Sacra Pagina - by Frank J Matera (Paperback)

About the Book

"With updated bibliography"--Copyright page.

Book Synopsis

Paul's Letter to the Galatians has played a major role in the history of theology, especially in the Church's teaching on grace, faith, and justification. This commentary argues that Paul's doctrine of justification by faith is essentially social in nature and has important ecumenical implications for the Church today. In its original setting, Galatians established a foundation for the unity of Jewish and Gentile Christians: all are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ.

In addition to illuminating the historical situation that led Paul to write his Letter to the Galatians, this commentary pays careful attention to the rhetorical structure of this letter and its theological message. The author provides a fresh translation of Galatians, critical notes on each verse of the text, and a careful commentary of the letter in light of Paul's theology.

Theories abound on the question of Galatians, why it was written, what it says, and what the implications of that message are. Yet few scholars have devoted themselves at length to this letter. What sets this work apart is the extent and detail of its scholarship. Includes an updated bibliography as an appendix.

Frank J. Matera is the Andrews-Kelly-Ryan Professor of Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America. A past president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, he is the author of Strategies for PreachingPaul (Liturgical Press); New Testament Ethics: The Legacies of Jesus andPaul; New Testament Christology; and a commentary on Second Corinthians in the New Testament Library Series.

Review Quotes

Uniquely explained and scholarly presented, this presentation of the meaning of the Letter to Galatians, as one of the most influential of the New Testament, should be powerfully relevant to contemporary peoples.Emmanuel

Matera has written a clear, straightforward, and convincing commentary.Internationale Zeitschriftenschau . . .

It would make a worthy addition to anyone's personal library.The Australian Biblical Review

Matera's commentary on Galatians was the first to appear in the Sacra Pagina series. His introduction addresses the classical background issues that relate to Galatians, foremost being the identity of those against whom Paul writes. . . . The commentary sections are balanced and offer careful exegesis from a historio-critical perspective.The Expository Times