Top 5-10 Romans commentaries

[Timotheos]

Just wanted to hear you all weigh in on this. If you (a) were assigning a commentary for a course on Romans in seminary & (b) wanted 5-10 commentaries to consult for preaching or teaching, which would be #1 that you would demand your students to purchase and then rank the rest of them.

 

[Stephen L Smith]

See https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/commentary-recommendations-romans.93933/#post-1146446

Perhaps the greatest expository series done on Romans ws Martyn Lloyd-Jones majestic Romans series.Worth a listen https://www.mljtrust.org/free-sermons/book-of-romans/

 

[Taylor]

Perhaps the greatest expository series done on Romans ws Martyn Lloyd-Jones majestic Romans series.Worth a listen https://www.mljtrust.org/free-sermons/book-of-romans/

This makes me happy that MLJ got the first mention. His first sermon on Romans 6 practically changed my life (and the first on Romans 7 is just as good). When I moved back to Georgia from Chicago, my pastors bought me the 13-volume Romans series by MLJ as a going-away gift. I treasure it. MLJ is the best.

 

[Taylor]

As a personal rule, though, I never trust that I have truly understood a passage until I have read Calvin's Commentary on said passage.

 

[SolaScriptura]

You guys are silly. If the reading list was for a “seminary course“ expositional or practical level commentaries would rate no more than a supplemental reading. Even someone like him would only make it to a secondary reading list. There’s just been simply too much paradigm shifting scholarship that has transpired for me too leapfrog over it and pretend it didn’t happen. Only technical commentaries would be on the list. People in seminary need to learn how to engage with scholarship.

 

[Taylor]

You guys are silly. If the reading list was for a “seminary course“ expositional or practical level commentaries would rate no more than a supplemental reading. Even someone like him would only make it to a secondary reading list. There’s just been simply too much paradigm shifting scholarship that has transpired for me too leapfrog over it and pretend it didn’t happen. Only technically commentaries would be on the list. People in seminary need to learn how to engage with scholarship.

I've been to seminary. I'm fully aware of what is required. Thanks.

 

[Stephen L Smith]

This makes me happy that MLJ got the first mention. His first sermon on Romans 6 practically changed my life

Glad to hear this Taylor. MLJ sermons have been literally life changing for me. As people will know, many of Dr Lloyd-Jones sermons are available on the MLJ Recording Trust website. The series on Romans, Ephesians, John etc are a blessing to the soul. https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/

Few preachers have gripped me like the Doctor has.

 

[Stephen L Smith]

You guys are silly. If the reading list was for a “seminary course“ expositional or practical level commentaries would rate no more than a supplemental reading.

Silly? I doubt Spurgeon, Dr Lloyd-Jones or the Puritans would agree it you. If we want to talk about Seminary, Dr Joel Beeke is the President of an esteemed Seminary. He constantly argues for scholarship and piety. Thus I believe Dr Beeke would assign a expositional commentary as well as an academic commentary.

Even someone like him would only make it to a secondary reading list.

Not in a seminary that emphasises piety as well as scholarship

People in seminary need to learn how to engage with scholarship.

Did Paul say "and my speech and my message were based on the very latest scholarship" in 1 Cor 2?

Far from it!
He said "and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

This is not to undermine the importance of scholarship. It is noteworthy that MLJ himself based his expositions on Romans on the latest scholarship (he read Barth and Brunner etc) but he emphasised that the church needs to get back to what Paul said in 1 Cor 2:3 ff.

 

[Regi Addictissimus]

I have been doing research on Romans commentaries as I plan on spending significant time studying it next year. The one's I am going to use are:
John Murray
Shedd
John Brown of Edinburgh
Calvin
Haldane
And probably Schreiner's new one.

 

[Regi Addictissimus]

Glad to hear this Taylor. MLJ sermons have been literally life changing for me. As people will know, many of Dr Lloyd-Jones sermons are available on the MLJ Recording Trust website. The series on Romans, Ephesians, John etc are a blessing to the soul. https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/

Few preachers have gripped me like the Doctor has.

I can't speak highly enough of the Doctor. I spent a year listening to sermons as I opened my restaurant, M-F. It was life-changing. I am reading his two-volume biography right now. It is bringing me great encouragement. I plan on starting his Romans series after I finish his sermons on Ephesians.

 

[greenbaggins]

My top ten are as follows, in no particular order: Cranfield (ICC), Moo (NICNT, now in a second edition), Nygren, Boice, Shedd, Lloyd-Jones, Schreiner (now in a second edition), Murray, Haldane, Calvin.

 

[KMK]

My top ten are as follows, in no particular order: Cranfield (ICC), Moo (NICNT, now in a second edition), Nygren, Boice, Shedd, Lloyd-Jones, Schreiner (now in a second edition), Murray, Haldane, Calvin.

Hmmm... Is it time to update your list on greenbaggins?

 

[SolaScriptura]

Silly? I doubt Spurgeon, Dr Lloyd-Jones or the Puritans would agree it you. If we want to talk about Seminary, Dr Joel Beeke is the President of an esteemed Seminary. He constantly argues for scholarship [you]and[/you] piety. Thus I believe Dr Beeke would assign a expositional commentary as well as an academic commentary.


Not in a seminary that emphasises piety as well as scholarship


Did Paul say "and my speech and my message were based on the very latest scholarship" in 1 Cor 2?

Far from it!
He said "and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

This is not to undermine the importance of scholarship. It is noteworthy that MLJ himself based his expositions on Romans on the latest scholarship (he read Barth and Brunner etc) but he emphasised that the church needs to get back to what Paul said in 1 Cor 2:3 ff.

Ok.

 

[Stephen L Smith]

I can't speak highly enough of the Doctor. I spent a year listening to sermons as I opened my restaurant, M-F. It was life-changing. I am reading his two-volume biography right now. It is bringing me great encouragement. I plan on starting his Romans series after I finish his sermons on Ephesians.

I say Amen to all this Robert. The 2 volume biography was also life changing for me. I cannot praise it too highly! You will also enjoy "Martyn Lloyd-Jones: messanger of grace" also by Iain Murray.

 

[Stephen L Smith]

John Murray
Shedd
John Brown of Edinburgh
Calvin
Haldane

Lloyd-Jones would recommend Haldane as an 'expositional' commentary alongside the academic commentaries.

 

[Regi Addictissimus]

Lloyd-Jones would recommend Haldane as an 'expositional' commentary alongside the academic commentaries.

Indeed. I know he found great benefit from it but then again he didn't go to seminary. I suppose Haldane wouldn't be proper reading for seminary course work.

 

[Regi Addictissimus]

I say Amen to all this Robert. The 2 volume biography was also life changing for me. I cannot praise it too highly! You will also enjoy "Martyn Lloyd-Jones: messanger of grace" also by Iain Murray.

Glad to hear it! Thanks for the recommendation. I will add it to my queue. Sorry to hijack the thread and turn it into one about MLJ.

 

[greenbaggins]

Hmmm... Is it time to update your list on greenbaggins?

Well, if I updated it every time a new edition came out or a new commentary, I would do nothing else. It's still a pretty good list.

 

[JimmyH]

I truly believe the Holy Spirit used MLJ's writings and sermons to contribute mightily to my salvation. He preached at the Hawthorne Gospel Church in north NJ a few years before I first came to believe, and I availed myself of tapes of those sermons shortly thereafter.
Reading his Studies in the Sermon on the Mount was instrumental in increasing my faith, and I think everyone should read it. It was transcribed from sermons he gave shortly before they began the recordings.
I've been listening to his sermons on Romans one per night for awhile now, and I'm up to chapter 5. The commentaries he recommends so far are Hodge as well as Haldane.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

If you were assigning commentaries for reading in a seminary class, you would assign the best critical commentaries that enable the student to best understand the meaning of the Greek text of Romans. The more doctrinal and devotional commentaries would, as Ben says, be recommended as supplementary readings.

 

[bookslover]

My top ten are as follows, in no particular order: Cranfield (ICC), Moo (NICNT, now in a second edition), Nygren, Boice, Shedd, Lloyd-Jones, Schreiner (now in a second edition), Murray, Haldane, Calvin.

No Longenecker? No Stott?

 

[JTB.SDG]

My top would be a tie between Hodge and Haldane. From there I would also add Murray and Moo as well as Stott to make my top 5.

 

[bookslover]

I truly believe the Holy Spirit used MLJ's writings and sermons to contribute mightily to my salvation. He preached at the Hawthorne Gospel Church in north NJ a few years before I first came to believe, and I availed myself of tapes of those sermons shortly thereafter.
Reading his Studies in the Sermon on the Mount was instrumental in increasing my faith, and I think everyone should read it. It was transcribed from sermons he gave shortly before they began the recordings.
I've been listening to his sermons on Romans one per night for awhile now, and I'm up to chapter 5. The commentaries he recommends so far are Hodge as well as Haldane.

I think his Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (2 volumes: 1959, 1960; usually published as one volume now) is his best work. Recommended.

 

[Taylor]

If you were assigning commentaries for reading in a seminary class, you would assign the best critical commentaries that enable the student to best understand the meaning of the Greek text of Romans. The more doctrinal and devotional commentaries would, as Ben says, be recommended as supplementary readings.

Probably. But the point falls on deaf ears when it is made as rudely and insultingly as he did.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

Probably. But the point falls on deaf ears when it is made as rudely and insultingly as he did.

That is why I made it politely.

 

[fredtgreco]

I'm in Romans 8 now in my series. Murray is the best by far and away. I also think there is a difference between reading a book in seminary and preparing to preach. I don't spend a lot of time with technical commentaries. I've been doing Greek for 31 years, so I don't need to wade through a bunch of dreck so the author can give me his insights on the aorist tense.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

I'm in Romans 8 now in my series. Murray is the best by far and away. I also think there is a difference between reading a book in seminary and preparing to preach. I don't spend a lot of time with technical commentaries. I've been doing Greek for 31 years, so I don't need to wade through a bunch of dreck so the author can give me his insights on the aorist tense.

Just wondering, Fred, did you ever consult Thomas Aquinas's Commentary on Romans for your series? I read it recently (online here); there were plenty of good doctrinal observations (not so much on justification), but it was not that great exegetically.

 

[bookslover]

My top ten are as follows, in no particular order: Cranfield (ICC), Moo (NICNT, now in a second edition), Nygren, Boice, Shedd, Lloyd-Jones, Schreiner (now in a second edition), Murray, Haldane, Calvin.

Nygren isn't actually a typical commentary, though, is it?

 

[JimmyH]

D.A. Carson's 'New Testament Commentary Survey' (5th edition 2001) lists 'best buys' for single Romans commentaries as;
D.J. Moo in NIC
T.Schreiner
C.E.B. Cranfield (for advanced students)
A. Nygren
The earlier version of 1993 lists best buys as;
Cranfield
Moo (wait for NIC)
F.F. Bruce
C.K. Barrett
A. Nygren

On Nygren he says, " One of the best for the theological flow of thought in Romans is the work of Anders Nygren (Fortress 1949) Everyone who can do so who can do so should grasp his general introductory remarks on pages 16-26. Unfortunately, however, the book is inadequate as a verse-by-verse commentary."

Carson covers all of the authors of commentaries on Romans with at least a gloss. Haldane gets an honorable mention, as well as Hodge. On John Murray, "will guide you stolidly with the heavy tread of the proverbial village policeman (although with more theology; and note especially the useful appendices and notes)"

On MLJ; "Lloyd-Jones is probably not the model most preachers should imitate, but the set is easy to read, and Lloyd-Jones sometimes offers material one is hard pressed to find elsewhere--in addition to the wealth of his practical application of Scripture."

 

[Taylor]

D.A. Carson's 'New Testament Commentary Survey' (5th edition 2001) lists 'best buys' for single Romans commentaries as;
D.J. Moo in NIC
T.Schreiner
C.E.B. Cranfield (for advanced students)
A. Nygren
The earlier version of 1993 lists best buys as;
Cranfield
Moo (wait for NIC)
F.F. Bruce
C.K. Barrett
A. Nygren

On Nygren he says, " One of the best for the theological flow of thought in Romans is the work of Anders Nygren (Fortress 1949) Everyone who can do so who can do so should grasp his general introductory remarks on pages 16-26. Unfortunately, however, the book is inadequate as a verse-by-verse commentary."

Carson covers all of the authors of commentaries on Romans with at least a gloss. Haldane gets an honorable mention, as well as Hodge. On John Murray, "will guide you stolidly with the heavy tread of the proverbial village policeman (although with more theology; and note especially the useful appendices and notes)"

On MLJ; "Lloyd-Jones is probably not the model most preachers should imitate, but the set is easy to read, and Lloyd-Jones sometimes offers material one is hard pressed to find elsewhere--in addition to the wealth of his practical application of Scripture."

Thanks for this!

Does he offer any extended comment on Cranfield?