New Approach to Romans with Distinguished Professor Beverly Roberts Gaventa

I am delighted to welcome Dr. Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Retired Distinguished Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Baylor University. She is also Professor Emerita at Princeton Theological Seminary. Many of my PCUSA colleagues took classes taught by Beverly at Princeton. I am a big fan of Beverly's books, including her accessible 2016 book When in Romans: An invitation to linger with the gospel according to Paul and her 2024 Romans: A Commentary. One of my colleagues said I should contact Beverly for an interview and she graciously accepted. Welcome Beverly! I am so excited to meet you. 

Romans scholarship has changed so much in the last few decades. I feel like I have spent a lifetime wrestling this amazing letter of spiritual reconciliation and freedom, only to experience the weight of the systematic theology laid on it as I learned about Reformed Theology as a young person. You have written a lot about the situatedness of Romans and Paul's sophisticated arguments to build connections between Jewish and Gentile communities in Rome. Reading your commentary and other recent scholarship has helped me see Romans in a new light. I've also heard from others how a fresh look at Romans has redeemed Paul in their eyes. 

As you wrote: "Writing a commentary on Paul's letter to the Romans is a bit like trying to capture the Atlantic Ocean with a liter bottle." Rather than boil the ocean, I'd rather ask about a few new insights I got from you. Hopefully, we can touch on the fascination that invites us to take off some of the interpretive shackles. 

1. Starting with a general question. How have you seen this fresh perspective change students minds? How do you help people see the importance of the situatedness of Paul's letters?  Was that your goal for writing When in Romans? 

2. You pay particular attention to Paul's diatribe in Romans 1:18-32 and the sudden jarring turn in 2:1 from third person "they" to second person plural "you all" which you translated as "You there!" I noticed how you reach back to this in subsequent chapters. How does this set up Paul's argument? Especially in Romans 9-11 when it seems to reverse again, putting the finger on the arrogance of Gentiles. Does understanding this help us avoid the theological cherry picking that is often done with the early chapters of Romans?

3. I was blown away by your description and the usage of the hilasterion in Romans 3:25. Understanding the nuance of Christ being put forward as the very cover of the ark of the covenant rather than a figurative reference seems to be a very important detail. How does the importance of place help us see atonement in a new way? Hilasterion has been translated many different ways ("propitiation" in KJV, NASB, ESV; "expiation" in RSV; "sacrifice of atonement" in NRSVue; "mercy seat" in CSB; "place of sacrifice" in CEB). What does this say about theology in translation?

4. I love Romans 8 as I think most people do. It seems like such relief and a highlight. N. T. Wright has called it the "essential chapter." This seems like a theological statement to me. Do you agree with this characterization? Should we see it as a culmination of the previous chapters about Sin and Death? 

5. I am intrigued by the gentleness and grace of Chapter 14. Your heading "Differences over Dinner" is followed by "The Danger of Being Right." This caught my attention because I think we should highlight it more that we typically do. Is chapter 14 a kind of punchline for the letter? Using Chapters 12-13 as the build up toward 14.

6. You consistently mention Phoebe's perspective as the carrier, reader and likely editor of the letter throughout your commentary. A careful reading of Chapter 16 should obliterate any notion of excluding women from church leadership. I love the way you say we should be naming our baby girls Tryphaena, Tryphosa, and especially Junia. I've spoken on the words Deacon, Benefactor, "among the Apostles", and the social location of Phoebe and Junia. This seems to redeem Paul the most in many women's eyes. Can you comment on the effect that your writing about this has had on our views of women in leadership?

References: 
Romans: A Commentary (The New Testament Library) by Beverly Roberts Gaventa, 2024
When in Romans: An invitation to linger with the gospel according to Paul by Beverly Roberts Gaventa, 2016