (i.e. systematic vs. exegetical?).



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Marcus

posted May 7, 2009 at 7:23 am


I like Schreiner’s a lot. I feel like he grasps the overall flow of argument in Romans better than Moo does.



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joanne

posted May 7, 2009 at 9:30 am


I really liked Robert Jewett’s commentary on Romans. He really brings out the 1 century issues that Paul was addressing and how the church struggled with unity in Christ based on Jesus not Jewishness, or Roman status. I went through Romans with the church I serve and it was beneficial to our way of being in community as a diverse group of people seeking to follow Jesus together.



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Evan

posted May 7, 2009 at 10:23 am


Jack Cottrell’s commentary on Romans



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danny

posted May 7, 2009 at 11:14 am


I also like Witherington’s commentary. I use it alongside Moo and Fitzmyer to get the Wesleyan, Calvinist and Catholic side of things.



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