Table Of ContentU.S. $40.00
Canada 150.00
ROMANS
A NEW TRANSLATION
WITH
INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY BY
JOSEPH A. FITZMYER
Outside of the Gospels themselves,
there is no single Christian document
whose influence has been greater than
Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Its
explosive character has changed
lives-Augustine's, Martin Luther's,
Karl Barth's, to name but a few-and
precipitated revolutions. Though usu
ally associated with the Protestant ten
dency of Christianity, it is of course a
part of the Catholic heritage as well. In
a bold, even a startling, move, the edi
tors of the Anchor Bible Conunentaries
invited Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J., one
of the leading Catholic biblical schol
ars, to provide this new translation
and conunentary.
This full-scale commentary deals
with the most important issues in the
early life of the Christian church. And
it is through the eyes of the Apostle
Paul, the major figure of this period,
that we see the dominant motifs and
themes, the theological essentials of the
Christian faith. Who better than the
once pious Jew, converted to the Chris-
(continued on back flap)
Tin: \\CllOH BIBLE
PHOC H \\I
h1r 111111·1· i11fon11alio11 011 :di 1lin·1·
\1wl111r llil.11· -1·1·i1·,, pl1·a-1· 1·011,111!
1111' li-1i11;: 011 1111' 1·1·11·1·-i· -id1· of 1111'
hook .i:11·k1·I.
(continued from front flap)
tian cause on the Road to Damascus, to
tell the reader about the early struggles
with Judaism, the reluctant yet nurtur
ing mother of this new community of
faith?
This is a hook for all seasons and for
all people, a guide to the perplexed of
any creed or none. It is aimed primarily
at Christians, because the letter to the
Romans is a part of their canon of
Holy Scripture. But it is equally valu
able for all those who have an interest
in learning about one of the most
important letters ever written by any
one, and in understanding the world
shaking movement of which it was an
essential part, and to which it gave
powerful impetus.
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, a Jesuit priest, is
professor emeritus of biblical studies at
the Catholic University of America. A
past president of the Society of Biblical
Literature, the Catholic Biblical As
sociation, and the international New
Testament society, and a coeditor of
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary,
Father Fitzmyer is also author of the
bestselling Anchor Bible Commentary
on the Gospel According to Luke.
Jacket WU8tration by Norman Woehrle
Prinled in the U.S.A.
1093
TllE \\CllOB BIBLE
PBOCB \\I
Fo1· 111111·1· i11f'on11alio11 011 all 1hn·1·
\11,·li111· llil1l1· ,,.,.;,.,. pl1·a,1· """'"II
1111' Ji,1i11µ: Oii 1h1· .... ,, ... ,,. ,j,J,. 111' 1111'
hook ja..J,1•1.
Praise for Romans
"Joseph Fitzmyer brings to Romans almost forty years of back
ground in Pauline theology and life-setting. Romans is the prod
uct of Paul's mature thought, and this commentary is the product
of Fitzmyer's mature thought. It can lay fair claim to being the
best commentary on Romans in English."
-Raymond E. Brown, S.S.
Union Theological Seminary, New York City
"For its compilation of primary evidence, for its thorough review
of scholarship, for its massive, indeed unrivaled bibliographies,
this commentary deserves the accolade 'monumental'. No seri
ous student of Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome can afford
to do without it." -Paul J. Achtemeier
Union Theological Seminary, Virginia
"Magisterial. Completely sensitive to Paul's Jewish past."
-Alan F. Segal
Barnard College, Columbia University
"Joseph A. Fitzmyer is one of the finest New Testament exegetes
in the United States today. His commentary on Romans brings
off a dazzling feat: It is a learned interpretation of a religious
classic that makes a contribution to the world of scholarship and
yet remains readable and intelligible to the educated layperson."
-John P. Meier
The Catholic University of America
"This will be for a long time the substantial American commen
tary on Romans. Joseph Fitzmyer brings back the voices of sig
nificant interpreters of earlier centuries, and that not as archival
history of exegesis but as colleagues deserving serious considera
tion by an exegetical guild that for too long has thought nothing
worth our attention that predated Baur or Barth or Bultmann."
-Krister Stendahl
The Divinity School, Harvard University
ROMANS
VOLUME33
THE ANCHOR BIBLE is a fresh approach to the world's greatest classic. Its object
is to make the Bible accessible to the modern reader; its method is to arrive at the
meaning of biblical literature through exact translation and extended exposition,
and to reconstruct the ancient setting of the biblical story, as well as the
circumstances of its transcription and the characteristics of its transcribers.
THE ANCHOR BIBLE is a project of international and interfaith scope. Protestant,
Catholic, and Jewish scholars from many countries contribute individual volumes.
The project is not sponsored by any ecclesiastical organization and is not intended
to reflect any particular theological doctrine. Prepared under our joint supervi
sion, THE ANCHOR BIBLE is an effort to make available all the significant
historical and linguistic knowledge which bears on the interpretation of the
biblical record.
THE ANCHOR BIBLE is aimed at the general reader with no special formal training
in biblical studies; yet, it is written with the most exacting standards of scholarship,
reflecting the highest technical accomplishment.
This project marks the beginning of a new era of cooperation among scholars in
biblical research, thus forming a common body of knowledge to be shared by all.
William Foxwell Albright
David Noel Freedman
GENERAL EDITORS
THE ANCHOR BIBLE
ROMANS
•
A New Translation
with
Introduction and Commentary
JOSEPH A. FITZMYER, S.J.
THE ANCHOR BIBLE
Doubleday
New York London Toronto Sydney Auckland
THE ANCHOR BIBLE
PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY
a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
1540 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10036
The ANCHOR BIBLE, DoUBLEDAY, and the portrayal
of an anchor with the letters AB are trademarks of
Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing
Group, Inc.
IMPRIMI POTEST
Reverend Edward Glynn, S.J.
Praepositus Provinciae Mary/andiae
NIHIL OBSTAT
Reverend James Walsh, S.).
Censor Deputatus
IMPRIMATUR
Reverend Msgr. William ). Kane
Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Washington
28 April 1992
The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal
or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the nihil obstat and
the imprimatur agree with the content, opinions, or statements expressed.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bible. N.T. Romans. English. Fitzmyer. 1993.
Romans : a new translation with introduction and commentary I
Joseph A. Fitzmyer. - !st ed.
p. cm. - (The Anchor Bible ; 33)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
I. Bible. N.T. Romans--Commentaries. I. Fitzmyer, Joseph A.
II. Title. III. Series: Bible. English. Anchor Bible. I 964 ; v.
33.
BSI92.2.AI 1964.G3 vol. 33
[BS2663]
220. 7'7 s--dc20
[227'.1077] 92-29702
CIP
ISBN 0-385-23317-5
Copyright© 1993 by Doubleday, a division of
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
October I 993
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Piae memoriae
magistrorum meorum
americanorum, belgicorum, romanorum
CONTENTS
•
Preface XIII
Principal Abbreviations xvii
Grammatical Abbreviations XXXI
Other Abbreviations XXXlll
TO THE ROMANS: TRANSLATION
INTRODUCTION 23
I. Rome and Roman Christians 25
II. Authorship 40
III. The Text 44
IV Unity and Integrity 55
v. Occasion and Purpose 68
VI. Date and Place of Composition 85
VII. Language and Style 89
VIII. Structure and Outline 96
IX. Pauline Teaching in Romans 103
A. Theology Proper, Teaching about God 104
B. Christology, Teaching about Christ Jesus and His
Role in God's Salvific Plan 110
C. Pneumatology, Teaching about the Holy Spirit 124
D. Anthropology, Teaching about Human Beings
Without and with the Influence of the Gospel 126
E. Christian Conduct, or Teaching about the Call of
Humanity to Spirit-Guided Existence 141
General Bibliography 173
vii
