Review in: Interpretation
2004 58: 313
Review door: Charles
B. CousarGevonden op: http://int.sagepub.com/content/58/3/313.1.full.pdf+html
The Theology of
Paul's Letter to the Romans
by Klaus Haacker New Testament Theology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2003.
183 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-521-43535-8.
THIS
VOLUME ON Romans brings to a conclusion an extremely useful series on the
theology of the various canonical witnesses, edited by James D. G. Dunn.
Volumes by Richard Bauckham (on Revelation), Victor P. Furnish (on 1
Corinthians), Joel Green (on Luke), Ulrich Luz (on Matthew), Moody Smith (on
John), and Frances Young (on the Pastoral Letters), among others, have provided
timely explorations of theological themes and issues that are freed from the
burdens of a commentary.
In
one sense, Haacker follows in the same tradition. He quickly walks the reader
through the introductory questions of date, authorship, purpose, and audience,
in order to get at the questions of theology. The initial readership, for
Haacker, is primarily Roman, with a minority of Christian Jews in the picture.
Yet the inclusion of the Gentiles in the community of faith was still enough at
stake that Paul had to devote considerable space and attention to "the
vindication of the universalism of the Gospel" (p. 26).
What
Haacker sees as the distinctive idea of Romans is "the notion of peace
with God as the promise of the Gospel" (p. 45). Since peace was a rare
commodity in the Roman world, its proclamation addresses the universal chaos
and promises to establish an adequate relationship between human beings and
their Creator.
As
far as Israel is concerned, one day they will be saved, confirming God's
faithfulness and election. "The voice of God's love which speaks so
powerfully through the death of Christ for our sins is not quenched by periods
of error and alienation on the side of his people" (p. 95).
The latter portion of the book is given
over to a somewhat sketchy discussion of the relation of Romans to other
canonical literature and to its impact on the later history of the church (from
1 Clement to Karl Barth in ten pages!). Frankly, I wished for a more serious
struggle with the theology of Romans, with its apocalyptic force (not mentioned
at all), and with its tension between the impartiality and faithfulness of God,
instead of the necessarily brief and slight treatment of the letter's place in
the canonical structure and in the life of the church.
CHARLES B. COUSAR
COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY
DECATUR, GEORGIA
Zie ook:
en:
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten