The doctrine of justification was of major importance at the time of the Reformation, and continues to be of immense significance in ecumenical dialogues. This book, which appeared in its first edition in 1986, is the only major study of the doctrine since 1870. Its many acclaimed features include an assessment of the concept of justification in the thought world of the ancient Near East, a thorough examination of the development of the doctrine in the medieval period, and a careful analysis of the sixteenth-century debates. This revised and updated edition brings together in one volume the material from the two volume first edition, while adding new sections dealing with recent developments in Pauline scholarship and ecumenical debates over the doctrine. It will be an essential resource for anyone wanting to understand historical theology, sixteenth-century church history or the modern ecumenical debates between Protestants and Roman Catholics.