Paul's Messianic Idea in the Letter to the Romans

Paul's Messianic Idea in the Letter to the Romans

XUE Xiaxia

There is no consensus about the way Paul uses the term Χριστός in the past half century. Some scholars argue that Paul uses Χριστός as a surname, which carries no significant meaning when Paul speaks of Jesus(ὁ) Χριστός. Others argue that Χριστός is a title with a particular messianic Christology implied in the term. Still others argue that the term for Paul is an honorific designation which signifies a collection of particular things according to their literary contexts. More and more Pauline scholars focus on the messianic concepts in Pauline letters, particularly the Davidic Messiahship in Galatians or some passages of Romans. However, there are not many scholarly discussions about the relationship between Paul's Messiah concept and his Gentile mission.

This essay analyzes Rom 1:1-7, 15:7-13, passages related to the Christ event and the stories of creation (Rom 1:18-30; 3:23; 5:12-21; 8:19-30 ) with an intertextual approach. By employing some Jewish literature, including some Old Testament texts (Gn 12, 17; Ps 18; Dt 32; Ps 117 and Is 11) and Second Temple Jewish literature, particularly the messianic passage of the Psalms of Solomon 17-18, I will, on the one hand, explore how Paul's concept of Davidic Messiah is different from those of his contemporary Jews. Contrary to the Messianic idea that the Jewish Messiah will defeat the Gentiles and rule over them, Paul declares that through Jesus the Messiah, the Gentiles share the same Abrahamic blesses with Israel. On the other hand, this essay investigates the substructure of Paul's reading of the Old Testament rooting in his understanding of the creation stories. Paul indicates that through Jesus the Messiah, Gentile Christians share the Abrahamic blessings, and his concept of the Messiah is related to the stories of creation and fall in Genesis.