What I’m Reading: Dr Ali Robinson

Every month, one of United Theological College’s faculty members will provide Insights with a list of books they have recently read. This month, Associate Lecturer Dr Ali Robinson provides her list.

1. Beverly Roberts Gaventa, When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel According to Paul (Baker Publishing Group, 2016)

As Gaventa herself states, this book is for people ‘who would not normally read a book about Romans’ (xiii). It approaches this complex and at times heavy Pauline letter with a fresh and accessible perspective. In this short book (only around 100 pages), Gaventa takes the reader on a journey through several major themes in Paul’s epistle and highlights a number of provocative questions along the way, leaving many of them unanswered for the reader to wrestle with. She accomplishes her primary task of unpacking the ‘vastness of the gospel as Paul interprets it’ (p. 3) in an elegant and refreshing style. I highly recommend this text. It is a beautiful read.

2. Richard Bauckham, Jude-2 Peter: Word Biblical Commentary, (Zondervan, Revised edition 2014)

Three decades after its first edition, Bauckham’s commentary on Jude and 2 Peter is still one of the most foundational and ground-breaking texts ever written on these two New Testament letters. In my own research, Bauckham’s commentary has been invaluable. If you are interested in knowing more about these two often-neglected epistles this source is where you must begin.

3. Martin M. Culy, I, II, III John: A Handbook on the Greek Text (Baylor University Press, 2004)

The Baylor Handbook series is one of the most outstanding exegetical tools for the student of biblical studies. It is a must for anyone undertaking work in the Greek New Testament. This is a resource I am currently using in my Greek class, but it is also a resource I have used in my own research. This book as well as others in the series will aid with understanding the syntactical and grammatical features of the Greek text.  I would suggest that students make this a regular resource in their research repertoire.

Dr Ali Robinson is Associate Lecturer in New Testament at United Theological College. She teaches and researches widely in the area of New Testament studies, with particular interests in rhetoric and the book of Jude.