Robert Jewett's 1,000-page commentary on Romans in the Hermeneia series (2008) was a landmark in the interpretation of Pauls most complexand some would say, most importantletter: "a new benchmark for the genre" (David deSilva); "readable and profound" (Luise Schottroff); "the new authoritative reference work for scholars" (Daniel Patte). It has also been the focus of international conferences and conversations ever since its publication. Taking account of those far-reaching conversations, Jewett now brings the best insights of the larger commentary into a more compact and accessible form, ideal for use in college and graduate courses.
Robert Jewett is theologian-in-residence at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. Previously he served as guest professor of New Testament at the University of Heidelberg and professor of New Testament interpretation emeritus at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He is the author of numerous books, both scholarly and popular, in New Testament studies and American religious and cultural history, including Romans: A Short Commentary (Fortress, 2013), Romans (Hermeneia; Fortress, 2008); Mission and Menace: Four Centuries of American Religious Zeal (Fortress, 2008); The Thessalonian Correspondence (Foundations and Facets; Fortress, 1986); Paul the Apostle to America: Cultural Trends and Pauline Scholarship (1994); St. Paul at the Movies: The Apostle's Dialogue with American Culture (1993); and St. Paul Returns to the Movies: Triumph Over Shame (1998).
"This freshly minted and admirably readable exposition of Romans may be 'short' but it is certainly not shallow. Those who already know Robert Jewett's 'long commentary,' no less than those who do not, will benefit from learning what he himself has chosen to highlight in Paul's most celebrated letter and in his own celebrated interpretation of it." Victor Paul Furnish Southern Methodist University "With Romans: A Short Commentary, Robert Jewett's monumental Hermeneia commentary is now available in a more student and pastor friendly format and price, and will receive its much-deserved use in the classroom and pulpit. Shifting Luther, Calvin, and Wesley from the center of the interpretation of Romans, Jewett finds in the letter a gospel opposed to the perverse, imperial honor/shame system with its "exceptionalism in virtue and honor." Whether or not you agree with this radical paradigm shift in the history of the interpretation of Romans, your wrestling with it will enrich your reading of Paul's letter." David J. Lull Wartburg Theological Seminary "A portable version of his magisterial Hermeneia commentary, this book makes Jewett's groundbreaking work with Romans eminently accessible for study and teaching purposes in multiple settings. It will contribute to unlocking the transformative potential of Paul's key letter as a challenge to imperial paradigms past and present, and as a powerful resource for rethinking the common future of humankind across split lines of status, privilege, and class." Brigitte Kahl Union Theological Seminary
