Paul’s letter to Romans “has been the most studied of the apostle’s writings — indisputably Paul’s theological chef d’œuvre….With only slight exaggeration, one could claim that debates over the main ideas in Romans split Western Christianity…. [Nevertheless], for those who may have time to study in greater depth only one Pauline letter, Romans would not be my recommendation, even though it is the most important.” So says eminent Catholic New Testament scholar Raymond Brown in his Introduction to the New Testament.
If there’s a theme for today, it’s given to us in an understated way by 2Pe 3:16 – “There are some things in [Paul’s letters] that are hard to understand.”
Perhaps Romans’ opacity contributes to its ability to be wrestled into saying things it’s really not.
“Romans has suffered for centuries from being made to produce vital statements on questions it was not written to answer.“ NT Wright, IDB
Yeah. Well, onwards. “I can read hard things,” to borrow a current theme.
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