U.S. $40.00 Canada 150.00 ROMANS A NEW TRANSLATION WITH INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY BY JOSEPH A. FITZMYER Outside of the Gospels themselves, there is no single Christian document whose influence has been greater than Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Its explosive character has changed lives-Augustine's, Martin Luther's, Karl Barth's, to name but a few-and precipitated revolutions. Though usu ally associated with the Protestant ten dency of Christianity, it is of course a part of the Catholic heritage as well. In a bold, even a startling, move, the edi tors of the Anchor Bible Conunentaries invited Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J., one of the leading Catholic biblical schol ars, to provide this new translation and conunentary. This full-scale commentary deals with the most important issues in the early life of the Christian church. And it is through the eyes of the Apostle Paul, the major figure of this period, that we see the dominant motifs and themes, the theological essentials of the Christian faith. Who better than the once pious Jew, converted to the Chris- (continued on back flap) Tin: \\CllOH BIBLE PHOC H \\I h1r 111111·1· i11fon11alio11 011 :di 1lin·1· \1wl111r llil.11· -1·1·i1·,, pl1·a-1· 1·011,111! 1111' li-1i11;: 011 1111' 1·1·11·1·-i· -id1· of 1111' hook .i:11·k1·I. (continued from front flap) tian cause on the Road to Damascus, to tell the reader about the early struggles with Judaism, the reluctant yet nurtur ing mother of this new community of faith? This is a hook for all seasons and for all people, a guide to the perplexed of any creed or none. It is aimed primarily at Christians, because the letter to the Romans is a part of their canon of Holy Scripture. But it is equally valu able for all those who have an interest in learning about one of the most important letters ever written by any one, and in understanding the world shaking movement of which it was an essential part, and to which it gave powerful impetus. Joseph A. Fitzmyer, a Jesuit priest, is professor emeritus of biblical studies at the Catholic University of America. A past president of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical As sociation, and the international New Testament society, and a coeditor of The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Father Fitzmyer is also author of the bestselling Anchor Bible Commentary on the Gospel According to Luke. Jacket WU8tration by Norman Woehrle Prinled in the U.S.A. 1093 TllE \\CllOB BIBLE PBOCB \\I Fo1· 111111·1· i11f'on11alio11 011 all 1hn·1· \11,·li111· llil1l1· ,,.,.;,.,. pl1·a,1· """'"II 1111' Ji,1i11µ: Oii 1h1· .... ,, ... ,,. ,j,J,. 111' 1111' hook ja..J,1•1. Praise for Romans "Joseph Fitzmyer brings to Romans almost forty years of back ground in Pauline theology and life-setting. Romans is the prod uct of Paul's mature thought, and this commentary is the product of Fitzmyer's mature thought. It can lay fair claim to being the best commentary on Romans in English." -Raymond E. Brown, S.S. Union Theological Seminary, New York City "For its compilation of primary evidence, for its thorough review of scholarship, for its massive, indeed unrivaled bibliographies, this commentary deserves the accolade 'monumental'. No seri ous student of Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome can afford to do without it." -Paul J. Achtemeier Union Theological Seminary, Virginia "Magisterial. Completely sensitive to Paul's Jewish past." -Alan F. Segal Barnard College, Columbia University "Joseph A. Fitzmyer is one of the finest New Testament exegetes in the United States today. His commentary on Romans brings off a dazzling feat: It is a learned interpretation of a religious classic that makes a contribution to the world of scholarship and yet remains readable and intelligible to the educated layperson." -John P. Meier The Catholic University of America "This will be for a long time the substantial American commen tary on Romans. Joseph Fitzmyer brings back the voices of sig nificant interpreters of earlier centuries, and that not as archival history of exegesis but as colleagues deserving serious considera tion by an exegetical guild that for too long has thought nothing worth our attention that predated Baur or Barth or Bultmann." -Krister Stendahl The Divinity School, Harvard University ROMANS VOLUME33 THE ANCHOR BIBLE is a fresh approach to the world's greatest classic. Its object is to make the Bible accessible to the modern reader; its method is to arrive at the meaning of biblical literature through exact translation and extended exposition, and to reconstruct the ancient setting of the biblical story, as well as the circumstances of its transcription and the characteristics of its transcribers. THE ANCHOR BIBLE is a project of international and interfaith scope. Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish scholars from many countries contribute individual volumes. The project is not sponsored by any ecclesiastical organization and is not intended to reflect any particular theological doctrine. Prepared under our joint supervi sion, THE ANCHOR BIBLE is an effort to make available all the significant historical and linguistic knowledge which bears on the interpretation of the biblical record. THE ANCHOR BIBLE is aimed at the general reader with no special formal training in biblical studies; yet, it is written with the most exacting standards of scholarship, reflecting the highest technical accomplishment. This project marks the beginning of a new era of cooperation among scholars in biblical research, thus forming a common body of knowledge to be shared by all. William Foxwell Albright David Noel Freedman GENERAL EDITORS THE ANCHOR BIBLE ROMANS • A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary JOSEPH A. FITZMYER, S.J. THE ANCHOR BIBLE Doubleday New York London Toronto Sydney Auckland THE ANCHOR BIBLE PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. 1540 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10036 The ANCHOR BIBLE, DoUBLEDAY, and the portrayal of an anchor with the letters AB are trademarks of Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. IMPRIMI POTEST Reverend Edward Glynn, S.J. Praepositus Provinciae Mary/andiae NIHIL OBSTAT Reverend James Walsh, S.). Censor Deputatus IMPRIMATUR Reverend Msgr. William ). Kane Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Washington 28 April 1992 The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the nihil obstat and the imprimatur agree with the content, opinions, or statements expressed. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bible. N.T. Romans. English. Fitzmyer. 1993. Romans : a new translation with introduction and commentary I Joseph A. Fitzmyer. - !st ed. p. cm. - (The Anchor Bible ; 33) Includes bibliographical references and index. I. Bible. N.T. Romans--Commentaries. I. Fitzmyer, Joseph A. II. Title. III. Series: Bible. English. Anchor Bible. I 964 ; v. 33. BSI92.2.AI 1964.G3 vol. 33 [BS2663] 220. 7'7 s--dc20 [227'.1077] 92-29702 CIP ISBN 0-385-23317-5 Copyright© 1993 by Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America October I 993 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Piae memoriae magistrorum meorum americanorum, belgicorum, romanorum CONTENTS • Preface XIII Principal Abbreviations xvii Grammatical Abbreviations XXXI Other Abbreviations XXXlll TO THE ROMANS: TRANSLATION INTRODUCTION 23 I. Rome and Roman Christians 25 II. Authorship 40 III. The Text 44 IV Unity and Integrity 55 v. Occasion and Purpose 68 VI. Date and Place of Composition 85 VII. Language and Style 89 VIII. Structure and Outline 96 IX. Pauline Teaching in Romans 103 A. Theology Proper, Teaching about God 104 B. Christology, Teaching about Christ Jesus and His Role in God's Salvific Plan 110 C. Pneumatology, Teaching about the Holy Spirit 124 D. Anthropology, Teaching about Human Beings Without and with the Influence of the Gospel 126 E. Christian Conduct, or Teaching about the Call of Humanity to Spirit-Guided Existence 141 General Bibliography 173 vii