Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

corpus-paul - RE: Seed of Abraham

corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Corpus-Paul

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Christopher Whitsett" <cgwhitsett AT earthlink.net>
  • To: corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: RE: Seed of Abraham
  • Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2000 08:51:50 -0400


Jim,

Your preliminary research has turned up the conventional understanding, i.e.
that Paul uses the 'seed' image in quite different ways in Galatians and
Romans. I have argued (will have argued?) in a forthcoming JBL article
(Dec. 2000) that there is more similarity in the arguments than is usually
recognized, and that Paul's argument in Romans presupposes the messianic
identification of the 'seed' which Paul makes explicit in Gal 3.16. Its
function is to explain how God can be seen as faithful--i.e. to defend God's
'righteousness' vis-a-vis his promises to Israel/Abraham (and David--1.3,
15.12a). God is faithful, Paul contends, because it is through the Christ,
the promised 'seed' of both David and Abraham, that Abraham now becomes the
father of many Gentiles. Romans 9 is part of this defense of God's
Justice/Faithfulness (it's not as though God's word failed! 9.6) that
demonstrates the principle of God's election of the singular seed, the
singular patriarchs in 9.9-13 being types of the climactic seed of the
promise, the Christ.

Nils Dahl argued that the 'seed' identification in Galatians is a
restatement of a known, underlying exegetical principle ('Missionary
Theology in Romans', 'Promise and Fulfillment'). Richard Hays analyzed the
way the seed works in Galatians argument in _The Faith of Jesus Christ_ ;
and so, with different results, has Daniel Boyarin in _A Radical Jew_. For
a focused look at the topic in other early texts, see Max Wilcox, _The
Promise of the Seed in the New Testament and the Targumim_.

Good luck with your research.

Chris Whitsett
Duke University
cgw AT duke.edu

--On Wed, Sep 6, 2000 12:55 AM +0000 MillerJimE AT aol.com wrote:

>
> I am in search of bibliography on Paul's use of Abraham's seed in
> Galatians 3:29 and Romans 4:16; 9:6-13. In Galatians Paul conceives of
> Abraham's seed expansively, encompassing Greek, Jew, slave and free. In
> Romans 9, however, Paul is more circumspect, making the point that
> biological descent from Abraham does not necessarily mean inheritance of
> the promise. In Romans 9 Paul seems to be avoiding his expansive
> approach indicated in Galatians.
> I am unsure of Paul's use in Romans 4:13-17. Is Paul limiting
> himself here to Abraham's genetic descendants (as in 4:1) or is Paul
> assuming his readers will understand his point, that Abraham's seed
> includes gentiles as well as Jews? A preliminary search has turned up
> little (I am out of my field here) and I would appreciate any leads.
> Jim Miller
>




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page