Pauline Interpretation of Christianity: ROMANS

1
Pauline Interpretation of ChristianityROMANS

• RLST 212/Div/Rel 3162
• Tuesday, January 25, 2011

2
Todays Schedule

• 310-400 Introduction to Paul 3 (three)
  Historical Pauls
• 400-440 Roundtables Rom 11-15
• teachings about Jesus as Christ, and Pauls
  relationship with the Romans
• 440-530 Discussion of your Interpretations
  about Jesus as Christ and Pauls relationship
  with the Romans

3
Quest for the historical Paul focusing on the
undisputed letters

• Yielded three different scholarly interpretations
  of Paul his authority
• So very intense debate
• Should we not be able to discern
• How Paul viewed himself?
• How he wanted to be seen and understood?
• The intention of his letter?
• This is not easy to discern these Thus the
  debate
• But ultimately, it does not matter!

4
TEXTUAL CHOICES

• A Text/Discourse Several Potential Meanings
• Example Lecture at Vanderbilt in 1986 by a
  white South-African scholar.
• Intentional message clearly expressed by the
  argument join us in the struggle against
  apartheid and racism in South Africa this is
  what many of us heard.
• But is it the only message? The true one?

5
TEXTUAL CHOICES

• But the African-American students heard a very
  different message.
• To convince us emphasized the plight of black
  Africans, describing them as child-like, in need
  of education, so that they will move away from
  their backward culture.
• the demeaning metaphors and other figures of
  speech
• Convey racism

6
Choosing most significant features of a text
7
3 Kinds of Interpretive Choices Theological
Choices Frame

• Each biblical text has many possible meanings
  inscribed in the text
• We have to make a choice
• The intention of the authors is not necessarily
  the most significant

8
Quest for the historical Paul focusing on the
undisputed letters

• Yielded three different scholarly interpretations
  of Paul his authority
• So very intense debate
• 1) Paul the Theologian
• along the line opened by Augustine, Luther
• 2) The Pastoral Paul
• With similarities with the Paul of Acts and
• 3) The Apocalyptic/Messianic Paul
• With similarities with Paul of Greek Fathers,
  Orthodox Churches, Charismatic movements, and
  liberation theology

9
Quest for the historical Paul focusing on the
undisputed letters

• Yielded three different scholarly interpretations
  of Paul his authority
• 1) Paul the Theologian when focusing on the
  theological argument of Romans as a
  self-conscious consistent theological
  presentation of his Gospel
• 2) The Pastoral Paul when focusing on the
  rhetoric of Romans how it was crafted to affect
  its hearers/readers as a convincing dialogic
  discourse
• 3) The Apocalyptic/Messianic Paul when
  focusing on the convictions (self-evident truths
  un-intentional, spontaneous), faith/vision, and
  the religious experience conveyed and presupposed
  by Romans as a religious discourse

10
Quest for the historical Paul focusing on the
undisputed letters

• Our interpretations in this seminar will yield
  different interpretations of Romans
• At first, interpretations by others might not
  make sense to us. But rather than rejecting
  them off-hand as false or wrong, we have to ask
• Did the other reader focus on another aspect of
  the text than I did?
• 1) rather than finding meaning in Romans as a
  logically consistent theological argument
• 2) finding meaning in what is inconsistent
  because Romans as a rhetorical discourse aimed at
  convincing and affecting its audience can NOT be
  theologically consistent, because it sets in
  dialogue the different views of Paul and of his
  (envisioned) audience
• 3) finding meaning in the figurative religious
  aspects of Romans because this religious
  discourse shares in a mysterious way (like a
  poem) a new vision, a new religious experience

11
Three Different Scholarly Interpretations of Paul
Different analytical/textual choices

• 1) Paul the Theologian along the line opened by
  Augustine, Luther
• 2) The Pastoral Paul With similarities with
  the Paul of Acts and
• 3) The Apocalyptic/Messianic Paul With
  similarities with Paul of Greek Fathers, Orthodox
  Churches, Charismatic movements, and liberation
  theology
• We will NOT debate which one is right or
  legitimate the three are legitimate,
  historical
• BUT we will acknowledge that we made or are
  making a textual or analytical choice Reading
  Romans as either
• -- A Consistent Theological argument
• -- An Inconsistent Rhetorical Discourse or
• -- A Religious Discourse

12
Different Contextual Choices PREDICAMENT
(Romans in GBC)

• Different kinds of predicaments
• 1) sinners are individuals making a mess of their
  lives by not doing Gods will Forensic Gospel
• 2) sinners are Communities or social groups that
  confront and exclude each other Pastoral Gospel
• 3) sinners are people (both individuals and
  communities) in bondage under the power of
  sin/evil Apocalyptic/Messianic Gospel

13
PREDICAMENT gtgtgt Theological Choices about GOOD
NEWS (Romans in GBC)

• 1) Good news that individual sinners against
  whom God is angry are justified-forgiven by
  Christ through faith Forensic Gospel
• 2) Good news that excluded people (Gentiles) are
  now included by Christ as Gods people in the
  (New) Covenant (without excluding the Jews)
  Pastoral/Covenantal Gospel ( New Perspective)
• 3) Good news that people in bondage under the
  power of sin/evil are liberated by Christ from
  this bondage Apocalyptic/Messianic Gospel

14
Forensic Gospel (e.g., Peter Stuhlmacher
Revisiting Pauls Doctrine of Justification ,
Moo, Feb 1 and Gager Reinventing Paul , part 1
Feb 8

• Human predicament People are sinners as
  individuals who are/were not faithful toward God
  (not doing Gods will)
• They are guilty (and feel guilty) and should be
  condemned and punished by God, the righteous
  judge (as in a court, so forensic) fear of God
  
• Humans are Under Gods condemnation God is angry
  against human (Gods wrath) God views humans as
  Gods enemies

15
Forensic Gospel (e.g., Peter Stuhlmacher
Revisiting Pauls Doctrine of Justification , Moo
Feb 1 and Gager Reinventing Paul , part 1 Feb 8

• Human predicament People are sinners Under
  Gods condemnation
• root-problem LACK OF WILL to do Gods will
  and/or LACK OF KNOWLEDGE of Gods love.
• Solution a) Good News Christ died instead of
  sinners the Grace (forgiveness) of God
  (vicarious death)
• b) Sinners are justified ( not condemned)
  through faith in Christ ( believing that
  Christ died for them)

16
Pastoral/Covenantal Gospel Jewett Gager
Reinventing Paul part 2 Feb 15 and N.T.
Wright, Paul in Fresh Perspective , Jewett Feb 22
March 1

• Human predicament
• Gentiles are sinners, separated from God, because
  they are in rebellion against God and do not
  belong to the People of God (viewing themselves
  as rejected by Jews)
• Jews also are sinners they are not faithful to
  the covenant, separate themselves from God
• Being Enemy of God
• angry against God
• suspicious of God (God is unjust God is
  partial God prefers favors others)
• and jealous of Gods people

17
Pastoral/Covenantal Gospel Jewett Gager
Reinventing Paul part 2 Feb 15 and N.T.
Wright, Paul in Fresh Perspective Feb 22 March 1

• Root-problem rebellion against God anger
  against God (either as Gentile or as Jews)
  LACK OF/WRONG VISION of God and of Gods people
• Solution Christ died to reconcile all with God
  so that we will not be in rebellion/angry
  against God, by establishing a new covenant
  new good relationship between humans and God and
  among humans
• through the Grace of God all are called to be
  members of Gods chosen people to be children
  of God
• Gentiles as well as Jews are justified (made
  righteous) when through obedient faith they carry
  out their vocation (the purpose of their calling)
  as the chosen people sent by God to others as
  Christ was for others.

18
Apocalyptic/Messianic Gospel e.g., Beker, Byrne,
Käsemann, Patte, March 1, 15

• Human predicament All (Jews and Gentiles) are
  sinners separated from God by evil powers
• the power of sin which keep them in bondage
• Idolatry which have power upon them as Powers,
  Principalities (engendering death)
• By distorting their vision (darkening their
  minds)
• Being oppressed by evil, idolatrous powers
• Root-problem a darkened mind
• either lack of/wrong vision, bringing about
  powerlessness (unjust oppression)
• or powerlessness (lack of ability) in bondage,
  bringing about a wrong vision

19
Apocalyptic/Messianic Gospel e.g., Beker, Byrne,
Käsemann, Patte, March 1, 15

• Solution Christ died and was raised from the
  dead in power to free people, today as well as in
  the past he is the living Christ who today
  frees people from the powers of sin which keep
  them in bondage
• Justified people become in turn instrument of
  justice as in Christ they are members of
  Christs body through whom the resurrected Christ
  acts freeing people from bondage this is
  their vocation as slave of Christ and saints.
  

20
3 Kinds of Interpretive Choices Analytical
Choices Frame
21
Analytical Choices Romans in Global Bible
Commentary

• Theological Argument consistent argument - of
  the letter
• philological historical-critical approaches
• Pastoral/Rhetorical Discourse of the letter
  through which Paul seeks to persuade his readers
  to change their behavior (inconsistent, because
  presents also the readers view)
• rhetorical and socio-historical analyses
• Apocalyptic/Messianic religious discourse
  reflecting religious experiences and symbolic
  world posited by the letter Pauls convictions
  - not intentional that which drives him (his
  convictions) and shapes his discourse (mythical
  structure of it)
• methods of history of religions and structural
  studies

22
Roundtable on Rom 11-15 Jesus as Christ or
Pauls relationship with the Romans

• 1) In the session, the leader 1 then Leader
  2 present briefly her/his understanding and a
  scholars (Moos. Jewetts, or Byrnes)
  understanding of the theme of what Paul says in
  Rom 11-15 about her/his theme Jesus as
  Christ or faith (theological choices) AND how
  this conclusion can be grounded in the text
  (analytical choices) total 4 views
• 2) Then ask the members of the roundtable what
  are the DIFFERENT teachings about the theme
  people have identified in their own report.
  Make sure to clarify the DIFFERENCES what are
  you learning from others?
• 3) Then IF TIME PERMITS discuss how these
  theological and analytical choices are related to
  contextual concerns that need to be addressed in
  believers lives (contextual choices)

23
Jesus Christ Gods Son pre-existed, was
incarnated, exalted. Forensic/Theological Reading
of the Theological Argument

• Rom 13-4 affirms in a traditional vocabulary the
  overall Christology that Paul holds and that he
  believes the Romans also share (or should share)
  with him.
• The introductory clause, Romans 13a the gospel
  concerning his Son, posits Pauls view that
  Jesus Christ is Gods Son.
• Though the vocabulary is different from
  Philippians 26-11, Paul presents Christ Jesus
  according to the same theological pattern
  pre-existence, incarnation, and exaltation.
• He was Gods son (Rom 13a Phil 26) before
  being born of Davids seed (as Messiah from the
  seed of David) when living in the human realm
  (according to the flesh, Rom 13b Phil 27-8).
• Following his death through his resurrection from
  the dead, he was exalted, established Son of God
  with power (Son of God as a source of power) and
  now lives in the realm of the Spirit (according
  to the Spirit of holiness), in such a way that
  his lordship, Jesus Christ our Lord, could be
  acknowledged by all and fully manifested (Rom
  14 Phil 29-11).

24
Jesus Christ reconciles Jews and Gentiles
Pastoral Reading of theRhetorical Discourse

• Gods Son embodied and resolves the tensions
  between Jews and Gentiles.
• Paul cites in 13-4 a traditional creed known by
  the Romans, that expresses tensions between
  Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian forms of
  the gospel.
• Focusing on the way these verses affect Pauls
  readers in Rome, with Dunn, Jewett and Stowers,
  one can recognize Pauls concern for the tensions
  between Jewish Christians and gentile Christians
  and thus
• That he affirmed that the gospel is in continuity
  with the Jewish Holy Scriptures.
• That he gently refers to this tension by taking
  carefully into account traditional Christological
  views expressed in a vocabulary which is foreign
  to him--rather than using his own vocabulary he
  uses a traditional vocabulary.
• That he affirms that Christ embodied and resolved
  the tension between Jews and Gentiles in Christ
  own person
• And in the call to serve and to represent him
  that Christ as Lord addresses to all of
  them,15-7.

25
Jesus Christ our Lord Christ enthroned as Son
of God in the heavenly sphere of power
Apocalyptic-Messianic Reading of the Religious
Discourse

• Jesus Christ our Lord is the fulfillment of the
  type David and of Gods promises through the
  prophets
• Christ enthroned as Son of God in the heavenly
  sphere of power (Käsemann, 12).
• God has inaugurated the eschatological
  liberation by setting up Jesus as messianic
  agent of the promised liberation (Byrne, 39).
• Jesus fulfills the type David, not only by
  descending from David according to the flesh, but
  also by being installed Messiah in fact
  (Byrne, 39), with full power as Lord (as the
  Davidic king is enthroned as Son of God, Ps.
  27),
• by being raised from the dead and entering into
  the new age marked as the sphere of his active
  reign in power as risen Lord (as fulfillment of
  Ps 1101)
• as Paul further expresses in 1 Cor 1523-25, now,
  after Jesus resurrection, the Risen Lord is in
  the process of defeating the powers which keep
  humans in bondage.

26
FAITH (CDC ARTICLE)

• 1. Faith as Faithfulness. Gods (Christs)
  faithfulness to Gods promises and Human
  faithfulness to God
• 2. Faith as Trust as trusting God Augustine
  the faith by which we believe (fides qua
  creditur)
• 3. Faith as Believing a Speakers Words
  (Believing That) believing in the words of
  Scripture. Augustine what is believed (fides
  quae creditur), or the content of faith
• 4. Faith as leading to true Knowledge Believing
  in order to understand (Augustine Knowledge is
  found through believing) or faith seeking
  understanding (Anselm we need to
  understand/know what is implicit in faith)
• 5. Faith as Movement toward, and Experience of,
  God. (believing in God or Christ) Knowing
  Christ, Experiencing Christ As Lord. Faith As
  Discovering Christ In Others (The Promise Of The
  Incarnation)
• 6. Faith as Gift (from God) that puts believers
  in the right relationship with God

27
Faith /believing primarily refers to

• Forensic /Theological Reading faith
  believing in Christ believing something about
  Christ in what Christ has done in the past (on
  the cross)
• Pastoral/Covenantal Reading faithfulness toward
  Christ and God as Christ was faithful to God and
  us in the past (on the cross) (emphasizing
  subjective genitive of the faith of Christ
  faith that Christ had, the faithfulness of
  Christ in 322) but also the faithfulness which
  holds together a community a group's assent to
  and participation in the gospel of Christ
  crucified and resurrected, a gospel that reveals
  the righteousness of God as transcending the
  barriers of honor and shame. (Jewett on 322)
• Apocalyptic/Messianic Reading faith/believing
  in Christ Recognizing through the eyes of faith
  that the promises/types (that Christs cross and
  resurrection are) are fulfilled in our present
  and submitting to Gods power as manifested in
  these fulfillments (obedience of faith)

28
Showing Obedience of faith to a Roman
Legionnaire
29
(No Transcript)
30
ROUNDTABLE A  Jesus as Christ  

• LEADER _Julie Carli__  (her interpretation vs  
  Moo)
•  
• LEADER 2 Jonathan Baynham__ (his
  interpretation vs Jewett)
•  
• Iris AnKrom-Crittenden_
•  
• Madeleine St Marie_
•  
• Karney_
•  
• Derek Axelson_
•  
• Ross Stackhouse
•  

31
ROUNDTABLE B  Faith

• LEADER 1 Arden Henderson_ (her interpretation
  vs   Moo)
•  
•  
• LEADER 2 Jeremy Snow_ (his interpretation
  vs  Byrne)
•  Julianne (Jarrett) Snape
•  
• Murielle Wyman
•  
• Jason Jones
•  
• Amy Lentz
•  
• Stephen Staggs
•  
• Logan Robertson
•  

32
(No Transcript)
33
(No Transcript)
34
GOSPEL Forensic/Theological (Stuhlmacher
Barrett Bultmann Cranfield Dunn Moo)

• Good news about something which happened in the
  PAST, to be appropriated in the present, and with
  effects (salvation) in the future for individuals
  
• message about Jesus Christ, the good news about
  salvation of anyone who believes it a powerful
  news frees believers from guilt/fear
• Proclamation preaching the message about Jesus
  Christ (about what Christ DID) about salvation
  of anyone who believes it

35
GOSPEL Covenantal/Pastoral/ (Gager Wright
Stowers Jewett Fitzmyer)

• Good news about something which happened in the
  PAST, to be implemented in the present, and with
  effects in the future for communities (the
  separation of Jews and gentiles, barbarians and
  Greeks, etc. has been overcome needs to be
  implemented now, and is fully promised in the
  future)
• as message about Jesus Christ that establishes a
  new (covenantal) relationship with God (
  salvation) it powerfully affects, transforms our
  relationship with other people (thus honor and
  shame effects)
• Living the gospel as the new covenant community,
  the new creation, an inclusive community, the
  body of Christ, open, inviting others (any
  other) in the covenant community

36
GOSPEL Apocalyptic/Messianic Käsemann Beker
Patte Byrne Campbell

• Good news about something which is happening in
  the PRESENT, as a fulfillment of the promises
  contained in the past, and to be responded to
  through faith NOW IN THE PRESENT, and is a token,
  first fruits, of what will be fully accomplished
  in future for communities, although also for
  individuals
• as message about the risen Christ with power that
  promises that IN THE PRESENT he does intervenes
  and saves people from the powers of evil, as
  those who have the eyes of faith can see and
  recognize.
• Living the gospel by imitating Christ (Christs
  crucified, but also the risen Christ) one makes
  manifest the power of the gospel By joining in
  Risen Christs present actions

37
Next week Roundtable on Rom 116-21

• Focusing discussion on three themes choose one
  (sign up) several possible interpretations of
  each.
• The teaching for believers today in a particular
  context about one of these
• the righteousness/justice of God
• the gospel as the power of God for salvation to
  everyone who has faith
• homosexuality

38
The relationship between obedience and faith
1

• Faith necessarily results in obedience, when
  faith is defined as believing that (faith as
  defined by its content "believing that the
  message of the gospel as teaching is true").
• For the Forensic Theological Reading, if faith is
  genuine, it brings about an obedient life.
• When faith is a trustful assent to the divine
  truth of the gospel proclaimed by apostles to
  whom it has been revealed,
• acting according to this faith involves a
  submission to the demands of this gospel, and
  obediently living a life that follows its
  teaching. Evidence
• Romans, 111, the doctrinal part of the gospel,
  the content of faith, what the readers should
  believe
• Romans, 1216 moral teaching --the obedience of
  faith, what the faithful readers should do in
  obedience to their faith

39
The relationship between obedience and faith
2

• Faith necessarily results in obedience, when
  faith is defined as trust in the faithfulness
  of Gods promise (because God is faithful) and
  thus trust in Gods call to a certain
  ministrycall to be apostles, to be saints
  (17),etc. (828-33 121-8).
• For the Pastoral Reading, faith is a response
  to Gods call and election (see 11), or more
  broadly, to Gods call to be saints (17) as
  members of Gods people in the covenant (a call
  which irrevocable, 1128)
• Covenant broadened through Jesus Christ to
  include Gentiles.
• this call is for a service, for a function.
• Therefore trusting (having faith) in Gods call
  is also accepting to carry out this function
  faithfully, obedience. Thus faith without
  obedience, without carrying out this vocation,
  cannot be genuine faith.

40
The relationship between obedience and faith
3

• Faith and obedience designate the same
  acknowledgement of the authority of God and
  Christ, when faith is understood as slavery to
  Christ (11) in the sense of being totally under
  the power of ones Lord and Master.
• For the Messianic Reading, faith is being put
  under the power of the Lord (Christ, or God) by
  Gods intervention, acknowledging the
  authority/power of the Lord upon ones life, and
  thus it is also obedience, submitting to this
  authority/power of the Lord.
• Here faith is first of all a gift from the
  Lord one cannot have faith if it is not given
  through a divine intervention (a manifestation of
  Gods grace). Yet, faith is also a movement
  toward God, the humble submission to this
  authority of the Lord.

41
Jesus as Christ Forensic/Juridical

• Christ is the savior Christs death (2000 years
  ago), dying instead of us
• Christ died for sinners Propitiation through
  Christ dying/being punished instead of us
  Vicarious sacrifice

42
Jesus as Christ Covenantal

• Christ died for sinners
• Expiation Reconciled human with God, by
  demonstrating Gods love for us, through his
  absolutely faithfulness to God and to us, which
  established a new covenant with God
• His death is a Passover Sacrifice Covenantal
  Sacrifice

43
Jesus as Christ Apocalyptic/Messianic

• Christ died for sinners was raised with power.
  
• Redemption freeing people from their bondage to
  evil powers/ aka idols that keep people under
  their power. Redemption Sacrifice

44
Authority

• Authority means not sheer power but legitimate
  power.
• Authority exists only insofar as those who submit
  do so by acknowledging the legitimacy of those
  who are in a position to use institutional or
  other power and/or to speak authoritatively.
• In Christian thought, authority belongs first to
  God, then to Christ, then to those who are
  authorized by God and Christ (prophets,
  apostles)

45
Authority 2. How is the divine authority
transmitted from Christ to Paul?

• Pauls authority because he has received the
  Gospel and has the true, orthodox teaching (1 Cor
  151ff) was recognized by the Jerusalem church
  (Gal 1-2). Peter/Cephas, John, James).
• Institutional authority Paul has authority
  because he is recognized as a commissioned
  apostle someone who is honored/saint (by
  contrast with shameful) as someone who can be
  trusted.
• a charismatic authority. Pauls authority based
  on being freed from bondage by the power of God
  through a revelation/intervention of Jesus
  Christ, (road to Damascus) gospel.

46
(No Transcript)
47
(No Transcript)
48
(No Transcript)
49
Pauls Metaphoric self-designation as slave. A
slave is

• Someone owned by a master, and thus in bondage
  and totally at the mercy of this master someone
  worthless, powerless, in an abject situation,
  with a shameful status (emphasized by the
  Messianic Reading)
• Someone who, although in a low status, is a
  member of a household, and who, as a servant,
  acts in the name of his/her master for the sake
  of the household someone totally defined by
  his/her mission in the name of a master
  (emphasized by the Pastoral Reading)
• Someone who is unconditionally submitted to the
  will and authority of a master (emphasized by the
  Theological Reading).

50
Connotations of Christ Jesus inSlave of
Christ Jesus emphasized

• Christs power upon the slave (according to the
  first view of slave chosen in the Messianic
  Reading)
• Christs mission which the slave prolongs in
  the name of the Lord (according to the second
  view of slave chosen in the Pastoral Reading)
• Christs authority to which the slave
  voluntarily submits (according to the third view
  of slave chosen in the Theological Reading).

51
Showing Obedience of faith to a Roman
Legionnaire
52
(No Transcript)
53
I am indebted to Greeks and barbarians, to wise
and foolish

• Because of Gods gift to me (calling me, grace,
  apostleship, gospel), I must do something for all
  people
• Greeks and barbarians, wise and foolish people
  are the reason of (the source for) my
  apostleship I owe myself to them
• I am indebted to them I have received continue
  to receive from them precious gifts