Romans: A Shorter Commentary

When Professor Charles Cranfield published his ICC commentary on Romans in 1975 (vol. II, 1979), it was met with universal high praise, and until today it is considered one of the very best on this epistle. The abridged version has a brief Introduction, dispenses with analysis of the Greek text, and contains few notes. Yet even those who own the full two-volume commentary may find it useful to obtain the shorter work for quick reference, because it contains the gist of Cranfield's thought--by Cranfield himself. The marvel of it is the way he combines brevity with depth and thoroughness. I will give just one example. On verse 6:2, in the space of little more than one page, he lucidly explains four different senses of how dying to sin and being raised to life may be understood: juridical, baptismal, moral, and eschatological; then writes, "In the course of the following verses Paul moves freely between these different senses, implying all the time both the distinctness of these different dyings and risings with Christ and also their real and essential relatedness." One page? Imagine what wealth of exposition may be gleaned from 384 pages of commentary!

If you like the systematic way that Paul writes Romans, then you will appreciate Cranfield's treatment here. It's not too technical so as to eliminate the understanding of the average layperson (but you can get the longer commentary if you so choose). I appreciate its referring to other passages and its to-the-point commentary. Truly a pleasure to have in hand as you read through Romans. I highly recommend it!

Cranfield excels at clearly articulating various possible interpretations of difficult passages. He does so in a very logical and orderly manner. He then explains his reasons for favoring one view over the others. The reader is benefitted by having new possibilities brought to view, as well as aided in selecting the proper understanding of the passage in question. This book was required reading for a course on Romans at Fuller Seminary. It may serve as a useful reference, or engage a reader with an appetite for high class theology. Makes an excellent gift!