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ISBN: 978-0-8146-8287-6
Sacra Pagina Series
Volume 6
Romans
Brendan Byrne, S. J.
Daniel J. Harrington, S. J.
Editor
A Michael Glazier Book
LITURGICAL PRESS
Collegeville, Minnesota
www.litpress.org
A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical Press.
Cover design by Ann Blattner. Illustration reproduced with the permission of the
Universitätsbibliothek Graz, Austria, Cod. 143, fol. 501b (13th c. Breviarium Bene-
dictinum), from a microfilm in the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, Collegeville,
Minnesota.
© 1996, © 2007 with updated bibliography by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville,
Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any
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Saint John’s Abbey, P.O. Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in
the United States of America.
ISBN 978-0-8146-5969-4 (book)
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Byrne, Brendan.
Romans / Brendan Byrne ; Daniel J. Harrington, editor.
p. cm. — (Sacra pagina series ; v. 6)
“A Michael Glazier book.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN: 0-8146-5808-3
1. Bible. N.T. Romans—Commentaries. I. Title. II. Series:
Sacra pagina series ; 6.
BS2665.3.B973 1996
227'.1077—dc20 96-10982
CIP
CONTENTS
Editor’s Preface ix
Preface xi
Note on References xiii
Abbreviations xv
Introduction
A. Recent Interpretation of Romans 2
1. History as Paradigm 2
2. New Approaches to the Interpretation of Romans 3
3. The Approach Taken by This Commentary 8
B. Why Paul Wrote to Rome 8
1. The Historical Circumstances 8
a) Paul’s Own Situation 8
b) The Christians in Rome 10
2. Romans as a Letter and Instrument of Persuasion 13
a) Letter Form 13
b) Instrument of Persuasion 16
3. Why Paul Wrote to Rome: Conclusion 18
C. Paul’s Rhetorical Task 19
1. “Knowledge” Paul Has in Common with the Christians of Rome 20
a) The Heritage from Judaism 20
b) The Shared Christian Pattern of Belief 21
2. “Knowledge” More Particularly Distinctive of Paul 22
D. The Structure of the Letter 26
Outline of the Structure of the Letter 27
E. Two Further Issues 29
1. The Integrity of the Letter 29
2. Paul and Israel 29
v
vi Romans
General Bibliography 31
A. The Socio-Rhetorical Approach 31
B. Christianity in Rome 32
C. Occasion and Purpose of Romans 33
D. Commentaries 33
E. General 34
Translation, Interpretation, Notes
IntroductIon (1:1-17) 37
a) Address and Greeting (1:1-7) 37
b) Thanksgiving and Theme (1:8-17) 47
Body of the Letter (1:18–15:13) 62
I. THE INCLUSIVE SAVING POWER OF THE GOSPEL (1:18–11:36) 62
A. The Inclusion of the Gentiles on the Basis of Righteousness
by Faith (1:18–4:25) 62
i. No Other Righteousness (1:18–3:20) 63
a) The Revelation of God’s Wrath Against the Gentile World
(1:18-32) 63
b) Those Who “judge” Are Not Immune from the Wrath (2:1-11) 79
c) Possession of the Law Makes No Difference (2:12-29) 87
1. The Law and the Gentiles (2:12-16) 87
2. The Law and the Jews (2:17-24) 95
3. The “Real Jew” (2:25-29) 101
d) God’s Faithfulness to Israel Stands (3:1-8) 106
e) Scripture’s Witness to Universal Lack of Righteousness
(3:9-20) 115
ii. The “Righteousness of God” Now Available to All Believers
(3:21-26) 122
iii. Faith, the Sole Basis Upon Which the One God Justifies All
(3:27-31) 135
iv. Scripture’s Witness to Righteousness by Faith (4:1-25) 141
a) Abraham, Justified on the Basis of Faith (4:1-12) 144
b) Abraham, Paradigm Receiver of the Promise on the
Basis of Faith (4:13-25) 151
B. The Sure Hope of Salvation Springing from Righteousness
by Faith (5:1–8:39) 162
i. The Hope That Springs from God’s Love (5:1-11) 164
Contents vii
ii. The Legacy of Christ (Righteousness and Life)
Outweighs the Legacy of Adam (Sin and Death) (5:12-21) 173
iii. The Freedom to Live Out the Righteousness of God (6:1–8:13) 187
a) Dead to Sin/Alive to God in Christ (6:1-14) 188
b) The New Obedience (6:15-23) 199
c) Free in Christ from the Law (7:1-6) 208
d) The Fatal Encounter with the Law (7:7-13) 216
e) Life Under the Law—Ethical “Impossibility’’ (7:14-25) 224
f) Life in the Spirit—Ethical “Possibility” (8:1-13) 234
iv. Hope of Glory for God’s Children (8:14-30) 247
a) Children and Heirs of God (8:14-17) 247
b) The “Groaning’’ of Creation (8:18-22) 254
c) The “Groaning” of “Ourselves” (8:23-25) 262
d) The “Groaning” of the Spirit (8:26-28) and God’s
Eternal Plan (8:29-30) 266
v. The Coming Victory of God’s Love (8:31-39) 274
C. The Inclusion of Israel (9:1–11:36) 281
i. The Bitter Problem of Israel’s Present Unbelief (9:1-5) 284
ii. The Elective Pattern of God’s Working (9:6-29) 289
a) The Elective Pattern Shown in the Patriarchs (9:6-13) 291
b) The Elective Pattern Shown in Moses and Pharaoh (9:14-18) 295
c) God’s Freedom Defended Against Human Complaint
(9:19-21) 296
d) The Elective Pattern Shown in the Composition
of the Believing Community (9:22-29) 300
iii. Israel’s Present Rejection of the Gospel (9:30–10:21) 307
a) “Stumbling” Before the Righteousness of God (9:30–10:4) 308
b) Scripture’s Witness to Righteousness by Faith (10:5-13) 316
c) Israel Has Heard but Not Responded to the Gospel (10:14-21) 323
iv. Israel’s Ultimate Inclusion in the Community of Salvation
(11:1-32) 328
a) God Has Not Rejected Israel—the “Remnant” (11:1-10) 329
b) Israel’s “Stumbling” Has a Saving Purpose (11:11-24) 336
c) The “Mystery”: the Final Salvation of “All Israel” (11:25-32) 348
v. Hymn to God’s Inscrutable Wisdom (11:33-36) 358
II. SUMMONS TO LIVE ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL (12:1–15:13) 361
i. Christian Life as “Rational Worship” (12:1-2) 362
viii Romans
ii. The Basic Demands of Christian Living (12:3–13:14) 367
a) A Due Assessment of One’s Personal Gift (12:3-8) 367
b) Love in Action Within the Community (12:9-16) 374
c) Love in Action Outside the Community (12:17-21) 380
d) Duties Towards Civil Authorities (13:1-7) 384
e) The Sole Debt of Love (13:8-10) 393
f) “Knowing the Time” (13:11-14) 397
iii. Tolerance in Contentious Areas of Community Life (14:1–15:13) 403
a) The Tolerance Incumbent upon All (14:1-12) 407
b) The Tolerance Asked Particularly of the “Strong” (14:13-23) 414
c) The Example of Christ as Grounds for Tolerance (15:1-6) 423
d) Christ’s “Acceptance” as Model for Community Acceptance
(15:7-13) 428
Conclusion of the Letter (15:14–16:24[27]) 433
i. Paul’s Ministry of the Gospel to the Gentiles (15:14-33) 433
a) Paul’s Apostolic Mission Until Now (15:14-21) 434
b) Paul’s Plans for the Future and Concluding “Grace” I
(15:22-33) 439
ii. Commendation and Greetings (16:1-27) 446
a) Commendation of Phoebe (16:1-2) 447
b) Greetings I (16:3-16) 449
c) A Warning (16:17-20) 455
d) Greetings II and Concluding “Grace” II (16:21-24) 459
e) (Inauthentic) Concluding Doxology (16:25-27) 461
Indexes
Scripture Index 465
Index of Ancient Writings 487
Author Index 494
Subject Index 499
Supplementary Bibliography 504
EDITOR’S PREFACE
Sacra Pagina is a multi-volume commentary on the books of the New
Testament. The expression Sacra Pagina (“Sacred Page”) originally re-
ferred to the text of Scripture. In the Middle Ages it also described the
study of Scripture to which the interpreter brought the tools of grammar,
rhetoric, dialectic, and philosophy. Thus Sacra Pagina encompasses both
the text to be studied and the activity of interpretation.
This series presents fresh translations and modern expositions of all
the books of the New Testament. Written by an international team of
Catholic biblical scholars, it is intended for biblical professionals,
graduate students, theologians, clergy, and religious educators. The vol-
umes present basic introductory information and close exposition. They
self-consciously adopt specific methodological perspectives, but main-
tain a focus on the issues raised by the New Testament compositions
themselves. The goal of Sacra Pagina is to provide sound critical analysis
without any loss of sensitivity to religious meaning. This series is there-
fore catholic in two senses of the word: inclusive in its methods and per-
spectives, and shaped by the context of the Catholic tradition.
The Second Vatican Council described the study of the “sacred page”
as the “very soul of sacred theology” (Dei Verbum 24). The volumes in this
series illustrate how Catholic scholars contribute to the council’s call to
provide access to Sacred Scripture for all the Christian faithful. Rather
than pretending to say the final word on any text, these volumes seek to
open up the riches of the New Testament and to invite as many people as
possible to study seriously the “sacred page.”
danIeL J. harrIngton, S.J.
ix
PREFACE
Paul’s letter to Rome is not only the longest of the New Testament
letters, it is also the one that has attracted most comment. Any interpreter
of Romans is heir to a vast tradition of interpretation reaching back be-
yond Augustine to Origen and the earliest Christian writers. At the pres-
ent time investigation of the letter remains as intense as ever; the flow of
commentaries, monographs and particular studies continues unabated.
Any fresh commentator must explain what new insight or approach she
or he brings, to justify adding to the formidable array of secondary litera-
ture on Romans.
Within the overall purpose of the Sacra Pagina series of New Testa-
ment commentaries, my aim has been to explain the argument of Paul. I
provide a running exposition of the text in a way that attempts to eluci-
date the developing meaning and argument, giving preference to the
rhetorical and theological aspects. Because the argument of Romans fol-
lows a carefully crafted structure, I have divided the commentary in a
fairly schematic way and constantly attempted to relate the various sec-
tions to each other. At significant turning points in the letter (1:18; 5:1; 6:1;
9:1; 12:1), a general introduction to the next major section appears before
the text of the immediately following subsection. It is in these introduc-
tions that the distinctive vision of this commentary unfolds.
For the convenience of the reader, to save the labor of reading two sets
of comments on each passage, I have kept the bulk of the commentary in
the Interpretation. The Notes serve the purpose of justifying the par-
ticular positions adopted in the commentary, while presenting and evalu-
ating alternative points of view. In line with this aim, the “Interpretation”
precedes the “Notes” to each section.
I have not, in the manner of an exhaustive commentary, felt obliged to
give detailed comment on every word or phrase or allude to every point
of controversy. Detailed comment, whether in the Interpretation or in the
Notes, primarily serves the establishm ent of the larger meaning. For the
same reason I seldom turn aside from what I consider to be the main
argu ment of Paul to consider questions that have been put to the text in
the history of interpretation because of their significance in Christian life
xi
