Romans and the Apologetic Tradition: The Purpose, Genre and Audience of Paul's Letter

by Anthony J. Guerra

• ISBN13: 9780521619837
• ISBN10: 0521619831
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-02-17
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Of all the letters in the Pauline corpus, the Letter to the Romans has attracted the greatest degree of scholarly attention. Yet surprisingly scant consideration has been given to the question of its literary genre. Taking up the comparatively brief suggestions of previous scholars, Dr Guerra argues that the Letter belongs to the protreptic genre - the class of writing in antiquity which urges the adoption of a particular way of life (or a deeper commitment to it), setting out its advantages, replying to objections, and demonstrating its superiority. Working through each chapter of the Letter in turn, he indicates how Paul provides a critique of non-Christian ways of life (both Jewish and Gentile) and affirms the superiority of the Christian Gospel. It becomes apparent that the Pauline apologetics of Romans stand between the hellenistic Jewish tradition and the later Greek Christian apologists, and may have influenced the latter.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
List of abbreviations	xii
Apologetic and audience: making the message meet	1	(42)
Romans and the Protreptic	3	(19)
Paul's purpose and audiences in Romans	22	(21)
Apologetic motifs in Romans 1.18--3.31	43	(59)
Excursus: the ``One God'' topos in Jewish apologetic literature	84	(18)
Romans 4: the continuation of apologetic argumentation	102	(24)
Paul recommends and defends the gospel of God	126	(18)
Romans 9--11: Paul defends his mission to the Gentiles for the sake of the Jews	144	(13)
Romans 12--13 and 16: the ``Roman factor''	157	(13)
Summary and conclusion	170	(10)
Appendix	180	(1)
Glossary	181	(1)
Select bibliography	182	(9)
General index	191	(8)
Index of modern authors	199