Office: Iliff Hall 103; phone: 303-765-3167; peisenbaum@iliff.edu
This course is designed as a seminar for students who have completed at least one introductory course (or the equivalent) in New Testament. Primary objectives include:
Required for Everyone:
Required for PhD Students:
In addition to the required texts, here are some other important/useful books on Romans (a few of our additional readings come from these volumes):
N. Elliott, The Arrogance of Nations; Romans in the Shadow of Empire (Fortress, 2008)
• M. Nanos, The Mystery of Romans (Fortress, 1996)
• M. Harding and A. Nobbs (eds.), All Things to All Cultures: Paul Among Jews, Greeks, and Romans (Eerdmans, 2013) •
M. Zetterholm, Approaches to Paul: A Student’s Guide to Recent Scholarship (Fortress, 2009)
• J. Marchal, Studying Paul’s Letters: Contemporary Perspectives and Methods (Fortress, 2012)
• K. Donfried (ed), The Romans Debate (Hendrickson, revised edition, 2005)
• Caroline Johnson-Hodge, If Sons, Then Heirs: A Study in Kinship and Ethnicity in Paul’s Letters (Oxford, 2007)
• S. Westerholm, Perspectives Old and New on Paul: The “Lutheran” Paul and His Critics (Eerdmans, 2004)
• S. Westerholm, Justification Reconsidered: Rethinking a Pauline Theme (Eerdmans, 2013) • K. Stendahl, Paul Among Jews and Gentiles (Fortress, 1976)
• K. Stendahl, The Final Account: Paul’s Letter to the Romans (Fortress, 1995)
• C. Grenholm and D. Patte, Reading Israel in Romans: Legitimacy and Plausibility of Divergent Interpretations (Trinity, 2000)
• D. Hay and E.E. Johnson, Pauline Theology III: Romans (Fortress, 1995)
• J.D.G. Dunn, The Theology of the Apostle Paul (Eerdmans, 1998)
• P. Eisenbaum, Paul Was Not a Christian: The Original Message of a Misunderstood Apostle (HarperOne, 2009)
Click here for Commentaries on Romans
Each week's reading is listed in "Assignments" which is where you participate in the discussion, and where you find the links to the additional readings (i.e. readings that are not in required texts). This is a summary list of all the readings for the quarter.
JAN 10 INTRODUCTION TO COURSE | SIGN UP FOR PRESENTATIONS
• Read Romans
• Martin Luther,
JAN 17 (RE) ORIENTING OURSELVES TO ROMANS
• Read all of Romans!
• Read Galatians
• Reasoner, Introduction, Locus 1: Rom 1:16-17, pp. 1-11.
• K. Stendahl, “The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the
West,” pp. 78-96 in Paul Among Jews and Gentiles
• J.D.G. Dunn, “The New Perspective on Paul,” pp. 299-308 in The
Romans Debate
• Rodriguez, Introduction, pp. 1-12.
• Martin Luther, Preface to the Epistle to the Romans
JAN 24 JEWS, GENTILES, AND THE IMPARTIALITY OF GOD
• Romans, chaps 1-4
• Rodriguez, chaps 1-5: pp. 13-94
• Reasoner, Locus 3: Rom 3:21-28, pp. 23-41
• Sze-Kar Wan, “’To the Jew First and Also the Greek:’ Reading Romans as
Ethnic Construction,” pp. 129-155 in Prejudice and Christian Beginnings:
Investigating Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in Early Christian Studies, eds.
L Nasrallah and E. Schüssler-Fiorenza (Fortress, 2009)
• S. Stowers, A Rereading of Romans, 1-41, 83-125 (required for PhD
students; optional for masters students)
JAN 31 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
• Romans 3-4
• Wright, Preface, chaps 4, pp. 79-108 & 7+Conclusion, pp. 177-225
• S. Westerholm, “Justification by Faith” pp. 51-74 in Justification
Reconsidered: Rethinking a Pauline Theme (Eerdmans, 2013).
• Optional: Eisenbaum, “A Remedy for Having Been Born of Woman: Jews,
Gentiles, and Genealogy in Romans,” JBL 123 (204), 671-702.
FEB 7 DIVINE JUSTICE ON EARTH
• Romans, chaps 3-5
• Jennings, 1-98
• Reasoner, Locus 4-5: Rom 5:12, 18-21, pp. 43-66
FEB 14 SIN AND THE DIVIDED SELF
• Romans 6-8
• Rodriguez, chaps 6-9: pp. 95-168
• B. Gaventa, “The Birthing of Creation,” and “The Cosmic Power of Sin in
Paul’s Letter to the Romans,” pp. 51-62 & 125-36 in Our Mother Saint
Paul (WJK, 2007).
• Reasoner, Locus 6-7: Rom 7:7-8:4, 28-30, pp. 67-94
• Optional: Stowers on Self-Mastery, pp. 227-284
FEB 21 SALVATION FOR ISRAEL? SALVATION FOR ALL?
• Romans 9-11
• Rodriguez, chaps. 10-12: pp. 169-231
• Reasoner, Locus 8: Rom 9:16-18, pp. 95-104; Locus 10-11: Rom 10:4
&11:25-27, pp. 113-28
• J. Garraway, Chap 6: Romans 9-11, in Paul's Gentile Jews (Palgrave MacMillan,
2012), pp. 135-161.
• Optional: J. Sievers, “God’s Gifts and Call are Irrevocable,” in Reading
Israel in Romans, 127-73 (?)
FEB 28 THE RULE OF LAW AND THE RULE OF FAITH
• Romans 12-13
• Reasoner, Locus 12 & Conclusion, pp. 129-49
• Elliott, Arrogance of Nations, pp. 143-61
• Jennings 176-232
• Optional: W. Campbell, “The Rule of Faith in Romans 12:1-15:13: The
Obligation of Humble Obedience as the Only Adequate Response to the
Mercies of God,” 259-86 in Pauline Theology III: Romans (Fortress,
1995)
MAR 7 A PAULINE ETHIC FOR THE STRONG AND THE WEAK
• ROM 14-16
• Rodriguez, chaps 14-15: PP. 257-95
• K. Ehrensberger, “Reading Romans in the Face of the Other: Levinas the
Jewish Philosopher Meets Paul the Jewish Apostle,” 115-54 in Reading
Romans with Contemporary Philosophers and Theologians, ed. D. Odell-
Scott (T & T Clark, 2007)
• Ehrensberger, “Called to be Saints: The Identity Shaping Dimensions of
Paul’s Priestly Discourse in Romans” in Reading Paul in Context:
Explorations in Identity Formation. T & T Clark, 2010, pp. 90-109.
• Optional: Joshua Garraway, “The Circumcision of Christ: Rom 15:7-13”
JSNT 34.4 (2012) 303-22.
MAR 14 TURN IN SHORT PAPER II | DISCUSSION
• Short presentations and discussion of Final Papers
Click here if you would like a complete, printable syllabus.
(For details on assignments and how they are weighted, go to "Assignments.")
94-100 = A
91-93 = A-
87-90 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B-
77-79 = C+
73-76 = C
70-72 = C-
70 < = F
Under special circumstances, I will grant Incompletes, but students must follow the school's policy (masters students - Iliff; doctoral students - DU), which can be found in the student handbook.
Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).
Incompletes: If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.
Pass/Fail: Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.
Academic Integrity and Community Covenant: All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook, or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook, as appropriate. All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.
Accommodations: Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations. The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146.
Writing Lab: Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments. Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft.
Inclusive Language: It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community.
Date | Day | Details | |
Jan 10, 2017 | Tue | Introduction to Course & Sign-ups | due by 06:59PM |
Jan 17, 2017 | Tue | Readings for January 17 | (Re)Orienting Ourselves to Romans | due by 06:59AM |
Jan 24, 2017 | Tue | Readings for January 24 | Jews, Gentiles and the Impartiality of God | due by 06:59AM |
Jan 31, 2017 | Tue | Readings January 31 | Justification by Faith | due by 06:59AM |
Feb 07, 2017 | Tue | Readings February 7: Divine Justice on Earth | due by 06:59AM |
Feb 14, 2017 | Tue | Readings for February 14 | Sin and the Divided Self | due by 06:59AM |
Feb 21, 2017 | Tue | Readings for February 21 | Salvation for Israel, Salvation for All? | due by 06:59AM |
Feb 28, 2017 | Tue | Readings February 28 | The Rule of Law and the Rule of Faith | due by 06:59AM |
Mar 07, 2017 | Tue | Short Paper I : Exegesis | due by 06:59AM |
Mar 07, 2017 | Tue | Readings for March 7 | A Pauline Ethic for the Strong and Weak | due by 06:59AM |