[B-Greek] Romans 1:16

Jeffrey B. Gibson jgibson000 at comcast.net
Fri Oct 10 12:44:37 EDT 2003


David Rollins wrote:

> Jeffrey:
>         The question you bring up really is answered in the 15 verses
> preceding verse 16 - but verse 15 I think answers your question:
>
> OUTWS TO KAT' EME PROQUMON KAI UMIN TOIS EN RWMH EUANGGELISASQAI
>
> Paul has not personally preached the gospel to the Romans - he wanted
> to come to them to do just that (v.13), but has been hindered - he
> feels his calling very deeply (v.14) - he then says , "so to the best
> of my ability I am eager to preach the gospel also to those of you in
> Rome" v.15).  There is no dispute that I can detect in these preceding
> verses that he wants to clear up - he is just eager to preach the
> gospel (as he sees it) to them through this letter, since he may be
> delayed in coming to them. Verse 16 is just the first statement of
> Paul's gospel ( the explanation of which concludes at the end of
> chapter 8) and is a sort of encapsulation.  Does any one else see any
> "controversy" that is up for discussion?
>

Thanks for your comments.

But doesn't your answer contain a hidden assumption that those to whom Paul
had long wished to come had not heard "the gospel" before. Is this possible
in the light of (what I assume to be) the fact that Paul uses a pre-pauline
statement about Jesus death that the Roman Christians with which the Roman
Christians were already familiar?

In addition, since much of Romans deals with warding off the charges that
God is not righteous (i.e., not faithful to his covenant with Israel) and
that the Gospel that the Romans are already familiar with entails the
abandonment of the promises he made to Israel,  is the view of  what's going
on in Rom 1:16 that I'm exploring really so unthinkable?

In any case,  and to avoid straying into off topic territory, let's return
to the question I posed:  is there anything in the syntax or grammar of the
verse or anything in what is known of Paul's style which would decisively
rule out t seeing the statement as a defensive and  not an explanatory one?

Yours,

Jeffrey
--

Jeffrey B. Gibson, D.Phil. (Oxon.)

1500 W. Pratt Blvd. #1
Chicago, IL 60626

jgibson000 at comcast.net





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