Rhetorical Situation of Romans

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Agency

Agency includes social mechanisms, letter writing, and special literary forms. While Romans is a literary composition, its primary effect was in its oral reading. Paul did not write it as a treatise to be handed from individual to individual and read silently. Instead, it was “written to be read orally to the congregation…. The letter was created orally, transcribed by a literate member of Paul’s local group, delivered by a handpicked Pauline emissary, and performed orally by the deliverer of the letter, using all the tools of the Hellenistic orator’s trade” (Yaghjian 1996, 217).

Scene

Scene is the setting, the socio-historical situation. The Roman church apparently began among Jews, probably from Jews who had received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10). In AD 49, Emperor Claudius had ordered the Jews to be expelled from Rome, and so the Roman church presumably lost most of its Jewish constituency, including, for example, Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:2). Under Emperor Nero, Jews were allowed to return to Rome, and by the time of Paul’s letter, apparently there were a number of Jewish Christians in Rome again (Stendahl 1993, 13). For instance, by the time of the letter Priscilla and Aquila had returned to Rome and were church leaders there (Rom 16:3-5).
In identifying the scene, we should note the ancient Greco-Roman concept of “spirit” and the connection between blood and spirit, which forms a backdrop to the letter. We will develop this thought in the next chapter.

Purpose

The immediate purpose of the letter was to inform and assure the Roman believers of Paul’s intention and plan to visit them soon (Rom 1:11-13). Aside from this immediate occasion for writing, Paul evidently had a larger purpose in mind. As the recognized apostle to the Gentiles, he desired to give an orderly, comprehensive statement of the gospel to the church in the foremost Gentile city. Through this doctrinal presentation he sought to gain the support of their prayers and other assistance for his missionary endeavors (Rom 15:24, 30). More importantly, he wanted to safeguard them against false doctrines and to enlist them in the defense of the truth.
In this connection, the recent return of Jewish Christians to Rome may have figured prominently. Apparently, there was some tension in the Roman church over their reintegration. The Gentile believers were no longer disposed to make special accommodations for Jewish Christians but apparently expected them to join in the practices of the larger group and abandon practices that, in their view, unnecessarily set them apart from the Gentiles all around them. In this setting, it seems that Paul wrote to help unite Jew and Gentile into one body and ward off future inroads by Judaizers. Morgan (1995, 64) noted, “It seems likely that the recently returned Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians belonged in different house-churches with little contact, and it is not hard to believe that one of Paul’s purposes in writing was to bring about some rapprochement between them.”
For example, Rom 14 deals with ceremonial practices under the Jewish law, such as observance of holy days and dietary regulations. Paul admonished those who kept such observances not to condemn those who did not, and he admonished those who did not keep them not to ridicule those who did.
Den Heyer (2000, 248-49) has elaborated on this point, concluding that Paul’s main purpose in Romans was to bring Jews and Gentiles together. Specifically, the purpose was to encourage the integration of Jews, rather than Gentiles, into the one body. In Rome, Gentile Christians were in leadership, and they possibly viewed the returning Jewish Christians with some suspicion. Paul had received information that the Roman church was somewhat divided, and as a Jew he was naturally concerned to make room for the Jews. The result was the Roman letter, “a marvelous combination
of theoretical views, personal reflections and contextual theology.”

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Relationships in the Pentad

In examining the rhetorical situation, we should consider the relationships between the elements of Burke’s pentad, such as between act and agent, act and agency, and so on. Indeed, to some extent we have already done so. For instance, we have examined the relationship between the act (letter) and the agents (Paul and the readers) as collectivists and as influenced by Stoic thought. We have also looked at how the scene (return of Jews to Rome) affected the purpose.
In discussing the relationships among the elements of Burke’s pentad, it is helpful to compare and contrast the rhetorical situation of Romans to that of Galatians. As Morgan (1995, 148) noted, “Despite their considerable differences the best key to reading Romans is Galatians.” Both books teach the same essential message: Both Jews and Gentiles are justified by faith; therefore, Gentiles do not have to keep the law of Moses.

1. Introduction
2. Methodology.
3. Rhetorical Situation of Romans
4. “Spirit” in the Socio-Historical Situation
5. Personification in Romans
6. Justification in Romans
7. Justification in Other Pauline Letters.
8. Survey of Theological Positions on Justification
9. Conclusion
References.

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THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN JUSTIFICATION ACCORDING TO ROMANS

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