Paul and His Letter to the Romans: Part One (Romans 1-5)

A Guide to the Apostle Paul's Masterpiece Epistle to the Romans. This Course Covers Romans Chapters One Through Five.

What you'll learn

Embrace the beauty of this magnificent letter from the pen of the Apostle Paul.
Understand the historical background that is so important to discerning the meaning of this pivotal epistle.
Discern how the Apostle Paul brings forth an argument with majesty and complexity.
Explain the movement of the main themes in Paul's Letter to the Romans.
Dig deeply into the intricacies of specific sections within the letter.
Explicate how the strands of key thoughts keep interweaving through the text much as a major symphonic orchestral work returns to movements that reinforce the underlying elements of the work.
Discuss how key theological ideas and thoughts are worked through by the Apostle Paul.
Realize the wonderful background of OT texts upon which the argument of the letter depends.

Requirements

Students should obtain the commentary by Prof. Wright, Paul for Everyone: Romans, Part One (John Knox, 2005) ISBN-10: 0664227996.

Description

Few writings in the history of the world have had the impact that Paul's Epistle to the Romans has had in the past centuries. Prof. N.T. Wright, renowned biblical scholar and historian, will walk you through Paul's Letter to the Romans. The course shines a bright spotlight on one of the most wonderful and challenging books in the New Testament. The powerful realities Paul expresses in his Epistle to the Romans have challenged men and women for nearly 2,000 years. People like St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley were profoundly changed by embracing the essential elements found in this magnificent letter. Dig deep into the New Testament through studying this amazing and pivotal work from the pen of the Apostle Paul through detailed explanation with Prof. N.T. Wright.

This course is Part One of a three-part course covering the whole of Paul and His Letter to the Romans. This course, Romans: Part One, is designed to take around fifteen weeks to complete and will cover Introductory Issues regarding the whole Epistle as well as in depth exegesis of Romans 1:1 - 5:21. While you may take the course at your own pace, you are encourage to take time to reflect upon the material presented in the textbook and in the lectures. Please do not rush. There is so much packed into every lecture. This is material to ponder and prayerfully consider.

The textbook is Prof. Wright's commentary on Romans in the Paul for Everyone series published by John Knox Press in the U.S. and SPCK in the UK.

The structure of the course includes:

Lectures by Prof. Wright
Quizzes to assess comprehension
Student discussions
Interaction with Prof. David Seemuth, your co-instructor for the course
Textbook readings
Interaction with the biblical text itself

If you are interested in a deeper knowledge of this powerful and important letter from the apostle Paul, then you will want to enroll in this course.

Who this course is for:

Any student of the Bible should be interested in this most powerful letter of the New Testament. Paul and His Letter to the Romans provides the basis for so much theology upon which Christians stand that this letter must be studied in depth.
While this course will contain some rather elaborate explanations, the beginning student interested in the New Testament will still be able to understand much of what Prof. Wright explains.
This course is not a forum for disputation over key themes. Students are encouraged to have vigorous dialogue in the public forums. Your co-instructor, Dr. David P. Seemuth, will monitor and interact with you. In so doing, we will keep the tone of the conversation full of love and respect even when disagreeing with certain conclusions.