Romans 1-8 - Concordia Commentary

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In this Volume

In Lutheran circles, Romans may be one of the most treasured books of the scriptures, outside perhaps the Gospel themselves. It is a seat of doctrine for countless faithful teachings on justification, original sin, and the Christian vocational life. In this commentary, Rev. Dr. Michael Middendorf provides an original translation of the first eight chapters of Romans, emphasizing the epistle’s history as an extremely well testified and complete document of the church. He gives great weight to the text itself, with extensive textual notes, chapter introductions, and comments. Middendorf supplements this work with additional comments and excursi on contextual, historical, and pastoral aspects of Romans.

Features

• A commitment first and foremost to pastors and lay readers in their study of God’s Word
• Abundant references to areas the Lutheran Confessions cite Romans
• A stance in favor of the forensic implications of Paul’s justification theology

Essays

• Perspective on Paul and the New Perspective on Paul
• Rhetorical and Epistolatory forms in Romans
• Hearing Romans and Hermeneutics

View the rest of the series.

About the Author

Michael P. Middendorf was born and raised in St. Paul, Minn. He received all of his education at Lutheran schools, including a B.A. in pre-seminary studies from Concordia University-St. Paul (1981). He worked there for three years as an admissions counselor and guest instructor o Greek before enrolling at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO., where he earned his M.Div. (1987), S.T.M. (1989), and Th.D. (1990) degrees. Dr. Middendorf served as a parish pastor in Jamestown, N.D., from 1990 to 1992 and as a professor of religion and biblical languages at Concordia University Texas (in Austin) from 1992 to 2001. Since then he has been professor of theology in Christ College, at Concordia University Irvine, in California. Hi is also a pastoral assistant at Trinity Cristo Rey Lutheran Church, a bilingual congregation in Santa Ana, Calif.

Endorsements

"There is need for a heavyweight Lutheran commentary on Romans. The latest Concordia Commentary volume by Michael Middendorf admirably meets that need. … Though this is a high level commentary which interacts with other high level commentaries, it is not overly technical. … This reviewer found the entire commentary to be very readable. … Throughout the commentary, the preacher will find great gospel quotes. … Middendorf’s exegesis is thorough and satisfying. … This is an important commentary because it is the first major Lutheran commentary to address the New Perspective on Paul. …This is a book that deserves to be used for sermon and Bible class preparation and for personal study. Middendorf is also writing the forthcoming Concordia Commentary on Romans 9-16. He ends his commentary on Romans 1-8 by saying, “The journey on which Paul leads us throughout Romans is far from over” (p 733). We look forward to it."

—Daniel Waldschmidt, Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly

“Throughout the book of Romans, Paul keeps Jesus Christ and the kingdom that his death and resurrection have graciously brought us at the heart of the discussion. And in this commentary Dr. Michael Middendorf does the same with the skill of a professor and an exegete as well as with the heart of a pastor who cares for his people. Not only are there original language nuggets and detailed textual research throughout, but Dr. Middendorf also brings to bear the church fathers, the Lutheran Confessions, and other scholars to amplify the centrality of the Gospel in all things. Especially helpful are the summary sections of the work that recap the message for both the lay reader and the pastor. Romans clearly delineates the person and work of Jesus as the key that unlocks the whole of the Scriptures. Dr. Michael Middendorf provides an in-depth, comprehensive look into what that Good News means for us all. This commentary is a must-have on every believer’s shelf.”

—Rev. Dr. Gregory P. Seltz, The Voice of The Lutheran Hour, Lutheran Hour Ministries

About the series

The Concordia Commentary Series: A Theological Exposition of Sacred Scripture is written to enable pastors and teachers of the Word to proclaim the Gospel with greater insight, clarity, and faithfulness to the divine intent of the Biblical text.

The series will cover all the canonical books of the Old and New Testament, with an original translation and meticulous grammatical analysis of the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek of each text. The foremost interpretive lens centers on the unified proclamation of the person and work of Christ across every Scriptural book.

The Commentary fully affirms the divine inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture; Each passage bears witness to the confession that God has reconciled the world to Himself through the incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ His Son.

Authors expose the rich treasury of language, imagery, and thematic content of the Scripture, while supplementing their work with additional research in archaeology, history, and extrabiblical literature. Throughout, God’s Word emanates from authors careful attention and inculcates the ongoing life of the Church in Word, Sacrament, and daily confession.

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