The fourth volume in this series, which also includes volumes on Galatians, Colossians and Ephesians, and Hebrews, follows the same principles as its predecessors. As Rodney Hume writes: have aimed to provide straightforward guides explaining the original meaning of the text. I avoid, as far as is possible, entering into theological controversy. My priority is to establish the meaning, as I believe that we must study carefully the original text before we use it to support any doctrinal or sociological viewpoint. Furthermore, I am concerned above all with what the text meant to a first-century reader. This is particularly necessary when studying the letter to the Romans, a document which has so often been interpreted in the light of contemporary concerns or obsessions' Here, then, is a guide intended for use by an individual or a group of students, anyone who is prepared to take the study of the scriptures seriously. It provides a basic introduction to one of the most important works in Christian literature. C. R. Hume read Greats at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, before going on to a career in education.