Romans (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) [Hardcover]

Thomas R. Schreiner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament | Publication Date: December 1, 1998

In the latest addition to BECNT, Pauline scholar Thomas Schreiner presents a fresh analysis of the substantive Book of Romans.

Each exegetical unit of the commentary is divided into four parts: (1) introduction, theme summary, and structural outline; (2) translation; (3) paragraph-by-paragraph exegesis and exposition; and (4) additional notes that comment on unique themes of a passage, interpretive problems, textual variants, and other critical issues.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas R. Schreiner (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of Interpreting the Pauline Epistles and The Law and Its Fulfillment: A Pauline Theology of Law.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 944 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801021499
• ISBN-13: 978-0801021497
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas R. Schreiner is the James Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds an MDiv and ThM from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary and a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary. He has published a number of articles and book reviews in scholarly journals.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Single Volume Commentary on Romans, January 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Romans (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)

As a pastor, I have used many commentaries on Romans in my preaching and teaching. This volume by Schreiner is now the best single volume commentary on Romans. This may surprise many, since Moo's NICNT is also a recent release. However, while Moo is also outstanding in many ways, I prefer Schreiner both exegetically and theologically. While Moo's book is a little larger and more detailed, he sometimes loses the forest by focusing on the trees. Schreiner never loses the narrative progress of the the letter, and thus his discussions of the individual passages is always consciously contextual. Additionally, Schreiner is more nuanced in linguistics and semantics, and thus his exegetical decisions are more discerning. When Moo and Schreiner disagreed, I usually found Schreiner's arguments more compelling. My first pick is Scheiner, but I would not want to be without Moo either. My advice is to consult both (along with Cranfield and Murray) for any in depth teaching or preaching in Romans.

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Commentary, November 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Romans (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)

Schreiner's work is excellent as the other reviews have suggested. A few comments before you buy it:

First, Schreiner examines Romans section by section, not verse by verse. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you wish to lookup a specific verse you have to read through several paragraphs (or pages!) to find the discussion on the verse. Individual verses are not marked in the text.

Second, a knowledge of Greek is most helpful. When beginning a discussion on a phrase or sentence, Schreiner writes it in Greek and then provides the transliteration and the English in parentheses. For the rest of his discussion, however, he only uses the Greek letters. Often his discussion will go on for a few pages which makes it difficult for non-Greek readers to figure out which words he is talking about. I found myself frequently flipping pages trying to find out what the word he was discussing meant. Students with an elementary knowledge of Greek should not have a problem.

Schreiner's commentary is an excellent presentation of the reformed faith. However, if you have no knowledge of Greek you are probably better off using Douglas Moo's commentary.

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good commentary on Romans, March 10, 2001

By 

Shawn W. Gillogly "DenSem Grad" (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Romans (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)

The Baker Series has proven to be nothing if not exhaustive. (Bock's 2 volume work on Luke is a masterpiece), and Scheiner's work is certainly in keeping with that standard.

This is indeed a commentary you need to read "text-in-hand" and be ready to follow for paragraphs at a time. Schreiner ensures the argument is generally developed in its context.

I would say that Moo's commentary on Romans (the NICNT series) is superior, however. Schreiner's argument in Romans 9-11 seemed to me to be exactly what the Jews would have wanted Paul to say. I am a Calvinist, but I find the normal Calvinist argument (which Schreiner makes) less than satisfying. Moo's argument here is more persuasive, IMHO.

Also, from time to time, Schreiner allows his Reformed Theology to get interpreted INTO the text instead of FROM the text. Although again, I am Reformed in my theology, theology must be Biblical before it is Systemitized. In general, he avoids this. But a couple of the places where he does it are very obvious. (Romans 1:16-17 being a very good example.)

Don't get me wrong, I HIGHLY reccommend this commentary. I depth, in scholarship, and--in most places--exegesis, it is painstaking. Perhaps that is what makes the rare deficiency one sees in it the more glaring. I would just say that Moo's would be the first "advanced" commentary I would get, and THEN this one.