Epistle To The Romans- This is placed before the other Epistles of Paul, not because it was first composed in order of time, but because of the dignity of the imperial city, to which it is directed, or of the excellence of its contents; or of the magnificence and sublimity of the mysteries of which it treats. It passes for the most exalted and the most difficult of all Paul’s Epistles. Jerome (Epist 151. cap 8) was of the opinion, that not one book only, but many volumes were necessary, for a full explanation of it. And some have thought, that Peter had chiefly this Epistle in his eye, when he said, (2 Pet 3:15-16) “As our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.” But others, with good reason, think Peter rather refers to Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews (see Bibl. Repository, vol. 2, pg 412). Or, perhaps, to what were earlier written, and the countries nearer to those addressed by Peter. The dates of the Epistles must be considered in this reference.

Paul’s design, in his Epistle to the Romans, is to terminate certain domestic disputes, which then prevailed among the believers at Rome, and divided the converted Jews and Gentiles into two parties. The Jews insisted on their birthright, and the promises made to their fathers; on account of which they assumed a certain priority or preference over the converted Gentiles, whom they regarded as foreigners and interlopers, out of pure favor admitted into the society of believers, and to the participation of Christian privileges. The Gentiles, on the other hand, maintained the merit of their sages and philosophers, the prudence of their legislators, the purity of their morality, and their exactness in following the law of nature. They accused the Jews of infidelity toward God, and violation of his laws. They aggravated their faults, and those of their fathers, which had excluded the greater part of them from the inheritance of the saints, from the faith, &c. as witnessed by their own Scriptures, &c.

To terminate these contentions, Paul applies himself to restrain the presumption of both parties. He shows that neither could pretend to merit, or had reason to glory, or boast of their calling; which proceeded from the mere grace and mercy of God. He proves that even if the Jews had observed the law of Moses, and the Gentiles the law of nature, this could not have merited for either the grace they had received. That nothing but faith in Jesus Christ, enlivened by charity and good works, can justify us. he answers objections by arguments taken from these principles, e.g., the gratuitous vocation, or the non-vocation, of Jew and Gentile; the insufficiency of the works of the law without faith; the superiority of the Jews above the Gentiles; and the infallibility of the promises of God. This introduces a discussion of predestination and reprobation, which makes a principle part of this Epistle, and contains some of the greatest difficulties in it.

In chapters 12-15 the apostle gives excellent rules of morality, concerning mutual harmony, mutual forbearance, and reciprocal condescension to infirmities, for fear of scandalizing or offending one another by indiscreet liberties. He describes the false apostles, and exhorts believers to avoid them. Chapter 16 contains salutations and commendations, addressed to particular persons.

This Epistle was written A.D. 58, in Corinth, whence Paul was immediately to depart, to carry to Jerusalem some collections made for the saints. Phoebe, a deaconess of the church of Cenchrea, near Corinth, was the bearer of it. No doubt has ever been made of its authenticity; and though it was addressed to the Romans, yet it was written in Greek. Tertius was Paul’s secretary on this occasion.

The Marcionites made great defalcations in the Epistles of Paul, especially in this to the Romans, of which they suppressed the last two chapters. There is much probability that Paul designed to finish this Epistle at the end of the fourteenth; but afterwards added the concluding chapters. At The end of the fifteenth chapter, we find this conclusion: “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen;” which seems to show that the letter was then finished. We see the same conclusion no less than three times in the sixteenth chapter (vss 20, 24, 27) which leads us to imagine that these additions were composed at intervals. Probably, while waiting for an opportunity of sending it off, whether by Phoebe, or by any other safe hand.

Paul is supposed to have visited Rome twice. First, A.D. 61 or 63, when he appealed to Caesar; and then A.D. 65, a year before his martyrdom, which happened in A.D. 66. (Augustin Calmet)

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1 St. Thomas Aquinas Pelagius Ambrosiaster Haimo of Auxerre William of St. Thierry Interlinear Gloss Erasmus Bishop John McEvilly St. John Chrysostom St. Hesychius of Jerusalem Glossa Ordinaria St. Augustine Theodoret of Cyrus Theophylact	Chapter 9 Interlinear Gloss St. Thomas Aquinas Bishop Richard Challoner St. John Chrysostom Ambrosiaster St. Augustine St. Francis of Sales St. Bonaventure Theodoret of Cyrus St. Cyril of Alexandria
Chapter 2 St. Thomas Aquinas St. John Chrysostom Theophylact Ambrosiaster Glossa Ordinaria Interlinear Gloss Origen Pelagius Bishop John McEvilly	Chapter 10 St. Thomas Aquinas Peter Abelard St. John Chrysostom Theodoret of Cyrus Ambrosiaster Bishop John McEvilly Cardinal John Henry Newman Interlinear Gloss Glossa Ordinaria Bishop Richard Challoner St. Jerome
Chapter 3 St. Thomas Aquinas Glossa Ordinaria St. Albert the Great Bishop John McEvilly William of St. Thierry Theodore of Mopsuestia St. John Chrysostom Theodoret of Cyrus Pope Benedict XVI Glossa Ordinaria Interlinear Gloss Cornelius a Lapide	Chapter 11 St. John Chrysostom Pelagius Bishop Richard Challoner Cardinal John Henry Newman St. Thomas Aquinas Interlinear Gloss William of St. Thierry Glossa Ordinaria Bishop John McEvilly Theodoret of Cyrus Ambroisaster
Chapter 4 Theodoret of Cyrus St. Thomas Aquinas St. John Chrysostom Bishop John McEvilly Pope John Paul II Glossa Ordinaria Interlinear Gloss Augustin Calmet	Chapter 12 St. John Chrysostom Theodoret of Cyrus Interlinear Gloss Glossa Ordinaria Pelagius Bishop John McEvilly William of St. Thierry Cornelius Jansen Fr. Robert Witham St. Thomas Aquinas Ambrosiaster
Chapter 5 Cornelius a Lapide St. Thomas Aquinas St. John Chrysostom Theodoret of Cyrus Interlinear Gloss St. Anselm of Canterbury Hugh of St. Victor St. Augustine Bishop Richard Challoner Glossa Ordinaria	Chapter 13 Bishop John McEvilly St. Thomas Aquinas Pope John Paul II Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Pelagius Theodoret of Cyrus St. John Chrysostom
Chapter 6 Ambrosiaster St. John of Damascus Glossa Ordinaria St. Thomas Aquinas Interlinear Gloss Haimo of Auxerre William of St. Thierry Pelagius Ishodad of Merv	Chapter 14 Bishop Richard Challoner St. Thomas Aquinas William of St. Thierry Ambrosiaster Cornelius a Lapide Origen Bishop John McEvilly

Chapter 7 St. Thomas Aquinas Bishop John McEvilly Interlinear Gloss Ishodad of Merv William of St. Thierry Glossa Ordinaria St. John Chrysostom	Chapter 15 St. Thomas Aquinas Cardinal John Henry Newman Theodoret of Cyrus St. John Chrysostom Theodore of Mopsuestia Augustin Calmet Bishop John McEvilly
Chapter 8 Glossa Ordinaria St. John Chrysostom Interlinear Gloss Theodoret of Cyrus Ambrosiaster St. Thomas Aquinas William of St. Thierry Nicholas of Lyra Theodoret of Cyrus St. Anselm of Canterbury Cardinal John Henry Newman	Chapter 16 Bishop John McEvilly Augustin Calmet St. Thomas Aquinas St. John Chrysostom St. Hippolytus Origen