Paul’s Epistle to the Romans as a Theological Re-Reading of His Epistle to the Galatians

Abstract

The essay argues that the character of Paul’s epistle to the Romans as a distinctive theological treatise is the product of an individual historical situation, which is not to be found among the Roman Christians, but rather on the Pauline side: With the help of this letter, Paul aimed to introduce himself and his theology to the Roman Christians, most of whom were personally unknown to him, in order to prepare his visit to them and to get support from them in the Spanish mission he was planning. Because he is also about to return to Jerusalem to hand over the collection from Gentile Christian churches, he outlines the characteristic profile of his theological thinking in a dialogue with Paul the Jew, to whom Paul the Apostle gives an account of the theological insights he has gained up to now. This perspective proves Romans to be a theological re-reading of Galatians. The profile of this reformulation (and to some extent also correction) of theological arguments that Paul used in the debate that he had to conduct in Galatians, is illustrated using six topics as examples: Abraham, Righteousness, God, Anthropology, sin and the Law, and Israel.