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Romans

By Theophan the RecluseTranslated by Holy Trinity Monastery

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ISBN: 9781942699637Published: Oct 06 2026
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ISBN: 9781942699651Published: Oct 06 2026
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“…do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:3)

This complete, verse-by-verse commentary presents in a single volume the Orthodox Church’s understanding of one of the most significant and foundational New Testament writings, St Paul’s epistle to the Romans. The tone of the work is both approachable and profound, drawing from the fullness of the Church’s patristic legacy, including Saints John Chrysostom, Blessed Theophylact, John Damascene, and Augustine of Hippo, among many others.

St Theophan the Recluse stands out among exegetes of recent times in the scope of his commentaries of the Holy Scriptures. Here, he skillfully weaves disparate patristic commentaries into a single tapestry, with an aim that is above all pastoral and devotional, focused on the Christian’s moral and spiritual life.The work is also deeply theological, presenting the Orthodox understanding of St Paul’s words without diverging into polemics or giving way to passing academic fads. This first volume in a series of commentaries on the Pauline Epistles will be as valuable to devoted students of Holy Scripture as to the lay reader seeking to acquire the mind of the Church.

Additional information

Imprint

Publisher

Author Name

Theophan the Recluse
Translator

Holy Trinity Monastery
Language

English
Book Dimensions

0
Format Detail

ePub3
Publication Date

20261006

Author Biography

St Theophan the Recluse (1815–1894) was a profound Church scholar and a true ascetic. He graduated from the Kiev Theological Academy, went on to receive a Master of Divinity from the Novgorod Theological Seminary, and later taught moral and pastoral theology at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. During his time in the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, he studied iconography as well as Arabic, French, Greek, and Hebrew, and translated the Philokalia into Russian. He served the Church as a bishop in both Tambov and Vladimir. Seeking the life of a recluse, he requested early retirement from episcopal service in 1866, and devoted himself to writing and translating spiritual books. He is known for communicating the teaching of the early Christian Fathers in a clear and approachable manner. His works include The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to It, The Path to Salvation, and Letters on the Spiritual Life. His legacy is a spiritual benefit for all Christians.

Contents

Section I: Introduction

A. The Enlightenment of the Romans by the Faith
B. The Composition of the Roman Church
C. Where and When the Epistle Was Written
D. The Reason, Motivation, and Purpose for Writing
E. Content and Division 

Section II: Preface (Rom 1:1–17)

A. Inscription & Greeting (Rom 1:1–7)
B.The Beginning of the Epistle (Rom 1:8–17)
    1.The Apostle Praises the Roman’s Faith (Rom 1:8)

    2.The Apostle Testifies of His Disposition Toward the Romans (Rom 1:9–13)

  1. The Apostle Indicates His Duty to Enlighten All with the Faith (Rom 1:14–15)
  2. The Main Subject of the Epistle (Rom 1:16–17)

Section III: Doctrinal Section: On Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 1:18–11:36)

A. Apart from Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ There Is No Salvation (Rom 1:18–3:30)

  1. The Judgment of God Is Inexorable for All Who Hold the Truth in Unrighteousness
  2. That Both the Jews and Greeks Are Guilty (Rom 1:19–3:20)
        a)  THE GENTILES HOLD THE TRUTH OF GOD IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS (ROM 1:19–2:16)

                (1) The Gentiles Dre Denounced for Impiety (Rom 1:19–23)

                (2) The Gentiles Are Denounced for Unrighteousness (Rom 1:24–31)

                     (aa) The Gentiles Are Given Over to Sensuality (Rom 1:24–27)

                      (bb)  The Gentiles Begin to Honor Every Unrighteousness (Rom 1:28–31)

               (3) The Gentiles Are without Defense for Having Knowledge and Not Doing Good (Rom.                             1:32–2:16)
            b) THE JEWS ALSO HOLD THE TRUTH OF GOD IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS (ROM 2:17–3:20)

                 (1)    They Know the Will of God (Rom 2:17–20)

                 (2)    But the Jews Live Contrary to the Law (Rom 2:21–24)

                 (3) On This Basis, the Jews Are Worse than the Gentiles (Rom 2:25–29)

                 (4) What Advantage Then Has the Jew? (Rom 3:1–8)

                 (5 ) The Jews Are Also Without Excuse (Rom 3:9–20)

  1. God Arranged a Particularly Wondrous Way of Salvation in His Only Begotten Son Our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 3:21–30)

B. The Apostle Persuades, Attracts, and Inclines to Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 3:31–5:21)

1. The Example of Abraham (Rom 3:31–4:25)

2 .The Riches of Faith (Rom 5:1–11)

3. The Meaning of the Divine Dispensation of Christ in the History of Mankind (Rom 5: 12–21)


C. Faith in the Lord Imposes an Obligation on the Believer to be Holy (Rom 6:1–7:6)

  1. The Apostle Sets This Obligation as a Law (Rom 6:1–10)
  2. How to Stand Firm in and Manifest Holiness (Rom 6:11–14)
  3. The Motivation for This (Rom 6:15–23)
  4. Do Not Mix with Judaism (Rom 7:1–6)
  7. D. The Beneficence of Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 7:7–8:39)
  8.   1. A Picture of the Moral Corruption of Mankind (Rom 7:7–25)
  9.       a) NOT THE LAW, BUT THE SIN DWELLING IN US CAUSED SIN TO ABOUND (ROM 7:7–13)

               b ) WHAT IS THE SIN THAT DWELLS IN US, AND HOW DOES IT ACT (ROM 7:14–25)

  1.  2. A Depiction of the Radiant Condition of the Christian under the Beneficent Action of Faith in Christ (Rom 8:1–39)
  2.       a)  THE ESSENCE OF THE RESTORATION OF OUR FALLEN NATURE (ROM. 8:1–10)
  3.       b) THE FULL REVELATION OF GLORY IN THE FUTURE AGE (ROM 8:11–17)
  4.       c)  WHEN ALL CREATION WILL BE PARTAKERS OF THIS GLORY (ROM 8:17–22)
  5.       d) HOW FIRM THIS HOPE IS; ITS FOUNDATIONS (ROM 8:23–39)

               (1)  The Firstfruits of the Spirit (Rom 8:23–27)

              (2)  Preeternal predestination (Rom 8:28–30)

              (3)  The Value of the Incarnate Divine Dispensation of Salvation (Rom 8:31–34)

              (4 )  What is Most Important: Love That Fails Not (Rom 8:35–39)

 E.  The Unbelief of the Jews Before the Face of Christianity (Rom 9:1–11:36)

  1. Saint Paul’s Assurance of His Exceeding Love for His People (Rom 9:1–5)
  2. The Rejection of a Portion of the Jews Does Not Contradict God’s Promise (Rom 9:6–29)
  3. How Did It Happen That Many Jews Were Rejected, and in Their Place the Gentiles Were Called? What Was the Reason? The Apostle Answers: The Faith of the One, and the Unbelief of the Other (Rom 9:30–10:21)
  4. Consolation for God’s People (Rom 11:1–36)

Section IV: Ethical Section (Rom. 12:1–15:13)

  1. A Depiction of the Spirit of Christian Life (Rom 12:1, 2)
  2. How the Spirit of Christian Life Should Be Expressed in Actual Life (Romans 12:3–13, 14)
  3. How They Should Act Between Themselves, as Christians (Rom 12:3–21)
  4.  a) AS LEADERS OF THE COMMUNITY (ROM 12:3–8)
  5. b) RULES FOR HOW ALL OTHER CHRISTIANS SHOULD ACT (ROM 12:9–21)
  6. How Christians Should Act as Members of Civil Society or the State (Rom 13:1–14)
  7. a) PART 1: SUBJECTION TO THE GOVERNING AUTHORITIES (ROM 13:1–7)
  8. b) PART 2: CIVIL DUTIES (ROM 13:8–14)

               (1) Maintaining an Orderly Civil Life (Rom 13:8–10)

               (2) Withdrawing from Evil Customs (Rom 13:11–14)

  1. The Apostle Corrects a Particularly Prominent Problem Among the Christians of Rome (Rom 14:1–15:13)

Section V: Epilogue (Rom 15:14–16:24)

A. Personal Remarks (Rom 15:14–33)
  1. Paul Apologizes for Writing “More Boldly” (Rom 15:14–16)
  2. About the Work of Preaching (Rom 15:17–22)
  3. Future Plans (Rom 15:23–29)
   4. He Asks Them to Strive Together with Him in Prayer (Rom 15:30–33)
B. Greetings (Rom 16:1–16)
C. A Warning (Rom 16:17–20)
D. Afterword (Rom 16:21–24)

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