Learning Romans requires detailed study of the letter itself, but that detailed study is informed by
knowledge of the historical, literary and cultural backgrounds of the letter. One of the books,
Reading Romans in Context, assigned as reading for the course addresses the literary background
by comparing Paul’s writing in Romans with other Jewish writings of his time and just before.
The book review assignment allows an opportunity to engage the ideas in the book and evaluate
the book’s value for studying Romans. The review will also help develop critical thinking skills
to help evaluate other writings about Romans that you may encounter or use in your continuing
study of Romans.
INSTRUCTIONS
Be careful to follow the guidelines for the book review that are detailed below and in the grading
rubric. The Book Review must consist of 750 – 1,000 words, be double-spaced, and typed in
Times New Roman 12-point font. Maintain 1-inch margins on all sides of each page. In addition
to the required word count for content, the Book Review must include a title page. The Book
Review must conform to current Turabian format.
The review must provide an overview of the book’s major content in Reading Romans in
Context, an evaluation of the content, and an assessment of the book’s importance. More
specifically, the book review must include 4 major components: (1) the complete bibliographical
entry; (2) the editors’ information such as education, position, and scholarship; (3) a concise
summary or synthesis of the major theme of the book; and (4) an honest and courteous
evaluation of the book.