Customer Reviews

A Commentary on the Jewish Roots of Romans

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Joseph Shulam is familiar with the traditions, practices, and history of his people - the Jews. Joseph Shulam is Jewish, but he is a Messianic Jew, which means he believes the Messiah has already come, and the Messiah is Jesus Christ. His life is an example of being on the front lines of faith, and he has been threatened, beaten, shunned, and hated because of his beiefs.

Shulam is a Biblical scholar, as well as an authority on Jewish customs and history. He brings a totally different point of view into this in-depth study of Romans because of his dual heritage.

Dedicated students of the Torah and the Bible will want to add this excellent book to their collection.

This is a wonderful commentary as it is presented by Joseph Shulam. He gives understanding to the difficult scriptures given to us by Paul that have not always been clear from many Christian scholars. I highly recommend this commentary to those who want a true understanding of the Book of Romans.

I usually gobble up "Jewish Roots" books, and have generally not been disappointed. Shullam's book, while offering some helpful material, was a let down.

First of all, his theology is not within the evangelical camp. He holds to salvation by faitfulness and baptism (which translates to salvation by faith plus works). Repeatedly throughout the volume, when he comments on Paul's doctrine of salvation by faith, he interprets it as "by faithfulness (through baptism)..." So it is pretty obvious he has an agenda that blinds him to the true nature of grace. He takes a few verses from Romans 6 and uses that as a template for the entire book rather than progressing forward and trying to follow Paul's flow of thought.

His handling of Romans 8:30ff is absolutely awful and completely unsatisfying. The passage obviously deals with all "who love God and are called according to His purpose," (i.e., individually elected to salvation); Shullam claims these verses deal with Israel's election (a subject that does not come up until later in Romans). Terrible.

Secondly, the quotations from Jewish sources rely heavily upon the Qumran Community (aka, "The Dead Sea Scroll People"). Although many scholars (especially liberal ones) believe that John the Baptist and Jesus were heavily influenced by the Qumran Community because they do not believe that either of them taught anything unique or original, most conservatives reject this. Although it is possible that this isolated community did affect the Jewish mentality, they were not main players in Jewish life in the first century (which is why they are never referred to in the Gospels). Brad Young, in his book, "Jesus, the Jewish Theologian" makes the point on pages 15-16 (if you happen to own it).

Some of the quotations from the Apocrypha are enlightening, as are some from the Mishnah and Talmud; but most of them do nothing to amplify the text, and, as I mentioned, the frequently quoted Qumran texts are of debatable worth.

For Jewish roots information, I would recommed David Stern's New Testament Commentary as being on more solid footing. Though Stern does not offer the massive amount of material that Shullam does, the material he does offer is more to the point.

For readers who already have several good commentaries on Romans, I would recommed purchasing this book because it will add an occasionally useful insight from an acient Jewish source, so it is not a complete waste. It was simply a disappointment to me, because I have found other material from the Lederer publisher to be of great value.