Corpus-Paul

[Loren Rosson <rossoiii AT yahoo.com>]

T. Gallant wrote:

>I think it is special pleading to ignore
>David in the very context where Paul
>exalts Abraham's faith in Rom 4 ...the
>transition from Rom 4.5 to 4.6 very clearly
>implies that David's faith was accounted to
>him for righteousness in the very same way
>Abraham's was.

It implies no such thing. David is not cited as one
who had faith-righteousness. His psalm, as used by
Paul, simply anticipates and blesses those (will)
share the faith-righteousness of Abraham. David
"speaks of" this faith (4:6-8) in the same way Moses
"writes of" it (10:5-8), but neither, in Paul's view,
achieved it himself. Just the opposite, if anything.
To assume that prophetic citations apply to the
originators seriously misrepresents Paul's usage.

Once again, Paul (unfortunately) believes that Abraham
is the exception who proves the rule in a faithless
era. He cheerfully cites David and Moses to prove his
point, even knowing they never had the
faith-righteousness which they anticipate. They
certainly never acquired the "strong" measure of faith
delineated in 4:18-25, requiring belief in an
exceptional case of "life-to-death". Abraham alone had
this measure of faith, though not "for his sake alone"
(4:23) -- rather, precisely for the sake of later
Christ-believers (4:24). 

=====
Loren Rosson III
Nashua NH
rossoiii AT yahoo.com

"In the natural sciences a person is remembered for his best idea; in the 
social sciences he is remembered for his worst."


                
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