Romans: A Social Identity Commentary

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William S. Campbell provides a comprehensive commentary on Pauls most challenging letter. In conversation with reception history and previous scholarship, he emphasizes the contextuality of Romans as a letter to Rome, using social identity theory combined with historical, literary and theological perspectives to arrive at a coherent reading of the entire letter. Because Paul has never visited Rome and is not the founder of the Christ-movement there, Campbell argues that his guidance and teaching are formulated more cautiously than in his other letters. Yet the long list of people who had previous links with him and his mission to the gentiles demonstrates that Paul is well-informed about the situation in Rome and addresses issues that have arisen. With Christ the Messianic Time is beginning, but there was some lack of clarity in Rome about the implications of this for Jews and gentiles. Rather than ethne in Christ replacing Israel, as some in Rome possibly concluded, Campbell stresses that Paul affirms the irrevocable calling of Israel, and that simultaneously the identity of ethne in Christ is also called alongside the people Israel; thus, the integrity of the identity of both is affirmed as indispensable for Gods purpose now revealed in Christ. Campbell fully demonstrates how Paul in Romans achieves this by the social and theological intertwining of the message of the gospel.

Reviews

William S. Campbell brings a career of uncommon insight and careful investigation to this splendid commentary, the work of a patient and intrepid scholar. Close attention to Pauls argumentation allows us to see the fraught cultural and political context into which the apostle sought to intervenea situation in which presumption and prejudice threatened to derail the Christ movement almost from the start. This is at once an indispensable historical and theological resource. * THE REV DR. NEIL ELLIOTT, USA *
This magisterial commentary frames the insights gained over the course of a long and distinguished career with the very latest in social identity theory and in Paul-within-Judaism interpretations. William S. Campbell opens up Pauls Letter to the Romans in new and exciting ways, enabling us to read Paul with fresh eyes, and with refreshed appreciation. * Paula Fredriksen, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel *

Author Bio

William S. Campbell is presently Senior Research Fellow at the Abraham Geiger College, University of Potsdam, Germany, and was formerly Reader in Biblical Studies at the University of Trinity Saint David, UK.