Morris tackles the complexities of faith and interpretation associated with the Epistle to the Romans in this substantial yet easy-to-read commentary, written to be intelligible to the layperson while also taking account of modern scholarship.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Back in January I started a slow study through Romans along with the Pillar New Testament Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans written by Leon Morris. This morning, I finished the study.
When I started the study, I was looking to walk through something that wouldn't spend too much time teaching the reader how to apply the text (not that that's a bad thing) but would spend more time exegeting the actual text and leave the application up to the individual. That's quite exactly what this commentary did; I know that has a name, but I'm not accustomed to it.
The format of the commentary is simple and familiar. A block of scripture is laid out, followed by a deconstruction and explanation of each verse. Explanations on any one verse ranged anywhere from one or two sentences, up to three or four pages, but with most of them coming in around two paragraphs. Multiple verses are scarcely combined into one comment. The first four chapters of Romans make up about forty percent of the commentary, as much of the foundation for the Apostle's theological statement fall within those chapters.
Morris has a manner of writing that communicates an appealing sense of humility. While he holds his particular views, he also (usually) uncritically presents the opposing views and the arguments for all of them. During my reading of the book, this style helped me to look at the text and think critically for myself about what is said. In the majority of cases, Morris' standpoint is the most rational and represents of the majority view of bible scholars.
Morris is clearly a member of the reformed theology tradition, but in his writing he presents himself as firstly committed to scripture. This comes out clearly in several places in which he is not at all afraid to unpack scripture that appears `dangerous' to reformed thought. Rather than trying to fanangle the scripture, he treats in plainly and openly.
Although it's based on the NIV, the PNTC Epistle to the Romans comes across as a scholarly commentary. It finishes out at about 550 pages and spends a good deal of time on linguistics and Greek.
Looking back on the commentary, I have only two real criticisms. The first criticism being that it's not too clear why the commentary was based on the NIV. In Morris' comments he regularly makes reference to NIV having "missed the mark"; not every time, but often enough to make one wonder why they didn't just go with the ESV (a translation that Morris regularly refers back to with fond words). The other criticism is that Morris places a lot of information within parenthesis. This makes reading choppy at times. Had the parenthetical information been placed in the footnotes, reading would have been much clearer and smoother. Both of these are minor concerns.
All in all, this is a good commentary that I recommend as a reference tool to anyone, and a good tool for a student's private study. The average reader may not benefit from purchasing this commentary purely for reference, as similar reference tools are available for free online (check my links to the right). For a student, the purchase is easily justified. And likely beneficial.
When I started the study, I was looking to walk through something that wouldn't spend too much time teaching the reader how to apply the text (not that that's a bad thing) but would spend more time exegeting the actual text and leave the application up to the individual. That's quite exactly what this commentary did; I know that has a name, but I'm not accustomed to it.
The format of the commentary is simple and familiar. A block of scripture is laid out, followed by a deconstruction and explanation of each verse. Explanations on any one verse ranged anywhere from one or two sentences, up to three or four pages, but with most of them coming in around two paragraphs. Multiple verses are scarcely combined into one comment. The first four chapters of Romans make up about forty percent of the commentary, as much of the foundation for the Apostle's theological statement fall within those chapters.
Morris has a manner of writing that communicates an appealing sense of humility. While he holds his particular views, he also (usually) uncritically presents the opposing views and the arguments for all of them. During my reading of the book, this style helped me to look at the text and think critically for myself about what is said. In the majority of cases, Morris' standpoint is the most rational and represents of the majority view of bible scholars.
Morris is clearly a member of the reformed theology tradition, but in his writing he presents himself as firstly committed to scripture. This comes out clearly in several places in which he is not at all afraid to unpack scripture that appears `dangerous' to reformed thought. Rather than trying to fanangle the scripture, he treats in plainly and openly.
Although it's based on the NIV, the PNTC Epistle to the Romans comes across as a scholarly commentary. It finishes out at about 550 pages and spends a good deal of time on linguistics and Greek.
Looking back on the commentary, I have only two real criticisms. The first criticism being that it's not too clear why the commentary was based on the NIV. In Morris' comments he regularly makes reference to NIV having "missed the mark"; not every time, but often enough to make one wonder why they didn't just go with the ESV (a translation that Morris regularly refers back to with fond words). The other criticism is that Morris places a lot of information within parenthesis. This makes reading choppy at times. Had the parenthetical information been placed in the footnotes, reading would have been much clearer and smoother. Both of these are minor concerns.
All in all, this is a good commentary that I recommend as a reference tool to anyone, and a good tool for a student's private study. The average reader may not benefit from purchasing this commentary purely for reference, as similar reference tools are available for free online (check my links to the right). For a student, the purchase is easily justified. And likely beneficial.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Leon Morris always does a solid job, and this commentary is no exception. He deals with the text, presents his interpretations on the tricky parts (which is the main reason an exegete should use a commentary), and uses sound exegetical technique throughout. I highly recommend this as a comprehensive and solid commentary on the Letter to the Romans.
21 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a good commentary on Romans by a fine scholar. He seems to have interpreted the theme of the work more from Systematic theology than the text itself. But all in all he deals with the text well, if not with all the depth one might like.
This is a good commentary for getting to know the issues surrounding Romans. For a thorough discussion of them, the commentaries of Cranfield, Moo and Schreiner are all preferable.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Comprehensive Commentary
This is the second commentary I have by Leon Morris. Also, I appreciate being able to access this book on my computer. Read more
Published on May 30, 2009 by Marcia C. Yeager
Buy it.
Excellent commentary. A good scholar. A good addition to your library.
Published on February 20, 2006 by Richard W. Moore
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Letters in antiquity, as in every age, had a conventional form. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
imperatival force, adversative force, denotes purpose, lowly service, weak brother, stumbling stone Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old Testament, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Additional Note, Roman Christians, Son of God, Spirit of God, Grand Rapids, New York, Grammatical Insights, Characteristically Paul, Elsewhere Paul, Gentile Christians, Griffith Thomas, Jewish Christians, God Paul, Introductory Thanksgivings, Lord's Prayer, Most High, The Great Acquittal, The Origin of Christology, Apostle of Liberty, Bible Studies, Current Issues, Day of Judgment New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Letters in antiquity, as in every age, had a conventional form. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
imperatival force, adversative force, denotes purpose, lowly service, weak brother, stumbling stone Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old Testament, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Additional Note, Roman Christians, Son of God, Spirit of God, Grand Rapids, New York, Grammatical Insights, Characteristically Paul, Elsewhere Paul, Gentile Christians, Griffith Thomas, Jewish Christians, God Paul, Introductory Thanksgivings, Lord's Prayer, Most High, The Great Acquittal, The Origin of Christology, Apostle of Liberty, Bible Studies, Current Issues, Day of Judgment New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
100
books
cite this book:
See all 100 books citing this book
- The New American Commentary Volume 27 - Romans by Robert Mounce on 10 pages
- Master's Perspective on Difficult Passages, The by Robert L. Thomas on 4 pages
- Jesus' Blood and Righteousness: Paul's Theology of Imputation by Brian Vickers on page 102, page 114, and Back Matter
- The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation (Foundations of Evangelical Theology) by Bruce Demarest in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Mission in the New Testament: An Evangelical Approach (American Society of Missiology Series) by William J. on page 92, page 93, and Back Matter
See all 100 books citing this book
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