The IBR website just posted the program for its research groups for November 2019. For those of you interested in the IBR Pauline Theology Research Group, which I co-chair with Nijay Gupta, please plan to join us for this year’s session 3:30-5:30pm, Friday, November 22. We will be beginning an exciting new multi-year study on Romans 1-4. The summary is provided on the IBR website as well as below. I hope you can make it. In any case, please spread the word!

Paul’s letter to the Romans remains the entree of Pauline theological research, and for good reason. This letter is the clearest and most comprehensive treatment of Paul’s gospel and of the other major themes that surface within his surviving literary corpus. But while the importance of Romans is undisputed, the relative significance of each of the letter’s major units remains hotly contested. Much recent scholarship has focused on chapters  5–8 and  9–11, but what do we make of Romans 1–4? These initial chapters were for centuries believed to be the linchpin of the letter, though they have been given comparatively less attention and weight by contemporary Pauline theologians. Yet as fresh theological perspectives push the field in new directions, it is critical to give due attention to the foundational chapters of Romans. Accordingly, the IBR Pauline Theology research group will in 2019 begin a multi-year study on crucial issues in Romans 1–4, with invited papers from some of the field’s most respected voices. For more information, contact Nijay Gupta (ngupta@georgefox.edu) or John Goodrich (john.goodrich@moody.edu).

  • John Goodrich, Moody Bible Institute, Introduction (5 min)
  • Nijay Gupta, Portland Seminary, Introduction
  • Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Baylor University
    The Son of God ‘in Power: Power and Its Places in Paul’s Letter to the Romans (30 min)
  • Benjamin Schliesser, University of Bern
    The Theology of Paul in a Nutshell: A Fresh Look at the Phrase ‘From Faith to Faith’ (Rom 1:17) (30 min)
  • Matthew V. Novenson, University of Edinburgh
    Romans 1–2 between Theology and Historical Criticism (30 min)
  • Discussion (25 min)

 

 

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