Commentary on Romans
Overview
This commentary on Paul’s letter to the Romans summarizes and completes Ernst Käsemann’s lifelong study of Paul’s theology and of this epistle in particular. As is common in his writings, Käsemann in this commentary has gone his own, frequently provocative way. He has emphasized theological rather than historical questions; as a result, this commentary divides Romans into sections according to what Käsemann sees as the key theological concept of the letter—the righteousness of God. That Käsemann has, however, considered seriously the historical as well as theological questions in the extensive literature on Romans is evident in the numerous references in the text and in the bibliographies provided for the major and minor subdivisions of the sections.
This commentary has been translated from the German by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, who has translated, among other works, Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Long paragraphs in the original have been divided to provide easier reading, and the references have been converted to English-translation equivalents wherever possible. In addition, this translation incorporates changes that Käsemann made in the German original for the 4th edition.
- Focuses on the righteousness of God as a key theological concept
- Emphasizes the theological themes
- Includes section-by-section commentary
Top Highlights
“The Spirit unites the community to the body of Christ and thus creates for itself spatially a field of earthly activity, a sphere of power which corresponds antithetically to the sphere of the rule of flesh or of the ‘letter.’” (Page 213)
“The gospel is not one miracle among others. It is the epiphany of God’s eschatological power pure and simple” (Page 22)
“God’s declaration of salvation to the world, which is outside human control, which is independent even of the church and its ministers, and which constantly becomes a reality itself in proclamation in the power of the Spirit.” (Page 22)
“What is done by bearers of the Spirit after the change of aeons was not yet possible for the flesh.” (Page 215)
“Service which does not include the body is imaginary” (Page 224)
Käsemann’s pioneering commentary is seminal and will profoundly influence the agenda for all future studies and reflections on Romans, Pauline theology, and systematic in general. Our comprehension of Paul is enormously deepened by this work—astonishing in its learning, vision, and human understanding.
—Karl P. Donfried, Smith College
Käsemann’s Romans is written with a theological passion comparable only to that of Barth’s Romans—and Paul’s Romans itself! The striking similarities to the doctrine of God’s righteousness in the Dead Sea Scrolls are here for the first time analyzed in detail, and the distinctiveness of Paul’s teaching disengaged with new precision. This commentary, free of school attachments, is saturated in the scholarly tradition and presents the growing edge of scholarship in a mature and compelling way. It is clearly the best commentary on Romans available today.
—James M. Robinson, Claremont Graduate School
A magisterial, if individualistic, interpretation not only of Paul’s central letter but of the entire range of Pauline thought and theology. It aims to show ‘what Paul meant theologically,’ and it admirably succeeds in that endeavor.
—Ralph P. Martin, Fuller Theological Seminary
- Title: Commentary on Romans
- Author: Ernst Kasemann
- Translator: Geoffrey W. Bromiley
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 1994
- Pages: 457
- Resource Type: Commentary
- Topic: Romans
Reviews
1 rating
Logosed
7/11/2020
This work is filled with brilliant one line insights that need a commentary of their own. If you can get beyond the frustrating format of this work (references interspersed with text) you will find great gain. I find the commentary especially helpful in the final paraenetic section of Romans.