BEN: In Chapter 8 you suggest that Rom. 13.1ff. be read in the light of what precedes it and what follows, and I agree. But there is no hint that all of this is not a general exhortation to all Christians being addressed, and not in particular the returning Jewish Christians. After all, everyone then as now doesn’t enjoy being taxed, and there were plenty of tax dodgers amongst the Gentiles in Rome, especially dodging the indirect taxes. But I... Read more

BEN: I agree with your emphasis in Chapter 7, when you say welcoming means, among other things, sharing table fellowship. My question is how does that work today, because clearly Paul is addressing all the strong and weak in Rome on this point. There is a Weslyan Church near Hope College in Michigan that has taken this so seriously that what they do on Sundays is they go to some of the larger homes of their members and they have... Read more

BEN: On p. 36 you suggest that analogia fidei refers to the rule of faith, but Chrysostom is quite clear that this phrase is another way of speaking of the measure or proportion of faith, the phrase used just a couple of verses earlier, not some ‘rule’ or Gospel composite the audience would not know about. Comments? SCOT: I stuck out my neck on this one. Chrysostom may be right but … BEN: On p. 39 you suggest it was... Read more

BEN: I like your discussion of lived theology, though traditionally theology is about indicatives, and ethics is about imperatives. I also like your emphasis on the interconnectedness of the whole of Rom. 1-16, making clear that Rom. 1-8, or 1-11 is not abstract theologizing but rather provides foundations for what is going to be said later. Rom. 12-16 is no appendix, or ‘oh by the way’. On the other hand, Paul is dealing largely with a group of Gentiles in... Read more

Ben Witherington III Priscilla: The Life of an Early Christian Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic Available at IVP and Koorong By Laura Thierry A particularly joy-inducing trend in biblical scholarship at present is that of the biblical scholar turned novelist. In response to the reality that we are narrative animals wired for story, this inclination to teach through historical novels seems a delightfully fitting and humane move that promotes rich Scripture-vibed imaginations. It is from within this growing movement that... Read more

BEN: You say that Romans is about deconstructing privilege and power, but Rom. 13 looks like anything but such a project. To the contrary it appears to be an endorsement of the proper role of Roman authorities in governing the Empire, and various officials including tax collectors properly doing their job—administering justice. How does Rom. 13 fit into your paradigm of interpretation? Paul simply assumes a hierarchy of government that in fact was ordained by God. Furthermore, he assumes a... Read more

BEN: I think you are correct that the ethnic tensions are at the root of the divisions in Roman Christianity, but it’s not clear to me this is about higher and lower status issues. After all, Priscilla and Aquila are the one’s said to have a house, and Herodion and Aristobolus were higher status Jews, as was Paul the Roman citizen. Say more as to why you think an underlying issue here is status and the power that comes with... Read more

FALL FORWARD The weak autumn sun Not warming the air, Climbed up the sky, Not seeming to try. Ascendancy now In the hands of the wind That would dictate the day That would blow things away. The leaves had surrendered And swirled to the ground Not clinging to trees, Obeying the breeze. The grass was all frosted Like icing on cake Which crumbled when crushed Which gave up and hushed. Perhaps Nature’s memory Stored up of Spring Allowed it to... Read more

BEN: Your analysis of weak and strong in Chapter 3 is helpful, and I agree— the weak seem to be the same folk as in 1 Corinthians, namely mostly Jewish with too many scruples, whereas the strong are primarily Gentiles who rightly say keeping Torah laws about food, sabbaths, etc. is not required to be a Christ follower. The interesting new observation is what you say about dunatoi and adunatoi suggesting this is about power and privilege not just about... Read more

BEN: On p. 16 you say “the church was the body of Christ that expanded Israel’s borders to include gentiles in the one true family of God under the one true Lord, King Jesus.” The first part of this suggestion is severely problematic since in Rom. 9-11 Paul clearly distinguishes Israel, by which he means non-Christian Jews, from the body of Christ, which is Jew and Gentile united not in Israel but in the ekklesia of God. Your configuration sounds... Read more