This Lent, I’m offering a weekly exploration of the Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. Along the way, I’ll be posting interviews with a variety of New Testament scholars who will help us understand Paul’s major themes and the context of his letter. To get us started, here is a conversation with Beverly Roberts Gaventa, whose book When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel according to Paul is one of my favorite explorations of the letter. Below you will find some other suggested books that came up in my conversation with Dr. Gaventa.
If you want to join my study of Romans, begin by reading through the whole of Paul’s letter in as few sittings as you can. There is a lot to work out, and we’ll be going through chapter by chapter, but its always helpful to get a sense of the whole of a biblical book before working back through slowly. You may opt to listen to the book the first time through. It will take about an hour. If you use an app like Dwellapp.io, you may want to choose a female reader, since Paul’s letter was carried and likely read by the Deacon Phoebe. Next week, in addition to another interview, I’ll be posting notes on chapters 1-4 of the book.
Books on Romans and Paul recommended by Beverly Roberts Gaventa:
Paul and Time: Life in the Temporality of Christ by L. Ann Jervis
Galatians by J. Louis Martyn
Commentaries on Romans and 1-2 Corinthians by Ambrosiaster
The Epistle to the Romans by Karl Barth
Paul and the Power of Grace by John M. G. Barclay
Paul and the Person: Reframing Paul’s Anthropology by Susan Grove Eastman
The Word of the Cross: Reading Paul by Jonathan Linebaugh
The Story of Romans: A Narrative Defense of God’s Righteousness by A. Katherine Grieb
When in Romans: A Conversation with Beverly Roberts Gaventa