ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE. — The first letter of St. Paul in the order of the Vulgate and the Tridentine canon, the most important for Pauline theology.
I. ORIGIN
Paul, on the point of going to Jerusalem to bring the alms collected in the Churches of Macedonia and Achaia (15:25 ff.; cf. 1 Cor 16:1 ff.; 2 Cor 8:1-6, etc.), was thinking of a journey that, passing through Rome, would have led him as far as Spain (15:23 ff., 28); remaining faithful to his principle of “not building on another man’s foundation” (15:20).According to the chronology most commonly accepted, the Epistle to the Romans is a work of the winter of 57/58, when Paul could consider himself at ease regarding the issues that had agitated the Corinthian community, while he was concerned about the reception he would meet in Jerusalem.
II. THE RECIPIENTS
The Roman community, to which Paul was writing, consisted for the most part of Gentile Christians. The minority of converted Jews, while it did not create serious difficulties for harmony between the two groups (cf. especially 14:1-15:13), was not as factional as elsewhere.That at the time the Epistle to the Romans was written the Christian community of Rome was agitated by factions and doctrinal errors seems contradicted by the sober language of the letter on the question of the “weak” and the “strong” (chs. 14 and 15), with an admonition to the latter to exercise charitable consideration toward the former, who were still bound by certain observances regarding times, foods, and the like. In any case, it was not a matter of aggressive and intransigent judging such as that in Galatia (cf. GALATIANS, EPISTLE TO THE). Rather, it is the Gentile Christians to whom the recommendation of charity toward the other party is addressed, who, despite their different consciences, are by no means excluded from the rest of the community.
III. NATURE AND PURPOSE
Therefore, the polemic of the Epistle to the Romans maintains a moderate tone and is directed more at ideas than at persons. Even in chs. 1-2 and 9-11, where the language is more lively, the writer seems to see before him not a particular person or group of persons, but rather an abstract Jew or pagan, representatives of two spiritual situations. More than the polemical nature, the Epistle to the Romans emphasizes the characteristics proper to a treatise. A felicitous synthesis of a substantial aspect of Pauline theology, it cannot, however, be considered a compendium or a systematic exposition of II. St. Paul seems almost to excuse himself for the boldness of writing; yet he insinuates the motive of his interest in the Roman community (15:17 ff.), which he knows only indirectly. Composed, for the most part, of elements drawn from paganism, it falls within the field of labor entrusted to him by Jesus (Acts 22:18-21) and recognized by the Apostles who were the “pillars” (Gal 2:7 ff.). He wishes to prepare the minds of his readers for a visit to their community, which he considers the heart of the Church of Christ, an elect portion of his own apostolate, though he had not yet worked there personally. More than winning the goodwill of the Romans, he intends to establish the most salient points of future oral communications. The faithful of Rome, with whom he had not been able to meet until then because of obstacles placed in the way of the fulfillment of his ardent desire (1:13) as Apostle to the Gentiles, must enter as intimately as possible into communion with his thought and heart, deepening their understanding of the message of universal salvation, which from Rome will spread ever more widely throughout the world.That Paul also intended to calm some not very serious dissension between the two elements that, in very different proportions, constituted the Roman community is suggested above all by chs. 14 and 15. But this is a secondary motive.
IV. CONTENT
After the introduction (1:1-17), a doctrinal or speculative section (1:18-11:36) and a moral or practical section (12:1-15:13) are commonly distinguished.The exceedingly rich content of the Epistle to the Romans would require a more extensive analysis; here are its dominant themes. In the introduction and prologue (1:1-17), after a solemn greeting (1:1-7), Paul praises the recipient community for its faith, of which it is spoken everywhere, and expresses the desire, hitherto frustrated, to go to Rome, toward which he is impelled by his vocation as Apostle to the Gentiles (1:8-15). The theme of the letter follows in vv. 16 ff.: the Gospel is divine power for the salvation of all, through faith, the source of justification.
This theme is developed at length in the dogmatic section (1:18-11:36), which may be divided into two main parts, each completed by a demonstration drawn from Scripture. The first part (1:18-3:31) develops the concept that justification is the work of God’s justice and is attained only through faith. Without it, both Gentiles (1:18-32) and Jews (2:1-11) are sinners; the latter, proud of a false justice of their own, while true justice cannot be attained either through the Law or through circumcision (2:12-29). If the Jews have a privileged position over the Gentiles in that the divine Scriptures were entrusted to them, this does not prevent them from being sinners, as the Scriptures themselves declare (3:1-20). Only through faith in Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed for our salvation, are both Gentiles and Jews justified: this removes from both any ground for boasting of their own works (3:21-31). To confirm that justification is effected by faith alone, the example of Abraham, father of all believers, is adduced from Scripture: he was justified by having believed in God before the Law and even before circumcision, and independently of both (4:1-25).
The second part affirms that justification is reconciliation with God through the Incarnation of the Son and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (5:1-11). Through these acts of divine love, the evil wrought by Adam in us is destroyed (5:12-21), we are freed from the slavery of sin to live a new life in Christ (6:1-23), and we are also freed from the slavery of the Law. The Law was an occasion of sin, inasmuch as it pointed out sin but did not of itself give the strength to fight against it and avoid it (7:1-15). Justified, we are children of God and, consequently, heirs of heavenly glory (8:1-30): a gift that no force in the world can snatch from us (8:31-39). What follows concerning the unfaithfulness of Israel (9:1-11:36) may seem, at first glance, a digression from the subject; but it is to be considered, at most, as an appendix, or better still as a practical application of the doctrine previously expounded. The unfaithfulness and consequent reprobation of Israel do not belie the “justice” (as the cause of justification) and the fidelity of God, since the true Israel, the spiritual one, in fact attains the object of the divine promises and justification (9:1-29), which carnal Israel has not attained because of its proud trust in its own “justice” (9:30-10:21). Far from being frustrated, the design of God’s love and mercy is fulfilled in an even more ample manner, inasmuch as the defection of Israel opens the way of salvation to the Gentiles (11:1-24); nor will the divine promise of the salvation of a remnant of Israel itself fail to be fulfilled (11:25-32). To man there remains, therefore, only to admire the inscrutability and the riches of the designs of God, by whom all things are governed (11:33-36).
In the moral section (12:1–15:13) one does not find the logical arrangement and unity of subject matter that characterize the dogmatic part; yet here and there one senses that the whole force of the exhortation derives from the fact that the Christian has been justified by the “love”-justice of God. Hence he must serve this ideal (12:1–2): serve it in the person of his brothers, maintaining moderation and charity in all things (12:3–21). With regard to God he must obey the authorities legitimately constituted (13:1–7). The supreme law, or rather the compendium of the law that must govern the life of the justified, is love (13:8–10). “A man of light,” he must avoid all works of darkness and put on the Lord Jesus Christ (13:11–14). The law of love, which must reign supreme among the justified, will suggest mutual understanding and fulfillment between the “strong” and the “weak,” that is, between those who feel free from certain legal observances and those who still feel bound by them and regard any departure as sinful. They must not judge, for all are God’s, the one Judge (14:1–13), and they must take care not to wound the weak conscience of a brother, for whose sake Christ died; if necessary, they must sacrifice even their own freedom for this end (14:14–23). Forgetting self in consideration for one’s brothers, in imitation of Christ, is the necessary condition for the union of all Christians, without distinction of origin from circumcision or paganism (15:1–12).
After the wish for joy and peace in faith (15:13), Paul states the reason for writing the letter: his mission as apostle to the Gentiles (15:14–21); then he sets forth his travel plans: Jerusalem, Rome, Spain (15:22–29). Meanwhile, let the readers pray that he may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea and that his mission in Jerusalem may succeed, so that he may come to them in Rome with joy and enjoy some rest there (15:30–32). A new wish for peace (15:33); recommendation of the deaconess Phoebe, bearer of the letter, and greetings to various members of the Roman community (16:1–16); final recommendations and greetings from Paul’s companions (16:17–24). Final doxology (16:25–27).
V. AUTHENTICITY AND INTEGRITY
That Romans is truly by St. Paul is denied only by a small handful of radical critics such as B. Bauer and the Dutch school (A. Pierson, S. A. Naber, W. C. Manen), who have found little following. In favor of authenticity there are numerous and ancient testimonies from tradition: allusions among the Apostolic Fathers, citations in the letter of the Churches of Lyons and Vienne, and in Gnostic writers, explicit attributions in St. Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, the Muratorian Fragment, etc. As for internal indications, one need only note the countless correspondences with Galatians (q.v.), which bears the unmistakable marks of St. Paul’s personality.Doubt about the integrity of the letter concerns chs. 15 and 16, already rejected by Marcion. He, however, found no following; and even today the great majority of critics admit, at least for ch. 15, Pauline authenticity and its original inclusion in Romans. The manuscript tradition is decisive, since chs. 15 and 16 are missing only in a few Latin manuscripts. If the doxology of 16:25–27 is sometimes found after 14:23, this is easily explained by liturgical usage. Ch. 15:1–13 is a complement to ch. 14, while the rest of ch. 15 has a kind of parallel in 1:8–15. That ch. 16 originally stood as a separate letter is highly unlikely, since it contains only greetings; this feature, moreover, more readily explains some manuscript hesitation in transmitting the text. The doxology 16:25–27 is found now after 14:23 (ca. 200 minuscule Greek manuscripts, the Harclean Syriac and Gothic versions, St. John Chrysostom, Theodoret) — a phenomenon easily explained as due to liturgical usage, in which ch. 15, with its personal news, and ch. 16, with its succession of greetings, were omitted — now after 15:33 (P46), now after 14:23 or at the end (A P, etc.), missing in G (there is a blank space after 14:23); g F; S B C D E and other uncials with the Latin, Coptic, Ethiopic, and Peshitta versions have this doxology at the end of ch. 16. In short, the manuscript tradition clearly favors the authenticity of these three verses, which moreover fit so well with the substance of the epistle and Pauline theology that they may be considered a felicitous synthesis of both.
Theodoric of Castel San Pietro