Mobile Ed: NT332 A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Romans (10 hour course - audio)

by Ben Witherington III

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2018

Overview

Understanding the rhetorical craft that Paul employs is essential for interpreting the Letter to the Romans. No less important is understanding the specific issues Paul’s Roman audience was facing and how he uses his arguments to resonate profoundly with them. In this course, Dr. Ben Witherington III provides a socio-rhetorical analysis of this letter, examining the social setting of Paul’s writing and exploring the culture of first-century Rome. He investigates the rhetoric Paul uses, and he considers the flow of Paul’s arguments to reveal the letter’s themes of the righteousness of God and the reconciliation of humanity—Jew and Gentile—in Christ.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion you should be able to:

• Explain socio-rhetorical criticism and its application to the Letter to the Romans
• Discuss oral texts and oral cultures as well as their implications for Romans
• Describe the background of Romans
• Identify the rhetoric and rhetorical strategy of Romans
• Outline the structure of Romans
• Summarize the key interpretive principles for interpreting Romans
• Indicate the main themes of Romans
• Recall the proper interpretations of key passages in Romans

Course Outline

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Background to the Letter to the Romans

• Socio-Rhetorical Criticism and Social History
• Socio-Rhetorical Criticism and Oral Cultures
• Ancient Oral Texts
• Ancient Writing, Education, and Libraries
• Ancient Professional Readers
• Social Networks in Early Christianity
• Evangelism in a Patriarchal Culture
• The Evolution of the Roman World
• Jews and Christians in the Graeco-Roman World
• Work and Status in the Graeco-Roman World
• First-Century Family Values: Part 1
• First-Century Family Values: Part 2

Unit 2: The Structure, Rhetoric, and Interpretation of Romans

• Understanding the Rhetoric of Romans
• Paul’s Rhetorical Strategy
• Interpreting Romans

Unit 3: The Beginning of the Letter (Rom 1:1–17)

• The Epistolary Prescript
• The Exordium
• The Propositio

Unit 4: The First Argument (Rom 1:18–32)

• Truth for a Lie
• The Consequences

Unit 5: The Second Argument (Rom 2:1–24)

• The Hypocrisy of the Gentiles
• Jews, Gentiles, and the Mosaic Law
• The Hypocrisy of the Jewish Teachers
• Jews and Gentiles Alike

Unit 6: A Return to the Thesis Statement (Rom 3:21–31)

• The Faithfulness of Jesus Christ
• The Demonstration of God’s Righteousness

Unit 7: The Third Argument (Rom 4:1–25)

• Understanding Abraham’s Faith and Righteousness
• Righteousness apart from the Works of the Law
• The Promise Fulfilled in Christ

Unit 8: The Fourth Argument (Rom 5:1–11)

• Peace with God
• The Timing and Gift of Christ’s Death

Unit 9: The Fifth Argument (Rom 5:12–21)

• Similarities between the First and Last Adams
• Differences between the First and Last Adams

Unit 10: The Sixth Argument (Rom 6:1–7:25)

• Baptized into His Death
• New Creatures with Mortal Bodies
• Slaves of Righteousness
• Bondage: The Marriage Illustration
• Understanding Paul in Context
• Paul Speaks as Adam
• Identifying the “I”

Unit 11: The Seventh Argument (Rom 8:1–17)

• Paul’s Climactic Argument
• The Real Nature of Religion

Unit 12: The Eighth Argument (Rom 8:18–39)

• The Firstfruits and the Holy Spirit
• Working All Things Together for Good
• More than Conquerors

Unit 13: The Ninth Argument (Rom 9:1–11:36)

• The Fate of the Jews
• A Chosen People
• Vessels of Wrath and Vessels of Mercy
• The Fate and Future of the Gentiles
• The Basis for Salvation
• The Offer of Salvation to Israel
• The Resolution Concerning God’s First Chosen People
• An Olive Tree with New Branches
• All Israel Will Be Saved

Unit 14: The Tenth Argument (Rom 12:1–21)

• Belonging to God
• The One Body
• The Source of Paul’s Love Ethic
• Practicing Sacrificial Love

Unit 15: The Eleventh Argument (Rom 13:1–14)

• The Imperial Cult and the New Testament
• The Christian and the Government
• Christians as Good Citizens
• Money and Taxes
• Christian Citizenship and the Ten Commandments

Unit 16: The Twelfth Argument (Rom 14:1–15:13)

• Living within the Parameters of the Christian Conscience
• The Spectrum of Ethical Belief in Early Christianity
• Living unto the Lord
• The Need to Be Sensitive
• Christians and the Old Testament
• Paul’s Final Exhortation to the Gentile Christians

Unit 17: Peroratio and Travel Plans (Rom 15:14–33)

• Paul’s Apostolic Ministry to the Gentiles
• Paul’s Travel Plans

Unit 18: Recommendation and Reconciliation (Rom 16:1–27)

• Paul’s Individual Greetings: Part 1
• The Story of Junia: Part 1
• The Story of Junia: Part 2
• Paul’s Individual Greetings: Part 2
• A Final Emotional Exhortation

Conclusion

• Reviewing the Course

Product Details

• Title: NT332 A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Romans (audio)
• Instructor: Ben Witherington III
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Publication Date: 2019
• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
• Resource Type: Audio
• Length: 10 hours

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About Ben Witherington III

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. A prominent evangelical scholar, he is also on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Witherington has written over forty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. His other works include The Indelible Image, Women and the Genesis of Christianity, The Gospel Code, A Week in the Life of Corinth and commentaries on the entire New Testament. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications and is a frequent contributor to Patheos and Beliefnet. Witherington is an elected member of the prestigious Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. He is a John Wesley Fellow for Life, a research fellow at Cambridge University and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Society of Biblical Literature, Society for the Study of the New Testament and the Institute for Biblical Research. He previously taught at institutions like Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. An ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church and a popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings around the world. He has led numerous study tours through the lands of the Bible and is known for bringing the text to life through incisive historical and cultural analysis. Along with many interviews on radio and television networks across the country, Witherington has been seen in programs such as 60 Minutes, 20/20, Dateline and the Peter Jennings ABC special Jesus and Paul—The Word and the Witness.