Download or read book Conflict and Identity in Romans written by Philip Francis Esler and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2003-11-07 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the purpose of Paul's letter to the Romans? Esler provides an illuminating analysis of this epistle, employing social-scientific methods along with epigraphy and archaeology. His conclusion is that the apostle Paul was attempting to facilitate the resolution of intergroup conflict among the Christ-followers of Rome, especially between Judeans and non-Judeans, and to establish a new identity for them by developing a form of group categorization that subsumes the various groups into a new entity.