Epistle to the romans

The Apostle Paul writing. The inscription is “sedet hic scripsit” (“feel here and write”).

The Epistle to the Romans, often abbreviated as Romans, is the sixth book of the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the longest of the Pauline epistles and is considered his "most important theological legacy" as well as his magnum opus.

General presentation

In the opinion of Jesuit scholar Joseph A. Fitzmyer, the book "overwhelms the reader with the density and sublimity of its subject matter, the gospel of justification and salvation for Jews and Greeks alike." by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, which reveals the righteousness and love of God the Father».

N. T. Wright notes that Romans is not:

[...] neither a systematic theology nor a summary of the work of Paul's life, but it is in common agreement his masterpiece. It is emptied to most of its other writings, a peak of the Alps rises on the hills and the villages. Not all the spectators have seen in the same light or from the same angle, and his snapshots and pictures of it are sometimes very dissimilar. Not all climbers have taken the same route to their steep sides, and there are frequent disagreements about the best approach. What no one doubts is that we are here before a massive work of substance, presenting a formidable intellectual challenge while offering an impressive theological and spiritual vision.

Authorship

The scholarly consensus is that Paul is the author of the Epistle to the Romans.

C. E. B. Cranfield, in the introduction to his commentary on Romans, says:

The denial of Paul's authorship to the Romans by such critics [...] is now rightly relegated to a place among the curiosities of the New Testament scholar. Today no responsible criticism disputed its paulin origin. The evidence of their use in the Apostolic Fathers is evident, and before the end of the second century it appears and is quoted as Paul. Each existing early list of New Testament books includes it among their letters. External evidence of authenticity could in fact hardly be stronger; and it is fully corroborated by internal, linguistic, stylistic, literary, historical and theological evidence.

Dating

A painting by Paul writing his epistles (XVII century). Only seven of the 13 letters bearing Paul's name are accepted as authentic. Romans 16:22 indicates that Tercio acted as his man.

The letter was most likely written during Paul's stay in Corinth, and probably while he was staying at Gaius's house, and was transcribed by Tertius, his scribe. There are a number of reasons why Corinth is more plausible. Paul was about to travel to Jerusalem when he wrote the letter, which coincides with Acts (Acts 20:3), where Paul is reported to have stayed for three months in Greece. This probably implies Corinth, as it was the site of Paul's greatest missionary success in Greece. Furthermore Phoebe (Romans 16:1) was a deaconess of the Church in Cenchrea, a port east of Corinth, and would have been able to transmit the letter to Rome after passing through that city and take a ship from its western port. Erastus, mentioned in Romans 16:23, also lived in Corinth, serving as city commissioner for public works and city treasurer on various occasions, again indicating that the letter was written in Corinth.

The precise time at which it was written is not mentioned in the epistle, but it was obviously when the offering for Jerusalem was prepared and Paul was about to "go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints," that is, at the close of his second visit to Greece, during the winter before his last visit to that city. Most scholars who write about Romans propose that the letter was written in late 55/begin 56 or late 56/begin 57. Both a date in early 58 and early 55 have some support, while that German New Testament scholar Gerd Lüdemann argues for as early as 51/52 (or 54/55), following Knox who proposed 53/54. Lüdemann is the only one who seriously challenges the general consensus dating the epistle to the mid/late 1950s.

Subscriptions

Some manuscripts have a subscription at the end of the Epistle:

• προς sωμαιους (“the Romans”) is found in these manuscripts: Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Vaticanus, Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, Codex Claromontanus;
• προς sωμαιους εγραραφη απο Κορινθου («to the Romans, written from Corinth»): B²D² (P);
• προς;ωμαιους εγραφγραγ αποπορινθου δια δοιβις δικονου («to the Romans, written from Corinth by Febe the diaconisa»): 42, 90, 216, 339, 462, 466*, 642;
• εγραφη προς;ωμαιους επιστολια δια Τερτιου επεμφτιε δια δια διπος εορινθιν τις εν εγεγχρεαις
• προς.ωμαιους εγραφιο γονορινθου δια δοιβιος τιος δαικονουνουου τονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονονοοοοοοοοοονονονοονονονονοου ονονονονονονου ονονονονονονονονονονοοοοο

Paul's life in relation to his epistle

For ten years prior to writing the letter (approx. 47-57), Paul had traveled the territories bordering the Aegean Sea, evangelizing. Churches had been established in the Roman provinces of Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia. Paul, considering his task complete, wanted to preach the gospel in Spain, where he would not "build on someone else's foundation" ( Romans 15:20 ). This would allow him to visit Rome along the way, a longstanding ambition of his. The Letter to the Romans, in part, prepares them and gives reasons for their visit. In addition to Paul's geographical location, his religious views are important. First, Paul was a Hellenistic Jew with a Pharisaic background—a disciple of Gamaliel—integral with his identity. His concern for his people is a part of the dialogue and runs throughout the letter. The other part of the dialogue refers to the conversion of Paul and the call to follow Christ in the early 1930s.

The churches in Rome

The most likely ancient record of the beginnings of Christianity in Rome is given by a 4th century lowercase writer known as Ambrosiastro:

It is established that there were Jews living in Rome in the times of the apostles, and that the Jews who believed [in Christ] gave the Romans the tradition that was to profess Christ, but keeping the law [Torah] [...]. One should not condemn the Romans, but praise his faith, for without seeing signs or miracles and without seeing any of the apostles, they, however, accepted faith in Christ, though according to a Jewish rite.

From Adam Clarke:

In order to write the epistle: [...] Paul had become familiar with all the circumstances of the Christians in Rome [...] and found that they were [...] in part pagans converted to Christianity, and in part Jewish that, with many remaining prejudices, believed in Jesus as the true Messiah; and that many disputes arose from the claims of the Gentiles to equal the privileges that the Jews had, and from the absolute refusal of the Jews to admit such claims, unless the converts wrote;

At this time, Jews made up a significant number in Rome, and its synagogues, frequented by many, allowed Gentiles to become familiar with the story of Jesus of Nazareth. Consequently, churches consisting of both Jews and Gentiles were formed in Rome. According to Irenaeus, a 2nd century Church Father, the Church of Rome was founded directly by the apostles Peter and Paul. However, many modern scholars disagree with Irenaeus, holding that while little is known of the circumstances of the founding of the Church, it was not founded by Paul:

Many of the brothers went to meet Paul in his approach to Rome. There is evidence that Christians were then in Rome, in considerable quantities and probably had more than one meeting place.

—Easton's Bible Dictionary [Easton Bible Dictionary]

Note the large number of names in Romans 16:3-15 of those then in Rome, and verses 5, 15 and 16 indicate the existence of more than an assembly of the Church or society of believers in Rome. Verse 5 mentions a church that met in the house of Aquila and Priscilla. Verses 14 and 15 each mention groupings of believers and saints.

The Jews were expelled from Rome around the year 49 because of the riots caused by the edict of Claudius. Joseph A. Fitzmyer claims that both Jews and Jewish Christians were expelled as a result of their infighting. Claudius died around AD 54. C., and his successor, Emperor Nero, allowed the Jews to return to Rome. But after the great fire of Rome in 64, Christians were persecuted. Fitzmyer argues that, with the return of the Jews to Rome in 54, a new conflict arose between Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians who had previously been expelled. Keck thinks that Gentile Christians may have developed an aversion or contempt for Jews, because they theologically rationalized that Jews were no longer God's people.

Style

Scholars often have difficulty assessing whether Romans is a letter or an epistle, a relevant distinction in critical analysis:

A letter is something non-literary, a means of communication between people who are separated from each other. In a confidential and personal nature, it is intended only for the persons or persons to whom it is addressed, and in no way for the public or any kind of disclosure. [...] An epistle is an artistic literary form, like dialogue, prayer, or drama. It has nothing in common with the letter except its form: besides that one could enter the paradox that the epistle is the opposite of a royal letter. The contents of the epistle are intended for the dissemination —they are intended for the interested "public".

Joseph A. Fitzmyer argues, from the evidence presented by Stirewalt, that the style of Romans is an "essay-letter". Philipp Melanchthon, a Reformation writer, suggested that Romans is caput et summa universae doctrinae christianae ("a summary of all Christian doctrine"). While some scholars try to suggest, such as Melanchthon, that it is a kind of theological treatise, this view largely ignores chapters 14 and 15 of Romans. There are also many "prominent elements" missing from Romans that are included in other areas of the Pauline corpus. letter has to be interpreted in accordance with the historical circumstances in which Paul wrote it". Paul sometimes used a style of writing common in his day called "diatribe". He appears to be responding to a "troublemaker" (probably an imaginary one based on Paul's encounters with real objections in his previous preaching), and the letter is structured as a series of arguments. In the flow of the letter, Paul changes his arguments, addressing sometimes the Jewish members of the church, sometimes the Gentile members, and sometimes the church as a whole.

Purposes of writing

The main purpose of the epistle to the Romans can be given by Paul in Romans 1:1, in which he reveals that he is set apart by God for the purpose of preaching the Gospel, which explains. He wishes to impart to Roman readers a gift of encouragement and security in all that God has freely given them (Romans 1:11-12; 1 Corinthians 2:12).

The apostle's purposes, dictating this letter to his scribe Tertius (Romans 16:22), are also articulated in the second half of chapter 15:

1. Paul asks for prayers for his next journey to Jerusalem; he hopes that the offering gathered from the Gentile churches will be accepted there.
2. Paul is planning to travel to Rome from Jerusalem and spend some time there before passing to Spain; he hopes that the Roman church will support his mission in Spain.
3. Since Paul has never been to Rome, he sums up his gospel so that his teaching is not confused with that of the “false teachers”.
4. Paul is aware that there is some conflict between the Gentile Christians and the Jewish Christians in the Roman Church, and included those concerns (Chapters 13 and the first half of 14). While the Roman church was theoretically founded by the Judeochristians, the exile of the Jews of Rome in the year 49 by Claudio resulted in Gentile Christians taking positions of leadership.

To review current scholarly views on the purpose of Romans, along with a bibliography, see Dictionary of Paul and His Letters ]. For a "Lolard" Reformed view of the 16th century, see the work of William Tyndale. In his foreword to his translation of the book of Romans, which was borrowed in large part from the foreword of the German reformer Martin Luther, Tyndale wrote:

[...] this epistle is the main and most excellent part of the New Testament, and Gospel purest, that is, the good news and what we call the gospel, and also a light and a way to all Scripture [...] The sum and the general cause of the writings of this epistle is to show that man is justified only by faith: a proposition that whoever denies, not only denies this epistle and all that Paul wrote, but also all the Scripture, a prisoner who must never understand the health of his soul. And to lead a man to understanding and feeling that faith only justifies, Paul proved that all the nature of man is so poisoned and so corrupted, and so dead in relation to godly life or divine thought, it is impossible [for the human being] to keep the law in God's eyes.

Content

This letter-essay composed by Pablo was written for a specific audience at a specific time; To understand it, the situations, both Paul's and the recipients, must also be understood.

Prologue (1:1-15)

Greeting (1:1-7)

The introduction (Romans 1:1-16) provides some general notes about Paul. He presents his apostleship here and in the introductory notes on the gospel he wishes to preach to the church of Rome. The human lineage (literally, “according to the flesh”) of Jesus comes from David (Romans 1:3). Paul, however, does not limit his ministry to the Jews. Paul's goal is for Gentiles to hear the gospel as well (Romans 1:5).

Thanksgiving Prayer (1:8-15)

Commend the Romans for their faith (Romans 1:8). Paul also talks about the latest obstacles that have blocked his arrival in Rome before ( Romans 1: 11-13 ).

Salvation in Christ (1:16-8:39)

God's Justice (1:16-17)

Paul's announcement that he is not "ashamed" (epaiscúnomai) of his gospel, since he has power (dúnamis). These two verses form a backdrop for the rest of the book. First, we note that Paul is not ashamed of his love for this gospel that he preaches about Jesus Christ. He also pointed out that he is speaking to the "Jew first" (Romans 1:16 ). There is relevance to this, but it is largely academic conjecture, as is the relationship of the Apostle Paul and Judaism, which is still under debate. We are hard-pressed to find an answer to that question without knowing more about the audience in question. Scholars try to find an answer to that question without knowing more about the audience in question. Wayne Brindle argues, based on Paul's early writings against the Judaizers in Galatians and 2 Corinthians, that rumors of Paul's outright denial of Jewish existence had probably spread throughout the Christian world, see Supersessionism. Paul could have used the "Jew first" approach to counter that view.

Damnation: The Universal Corruption of Gentiles and Jews (1:18-3:20)

God's Judgment (1:18-32)

Paul now begins with the main thrust of his letter. He begins by stating that human beings have assumed impiety and injustice, causing the wrath of God ( Romans 1:18 ). People have taken the invisible image of God and turned it into an idol. Paul seems here to be basing himself on the Wisdom of Solomon. It condemns unnatural sexual behavior and warns that such behavior will result in a depraved mind and body (Romans 1:26-27), and says that people who commit such of things (including murder and wickedness; Romans 1:29) are worthy of death (Romans 1:32). Paul stands firm against the system of idol worship, which was common in Rome.

Paul's warning against hypocrites (2:1-4)

In the traditional Protestant interpretation, Paul here rails against Jews who are condemning others for not following the law when they themselves are also not following the law. Stanley Stowers, however, has argued for rhetorical reasons that Paul is in these verses not addressing the Jew at all, but rather an easily recognizable caricature of the typical boastful person (ὁ ἀλαζων). Stowers writes: "There is absolutely no justification for reading Romans 2:1-5 as Paul's attack on 'the hypocrisy of the Jews'. No one in the first century would have identified ho alazon with Judaism. That popular interpretation depends anachronistically on a reading with late Christian characterizations of the Jews as 'hypocritical Pharisees'."

Justification: The Gift of Grace and Forgiveness Through Faith (3:21-5:11)

Paul says that the justice of God has been made known, outside the law, to which both the law and the prophets bear witness: the justice of God through faith in Jesus to everyone who believes (Romans 3:21-22). He describes justification (legally cleansing the believer from the guilt and penalty of sin) as a gift from God (Romans 3:24), and not the work of man (so that cannot boast), but by faith (Romans 3:28).

Assurance of Salvation (5-11)

In chapters five through eight, Paul affirms that believers can be assured of their hope of salvation, after being freed from the slavery of sin. Paul teaches that through faith (Romans 3:28, 4:3), the faithful have been united with Jesus (Romans 5: 1) and freed from sin (Romans 6:1-2, 18). Believers must be certain of salvation (Romans 12:12). This promise is open to everyone since all have sinned (Romans 3:23), except the one who paid for them all (Romans 3:24).

In chapters 9-11, Paul refers to God's faithfulness to the children of Israel, noting that God has been faithful to his promise. Paul hopes that all Israelites will come to realize the truth (Romans 9:1-5) since he himself was an Israelite (Romans 11:1), who in the past was a persecutor of the first Christians. In Romans 9-11, Paul explains that the nation of Israel has stumbled, and the conditions under which Israel will again be God's chosen nation: when Israel returns to their faith, putting aside their unbelief (Romans 11:19-24).

In Romans 7:1, Paul says that human beings are under the law as long as we live: "Do you not know... that the law rules over the man as long as he lives?" However, according to an antinomian interpretation, Jesus' death on the cross makes believers dead to the law (Romans 7:4: "So also to you, my brethren ye have died to the law through the body of Christ").

The transformation of believers (12-15:13)

From chapter 12 through the first part of chapter 15, Paul describes how the gospel transforms believers and the behavior that results from that transformation. This transformation is described as a "renewal of your understanding" (Romans 12:2), a transformation that Douglas J. Moo characterizes as "the heart of the matter." It is a transformation so radical that it amounts to a "transfiguration of the brain," a "metanoia," a "mental revolution."

Paul goes on to describe how believers are to live. Christians are no longer under the law, that is, they are no longer bound by the law of Moses, but under the grace of God. We don't need to live under the law, because to the extent that our minds have been renewed, we will know "almost instinctively" what God wants of us. The law then provides an "objective yardstick" for judging progress in the "lifelong process" of renewing our minds.

To the extent that they have been freed from sin by renewed minds (Romans 6:18), believers are no longer obligated to sin. Believers are free to live in obedience to God and love for the whole world. As Paul says in Romans 13:10, “love (ἀγάπη) does no harm to a neighbor; so the fulfillment of the law is love.

The passage in Romans 13:1-7 about obedience to the powers of the world is considered by some, for example James Kallas, to be a gloss incorporated later.

Epilogue (15:1-16:23)

• Friendship (Romans 15:1-6)
• Summary of the Epistle (Romans 15:7-21)

Paul's Ministry and Travel Plans (16:14-27)

The final sentences contain a description of your travel plans, personal greetings and salutations. One-third of the twenty-one Christians identified in the greetings are women, some of whom played important roles in the early church in Rome. Furthermore, none of these Christians answer to the name of Peter, although according to the Catholic historical line, he would have been ruling as pope in Rome for about 25 years. It is possibly related to the Antioch incident between Paul and Peter.

• Personal greetings (Romans 16:1-23 [24])
• Closing Doxology (Romans 16:25-27)

Hermeneutics

Catholic interpretation

Catholics accept the necessity of faith for salvation, but stress Romans 2:5-11 on the need to live a virtuous life, thus:

But by your hardness and by your unrepentant heart, you treasure for yourself anger for the day of wrath and the revelation of God's just judgment, which will pay each one according to his works: eternal life to those who, persevering in good doing, seek glory and honor and immortality, but anger and anger to those who are contentious and do not obey the truth, but all who do honour the first

Throughout his writings, Augustine of Hippo forcefully affirms the Catholic understanding of this and other biblical admonitions. In his sermons to his congregations, he is especially careful to warn them against an excessive desire for complete assurance of salvation. In his Exposition of Psalm 147, for example, he states:

The gospel warned us, “Be vigilant for the last day, the day when the Son of Man will come”, because it will mean a disaster for those who find insurance as now; safe for the wrong reasons, I mean, safe in the pleasures of this world, when they should be sure only when they have mastered the desires of this world. The apostle certainly prepares us for future life, in words that I also remembered on that occasion.

Once again, in his Exposition of Psalm 85, Augustine is perhaps even more specific:

Let's not expect security while we're on pilgrimage. When we find ourselves wanting it, what we are looking for is the stillness of the body instead of personal security.

Protestant interpretation

In the Protestant interpretation, the epistles of the New Testament (including Romans) describe salvation as coming from faith and not from right actions. For example, Romans 4:2-5 (underlining added):

For if Abraham was justified by works, he must boast, but not with God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and was counted for righteousness. But to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace, but as debt; but to him who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the wicked, his faith is counted for righteousness.

They also point out that in Romans 2:5-11, Paul says that God will reward those who follow the law and then goes on to say that no one follows the law perfectly (see also the Sermon on the Mount). In Romans 2:21-25:

You, then, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You're the one who preaches he's not going to steal, are you? You're saying he's not gonna get adulterated, are you sweet? You who abhor idols, do you share sacrilege? You who boast of the law, do you dishonor God in violation of the law? For as it is written, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles for your sake. For in truth circumcision takes advantage, if you keep the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.

Martin Luther described Paul's letter to the Romans as “the most important piece in the New Testament. It is pure Gospel. It is well worth it for a Christian not only to memorize it word for word, but also to live in it every day, as if it were the daily bread of the soul».

Luther controversially added the word “alone” (allein in German) to Romans 3:28, reading: “therefore, We therefore have that man is justified by faith alone, without doing the works of the law." The word "alone" does not appear in the original Greek text, but Luther defended his translation by holding that the adverb "alone" was required by both the German idiom and Paul's intended meaning. This is a literalist view, rather than a literal view of the Bible.

Apologist James Swan lists numerous Catholic sources who also translated Romans 3:28 with the word "alone", or attested to other sources doing the same before Luther. A Bible commentary, published in 1864, reports that:

Catholic translators prior to Luther's time had given the same translation. Thus, in the Bible of Nuremberg (1483), "Nur glauben durch den". And so, in the Italian Bibles of Geneva (1476) and Venice (1538), per solo fede. The Fathers [of the Church] also use the expression, "man is justified by faith alone" [...].

The Romans Way refers to a set of passages from Romans that Christian evangelists use to present a clear and simple case for personal salvation to each person. They are: Romans 3:23, 3:10, 6:23, 5:8, 5:11, 10:13, 10:9, 10:17.

Romans has been at the forefront of several important movements in Protestantism. Martin Luther's lectures on Romans in 1515-1516 probably coincided with the development of his critique of Roman Catholicism which led to the 95 Theses of 1517. In 1738, while listening to Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans Reading at St Botolph's Church on Aldersgate Street in London, John Wesley famously felt his heart "strangely rejoiced", a conversion experience often seen as the beginning of Methodism. In 1919 Karl Barth's commentary on Romans, The Epistle to the Romans, was the publication that is widely considered the beginning of neo-orthodoxy.