Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans with a Greek English Dictionary for the Terms of the Epistle
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Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans With a Greek English Dictionary For the terms of the Epistle By Professor Dr. Maurice Tawadros Professor of the New Testament At the Coptic Seminary & the Institute of Coptic Studies, Cairo Author's Preface Acknowledgment In acknowledgment of the invaluable support of my dear sons Mr. John Tawadros and Mr. Mark Tawadros for helping bringing this book to light, I must express my deep gratitude to both of them. I also assure the English reader that the translation through the devoted effort of the translator Dr. Wedad A. Tawfik is done in a manner which will give an accurate presentation of the meaning. I pray that the whole work be for the glory of God's name and the benefit of the reader. The author Maurice Tawadros 1 Introduction On the Epistle The Biography of Paul the Apostle Before starting to speak about the Epistle to the Romans, we shall introduce a brief historical account on the life of Paul the apostle before and after his embracing the faith. The life of Paul the apostle before his embracing the faith: We ca n give an idea about the beginnings and the life of Paul the apostle before his accepting the faith from the sayings of the apostle himself as stated on his mouth in his Epistles, and from what St. Luke mentioned in the Book of the Acts: "But Paul said, 'I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city." (Acts 21: 39) "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to the Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished." (Acts 22: 3-5) The apostle also said, "I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did." (2Tim 1: 3) "I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee." (Acts 23: 6) "… circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning 2 the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." (Phil 3: 5, 6) In his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle said, "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I." (2Cor 11: 22) And in his Epistle to the Galatians, he said, "And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers." (Gal 1: 14) He also says, "My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." (Acts 26: 4, 5) "For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it." (Gal 1: 13) Paul the apostle likewise points out to his being a Roman citizen enjoying the rights of such citizenship. Therefore when they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and un-condemned?'" When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, "Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.'' Then the commander came and said to him, ''Tell me, are you a Roman?'' He said, 'Yes.' The commander answered, ''With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.'' And Paul said, ''But I was born a citizen.'' Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him (Acts 22: 25-29) 3 The apostle's name was first "Saul", a Hebrew name meaning "asked, or required". Then he was given the name "Paul", which means "the small", by which name he was known among the gentiles. A Jew often had more than one name, as Joseph who was called "Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus" (Acts 1: 23); and John had the surname "Mark" (Acts 12: 12); and Jesus was called "Justus" (Col 4: 11). Paul's life in faith: Although Paul the Apostle had persecuted Christianity violently, it pleased God, who separated him from his mother's womb, to call him through His grace, to reveal His Son in him, that he might preach Him among the Gentiles (Gal 1: 15). The Lord appeared to him while on his way to Damascus. "Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' So he, trembling and astonished, said, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?' Then the Lord said to him, 'Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.' And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank." (Acts 9: 1-9) The Book of Acts mentions that the Lord appeared to a disciple in Damascus named Ananias and commanded 4 him in a vision to go to the street called "Straight" and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. Saul was praying and he saw a vision that a man named Ananias was coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight. Ananias at the beginning was afraid of Saul, but the Lord assured him that Saul is a chosen vessel of the Lord to bear His name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel. So Ananias did as the Lord commanded him and Paul received his sight and was baptized. Paul the apostle told the story of his embracing the Christian Faith three times in the Book of Acts (9; 22; 26) Paul embraced Christianity in the twenty first year of the reign of Tibarios1 in the year 35 AD. Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Galatians that he afterwards went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus (Gal 1: 17). Paul stayed in Arabia for three years, and when he returned to Damascus he preached Christ in the Synagogues that He is the Son of God. All who heard were amazed and said, "Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?" But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 9: 2-22). The Book of Acts then speaks about the escape of Paul the apostle from Damascus to Jerusalem, then to Tarsus: "Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. Then the disciples 1 In the year 37 AD Tibarius the King of Rome died and Kligola succeeded him, and in the year 40 AD Kligola died and Claudius reigned. Judea and Samaria were given to Herod Argippa I (see Acts 12), who died in the year 44 AD. 5 took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket. And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus." (Acts 9: 23-30) Then Paul the apostle in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians refers to his escape from Damascus and mentions the era in which this happened, saying, "In Damascus the governor, under Aretas te King, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands." (2Cor 11: 32, 33) In the entry of Paul the apostle Jerusalem (it was his first visit to this city) he got acquainted with St.