The Epistle to the Romans is one of the epistles, or letters, included in the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. When it is clear that the Bible is being discussed, it is often referred to as simply "Romans". Romans is one of the seven currently (as of 2004) undisputed letters of Paul and even among the four letters accepted as authentically his (in German scholarship, the Hauptbriefe) by F. C. Baur and the Tübingen School of historical criticism of texts in the 19th century.

History

It was probably written at Corinth or possibly in nearby Cenchrea. Phoebe (16:1) of Cenchrea, the Aegean port of Corinth, conveyed it to Rome, and Gaius of Corinth entertained the Apostle Paul at the time of his writing it (16:23; 1 Cor 1:14), and Erastus was chamberlain of the city, that is, of Corinth (2 Tim 4:20).

The precise time at which it was written is not mentioned in the epistle, but it was obviously written when the collection for Jerusalem had been assembled and Paul was about to "go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints", that is,at the close of his second visit to Greece, during the winter preceding his last visit to that city (Rom 15:25; cf. Acts 19:21; 20:2, 3, 16; 1 Cor 16:1–4) early in AD 58.

Probably, Christianity was planted in Rome by some of those who had been at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10). At this time the Jews were very numerous in Rome, and their synagogues were probably resorted to by Romans also, who in this way became acquainted with the story of Jesus as reported among the Jews. Thus a church

Many arguments found in Romans have been articulated in earlier letters, particularly Galatians and the letters to the church at Corinth.

Purposes of writing

The purposes of the apostle in writing were fourfold and are articulated in the second half of chapter 15.

1. Paul asks for prayers in his coming journey to Jerusalem and that the offering collected from the Gentile churches would be accepted there.
2. Paul is planning to come to Rome from Jerusalem and spend some time there before moving on to Spain. He hopes the Roman church will support his mission to Spain.
3. In that Paul has never been to Rome, he writes the letter to outline his gospel so that his teaching will not be confused by that of "false teachers".
4. Paul is aware that there is some conflict between Gentile and Jewish Christians in the Roman church, and he writes to address those concerns (chapters thirteen and the first half of fourteen). While the Roman church was founded by Jewish Christians, the exile of Jews from Rome in AD 49 by Claudius resulted in Gentile Christians taking leadership positions. Upon the return of Jewish Christians after Claudius's death in AD 54, tensions resulted over the keeping of Jewish food laws and observance of Jewish holy days.

Content

The main theme of the letter is the gospel of Jesus Christ (1:16–17). Paul argues that all humanity is guilty and accountable to God for sin and that it is only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that humanity can attain salvation. God is therefore both just and the one who justifies. In response to God's free, sovereign and graceful action of salvation, we can be justified by faith. Paul uses the example of Abraham to demonstrate that it is by faith not works that mankind can be seen as righteous before God.

Assurance of salvation

In chapters five through eight, Paul argues that believers can be assured of their hope in salvation, that believers have been freed from the bondage of sin and the dominion and bondage of the Law. Paul states that, through baptism, the

The gospel transforms believers

In chapter twelve through the first part of chapter fifteen, Paul outlines how the gospel transforms believers and the behaviour that results from such a transformation. In this section of the letter, Paul addresses the tension between those who wish to observe Jewish traditions and those who do not. The concluding verses contain a description of his travel plans and personal greetings salutations. One-third of the twenty-one Christians identified in the greetings are women, an indication that women played an important role in the early church at Rome.

General Characterisation

Paul sometimes uses a style of writing common in his time called a "diatribe". He appears to be responding to a "heckler", and the letter is structured as a series of arguments. The letter is addressed to the church at Rome which consisted of both Gentile and Jewish Christians. In the flow of the letter, Paul shifts his arguments, sometimes addressing the Jewish members of the church, sometimes the Gentile membership, and sometimes the church as a whole.

Protestant treatment of the text

Paul's letter to Rome is a rich, textured articulation of the gospel from which many of the doctrines of the church have made their foundation.

Martin Luther described Romans as "the chief book of the New Testament . . . it deserves to be known by heart, word for word, by every Christian."

The "Romans Road" refers to a set of scriptures from the book of Romans that Christian evangelists use to present a clear and simple case for personal salvation for each person. They are:

Romans 3:23"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6:23a"The wages of sin is death."

Romans 6:23b"But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 5:8"God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!"

Romans 10:9, 10"If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

Romans 10:13"Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!"

The Book of Romans has been at the forefront of several major movements in Protestantism. Martin Luther's lectures on Romans in 1515-16 were probably the crucial moment in which he developed his criticism of Catholicism which led to the 95 Theses of 1517, signalling the start of the Protestant Reformation. In 1738, while reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans, John Wesley famously felt his heart "strangely warmed", a conversion experience which is often seen as the beginning of Methodism. In 1919, Karl Barth's commentary on Romans was the publication which is widely seen as the beginning of neo-orthodoxy.

Catholic treatment of the text

Catholics accept the necessity of faith for salvation, but point to Rom 2:5–11 for the necessity of living a virtuous life as well:

"God . . . will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness. Yes, affliction and distress will come upon every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek. There is no partiality with God."

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This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.