Romans to Philemon: Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Volume 3

by Clinton E. Arnold

Publisher:

Zondervan

, 2002

Overview

This volume helps readers understand the historical and cultural background of the New Testament. Brimming with lavish, full color photos and graphics, each book walks you verse-by-verse through the New Testament.

Reading this volume is like slipping on a set of glasses that lets you read the Bible through the eyes of a first-century reader! Discoveries await you that will snap the world of the New Testament into gripping immediacy. Things that seem mystifying, puzzling, or obscure will take on tremendous meaning when you view them in their ancient context. You’ll deepen your understanding of the teachings of Jesus. You’ll discover the close, sometimes startling interplay between God’s kingdom and the practical affairs of the church. Best of all, you’ll gain a deepened awareness of the Bible’s relevance for your life.

Key Features

• Commentary based on relevant papyri, inscriptions, archaeological discoveries
• Studies of Judaism, Roman culture, Hellenism, and other features of the world of the New Testament
• Numerous full-color photographs, color illustrations, and line drawings
• Copious maps, charts, and timelines
• Sidebar articles and insights
• Reflections on the Bible’s relevance for twenty-first century living

Contents

Top Highlights

“There is incredible irony in Paul’s referring to a formerly polytheistic group of people as ‘godless’ (atheoi). What Paul has in mind is the fact that they did not have a relationship with the one true God.” (Page 316)

“The Greek writer Menander, for instance, says, ‘A father who is always threatening does not receive much reverence,’ and ‘One should correct a child by not hurting him but persuading him.’ Another writer cautions, ‘Do not be harsh with your children but be gentle.’” (Pages 334–335)

“The covering of the head is an emblem found in sculptural representation in the late republic and under Augustus, where the palla is pulled up over the top of the head. This became an emblem for modesty and chastity. ¹¹⁰Presumably women who felt able to uncover their heads were considered immodest, unchaste, and therefore by definition un-Roman.” (Page 157)

“Fortitude and strength, perhaps; but more important, weakness (11:30; 12:10). Dependence on self? Absolutely not! Rather, dependence on God (6:6–7; 12:9). Unaffected by circumstances? Not really. While patiently enduring pain, Paul is not ashamed to admit profound emotion (1:8–9; 6:9; 11:28).” (Page 226)

“But scholars have recently come to realize that the diatribe was used more often as a means of clarifying truth for converts and disciples.¹¹ The dialogical ‘arguments’ of Romans therefore have the purpose of helping the Christians in Rome better understand the gospel and its implications.” (Page 8)

Endorsements

Overall, this is a very fine set that will help a reader to gain a foundation of understanding the historical environment of the first century AD, the context in which the New Testament was inspired, written, and disseminated throughout the early Church. It would of course make an excellent addition to a church library.

—Kevin P. Edgecomb, biblicalia

This is one of the most helpful resources to me when preparing Bible studies and messages. Each New Testament book is written by a reputable, evangelical scholar who has expertise in that particular book. For each New Testament book, there is a very helpful capsule in the beginning that tells you the important facts of each book (author, date, occasion, and key themes). Next, there is a helpful brief commentary for the whole book. There are excellent, color in-text maps as you read the commentary. Furthermore, there are great feature articles that give you insights into some of the pertinent beliefs, gods/goddesses, and key terms that are featured in the New Testament book. There is also a capsule on ‘reflections’ that help the reader ponder and meditate on key themes and concepts. Finally, there is a wonderful annotated bibliography at the end of each book for further, suggested reading. I give it my highest recommendation and believe that it will be an excellent resource for laypersons, seminary students, pastors, professors, and Sunday School teachers.

—Online Reviewer

Product Details

• Title: Romans to Philemon: Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Volume 3
• Author: Clinton E. Arnold
• Series: Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Print Publication Date: 2002
• Logos Release Date: 2010
• Pages: 520
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. Colossians › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 1 Corinthians › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 2 Corinthians › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. Ephesians › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. Galatians › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. Philemon › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. Philippians › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. Romans › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 1 Thessalonians › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 2 Thessalonians › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 1 Timothy › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 2 Timothy › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. Titus › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9780310528296, 9780310591689, 0310528291, 0310591686
• Resource ID: LLS:ZIBBCNT03
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T04:33:08Z

About Clinton E. Arnold

Arnold, author of Powers of Darkness: Principalities and Powers in Paul's Letters, earned his Ph.D. at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and has done post-doctoral work at Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen in Germany. He is currently associate professor of New Testament at the Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California.