Romans The Divine Marriage Volume 1 Chapters 1-8: A Biblical Theological Commentary, Second Edition Revised

Why subtitle a commentary on Romans The Divine Marriage? Mainly because the central message of the Bible has to do with the drama of God seeking out a people for himself. The Old Testament described Israel as God's bride because she was called to a unique, personal relationship with her God.

However, Paul's contention is that national Israel's exclusive claim to be the bride no longer stands. The apostle's message is that God has created a new covenant with those who believe in his Son, and that believing Jews and Gentiles have now become the true bride of God. The Jewish remnant and believing Gentiles both draw from the same divinely-appointed stock as they share the promises given by God to Abraham.

The theme of the divine marriage (which is the culmination of the New Exodus) shaped and guided the letters that Paul wrote. This is especially true for the letter to the Romans, the letter of the divine marriage.

Here in his new study the insights of Holland's former work, Contours of Paul Theology with its central "New Exodus" paradigm, impact radically upon earlier readings of Paul's Letter to the Romans, revealing that these readings were controlled by eclectic methodologies that have in varying measure obscured the message of the biblical text.

Those who have already encountered Contours will be eager to discover how a corporate reading of the Apostle Paul's greatest contribution to the New Testament unfolds, and how-to highlight but one issue-a forensic sense of justification is to be maintained in the light of a broader covenantal context.

Many readers will be amazed that yet another study of a biblical text that has been subjected to so many fingertip searches in the past can yield such fresh evidence. All in all, Tom Holland's new commentary will not only affect the way one reads Romans, but it will also change the way that one looks at the Bible as a whole.

About the Author
Holland, Tom: - Tom Holland trained as an engineer but, following a strong sense of God's call to Christian service, he left this field of specialisation to study theology. After graduating from London University, he accepted an invitation to establish a church 25 miles south of Cambridge. The church grew rapidly and he served as its pastor. During this time, he became aware that there was far more of the Old Testament in the New Testament than was recognised. Believing that this insight was the key to a better understanding of the New Testament, he gave himself to researching this topic. The following 18 years caused his understanding to make huge adjustments as he came to value the vital link between the content of the two testaments. He retired from the church after 19 years of service in Letchworth and planted a second church in a nearby town, which has grown to be a thriving congregation. While serving this church he was invited to become New Testament lecturer at what is now Union School of Theology. He lectured at the school for 25 years, and during this time he gained his PhD from the University of Wales. Dr Holland became the Director of Biblical Research at the School, supervising over 20 students as they worked for their own doctoral degrees and teaching at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. During this time he continued to share the leadership of the church he'd planted, engaging in his own biblical research while writing books that have received warm endorsements from world leaders of New Testament research. In his retirement, Tom continues his writing and wider teaching as the Senior Research Fellow of Union School of Theology. He is married to Barbara and has 3 daughters and six grandchildren.