Romans 4 In Jewish Perspective (original) (raw)
Righteousness 1 and faith are vastly discussed topics in the New Testament studies. A good number of arguments are driven based on the interpretive understanding of these words, in terms of understanding their meaning in the context of the New testament. However, these terms are not exclusive to the New Testament. One can find a lot of places in the Second Temple literature where these words are used. This paper attempts to argue that the concept of righteousness is long rooted in the Jewish literature which paves a way to the same concept of righteousness discussed by Jesus and for this matter Paul in the epistle to Romans. These concepts (righteousness and faith) have a long formation in the thought and practices of Jews. As to how did these concepts manifest in the lives of people and the communities. Hence, I will bring out Jewish texts which talk about righteousness and the given text of Paul, and establish the relationship between Righteousness and Faith, in particular to Romans 4:5 where Paul writes, "faith is credited as righteousness." Let us first look into the Jewish understanding of Righteousness. Righteousness in the Second Temple texts: Discussing about righteousness, one of the primary questions that needs to be addressed is what is righteousness within Judaism? And how has it influenced the lives of the Jews? The Hebrew word for righteousness ה קָ דָ צְ Sedaqah is interpreted as the works of "charity" or "Philanthropy." It is a behavioral practice towards the poor and weaker section of the community. In other words, it can be rendered as doing the "right" to the poor. The poor were entitled to ask for support from others which was considered as "the funds for righteousness." 2 The poor could ask for assistance by saying "acquire merit through me (Zakheh bi)." This merit could mean that performing the act of righteousness what the Law does not require but rewards. 3 This also means to perform "active deeds of righteousness" as in reference to Abraham in Genesis 15:6, which reads "he(Abraham) believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness." 4 Abraham was credited righteous because he had trust the Lord. In other words, he showed his fidelity towards the Lord. This also explains that there is grace (merit) outside of the Law, which alludes to the New Testament understanding of receiving grace outside of the Law, which we will be discussed in the later part of this paper. Overall, the impression that the above examples state that righteousness is seen closely in line with one's behavior. The prophetic tradition 5 sees righteousness as "Social Righteousness." 6 Hosea ascribes to this idea by indicating that righteousness as act of love towards one's neighbor. Hosea 10:12 reads, "Sow 1 Righteousness and Justice are similar concepts. "RIGHT AND RIGHTEOUSNESS-JewishEncyclopedia.Com," accessed June 17, 2021, https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12758-right-and-righteousness.
Related papers
Righteousness Language in Paul
Scholars have long been debating over Pauline use of righteousness language. Several issues have been raised. One issue is on what shaped Paul’s understanding? Was Paul using the righteousness language the way his Greco Roman contemporaries were using it? According to the Greeks ‘dik,’ group ( the word for righteous) is used in ethical sense and the Romans used it used it more as distributive justice (giving others their due) . Or was he shaped by the Old Testament (LXX) usage? Even more controversial is as Cranfield puts it when he discusses the usage of the verb form “ as to whether justification is simply the bestowal of a righteous status, God’s acquittal of the sinner, or both that and also a making righteous in an ethical sense, moral regeneration.” Historically, the Lutherans have been defending the first, the forensic dimensions of imputed righteousness, while the Catholic Church, Calvinistic and pietistic stress the ethical transformative aspect.
Righteousness in Paul's letters
Proceedings of the Szeged International Biblical Conference, 2018
There are several open questions and debates around Paul’s Doctrine of Justification: beginning with Saint Augustine, through the Reformation up to the current Ecumenical dialogues. The persistence of this issue shows how difficult as well as important it is. Among Biblical scholars, interpretation always precedes translation, but for the wider church audience it is exactly the opposite way: their understanding of the issue always rests on the Bible translations in use. Therefore, interpretation and translation are interrelated and in constant interplay. Alister McGrath (Iustitia Dei) suggests that Paul’s handling of the verb dikaioo and its cognate terms (dikaios, dikaiosunē etc) is also the result of a translation process (i.e. Hebrew terms translated into Greek). It is true that Pauline terminology and Sprachgebrauch show more affinity with LXX usage than with secular ancient Greek literature. How then Paul expected his Gentile Christian audience to understand correctly his doctrine of justification? This is the main question of my paper, but I also touch on the issue of current Bible translations, which should guarantee that contemporary Christians may have a better understanding of Justification, a term which has separated Catholics and Protestants for so many centuries.
A critical investigation of Romans 4:3: Its determinative value for justice and righteousness
STJ | Stellenbosch Theological Journal, 2016
The theological significance of Romans 4 is undisputed and within it the explicit citation in Romans 4:3 is pivotal. It has informed theological thought, stimulated debates, and shaped faith communities for millennia. But does the concept of ‘justification by faith’ or ‘righteousness through faith’, as portrayed in Romans 4:3, hold enough essential universal elements for it to inform faith communities in particular and society in general? How did Paul arrive at the idea that through faith one can be declared righteous? Is there any hint in Romans 4:3 to a conceptual relationship between justice and righteousness? The aim of this paper is to critically investigate Romans 4:3 within its literary conceptual context to determine if it has anything significant to offer for societal concepts of justice and righteousness. Such a critical enquiry must include considering Paul’s concept of justice and righteousness in comparison to a more modern concept of these terms. This investigation wil...
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN PAUL
The righteousness of God (δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ) is revealed in the gospel which brings salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ (Rom 1:16-17). In Romans 3:21-26, Paul explains that this righteousness of God, as witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, comes to all who believe in Jesus Christ. Christ atoned for the sins of the children of God by shedding his blood (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14). By the grace of God, believers in Jesus Christ are justified freely through the forgiveness of sins that is in Christ Jesus (Rom 3:24). In short, the term δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ correlates with faith and atonement in Jesus Christ. Moreover, it originates in certain antecedent term (s) in the Old Testament (specifically the Law and the Prophets). Therefore, in the content of the Law and the Prophets, the antecedent term for δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ must be identified and explained in terms of faith and atonement in Jesus the Messiah.
A critical investigation of Romans 4:3: Its determinative value for justice and righteousness 1
The theological significance of Romans 4 is undisputed and within it the explicit citation in Romans 4:3 is pivotal. It has informed theological thought, stimulated debates, and shaped faith communities for millennia. But does the concept of 'justification by faith' or 'righteousness through faith', as portrayed in Romans 4:3, hold enough essential universal elements for it to inform faith communities in particular and society in general? How did Paul arrive at the idea that through faith one can be declared righteous? Is there any hint in Romans 4:3 to a conceptual relationship between justice and righteousness? The aim of this paper is to critically investigate Romans 4:3 within its literary conceptual context to determine if it has anything significant to offer for societal concepts of justice and righteousness. Such a critical enquiry must include considering Paul's concept of justice and righteousness in comparison to a more modern concept of these terms. This investigation will also demand a critical reflection on Genesis 15:1-21 and Paul's interpretation of the text. One also ought to deal with this matter within the literary context of Romans 3:21-4:25. 1 This article is a reworking of a paper delivered at a multidisciplinary conference on rethinking justice and righteousness in society, held at the University of the Free State in August 2015. The idea to reflect on how texts dealt with the concept of justification by a deity is nothing new. Jozé Krašovec (2014:416-433) wrote an article on the justification of God in His Word in Psalm 51:6 and Romans 3:4, through which he aimed to reflect on the meaning of the passage within the broader context of the bible.
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.