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  • From: Loren Rosson <rossoiii AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Corpus-Paul <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Corpus-Paul] Paul's Rhetoric in its Contexts: The Argument of Romans
  • Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2005 07:17:06 -0700 (PDT)

List members --

I recently finished reading Thomas Tobin’s _Paul’s
Rhetoric in its Contexts: The Argument of Romans_
(ISBN 1-56563-946-4), essential reading for Romans
students. Tobin makes two noteworthy contributions to
the Romans debate, the first relating to the literary
structure of the letter, the second concerning its
relationship to Galatians.

1. He argues that Romans originally functioned as a
diatribe, with four small expository sections
(1:18-32; 3:21-26; 5:1-21; 8:1-30), followed by four
lengthy and polemical sections marked by rhetorical
questions, apostrophes, refutations of objections and
false conclusions, and speeches “in-character”
(2:1-3:20; 3:27-4:25; 6:1-7:25; 8:31-11:36).

2. In the polemical sections, Paul isn’t expanding or
clarifying points made earlier in Galatians; he’s
radically revising them, and sometimes even reversing
them. Interestingly, Tobin seems to have reached this
conclusion independently of Philip Esler, who argues
similarly though for different reasons. (For Esler,
Paul faced a new situation in Rome and was attempting
to recategorize two competing ethnic groups under one
body of Christ (in Galatians the Judeans were rival
outsiders). For Tobin, it’s more that Paul had
acquired an unsavory reputation by the time of Romans
-- based on things said in Galatians, and even
Corinthians -- and was now trying to diffuse his
controversial image.)

With regards to the first point, the literary
structure implies that Rom 8 belongs to 9-11 rather
than with what precedes. Tobin’s outline for Rom
1:18-11:36 looks as follows:

1:18-3:20 The sinfulness of Gentiles and Jews
(a) 1:18-32 -- exposition
(b) 2:1-3:20 -- argument

3:21-4:25 Righteousness apart from the law,
confirmed by the law
(a) 3:21-26 -- exposition
(b) 3:27-4:25 -- argument

5:1-7:25 Salvation in relation to Christian living,
sin, and law
(a) 5:1-11 -- exposition
(b) 6:1-7:25 -- argument

8:1-11:36 Eschatology and the place of the Jewish
people
(a) 8:1-30 -- exposition
(b) 8:31-11:36 -- argument


I’ve never seen Rom 8 grouped with 9-11 before (though
there has of course been plenty of controversy over
Rom 5). But from a literary (if not thematic) angle,
Tobin’s outline makes sense. In the brief expository
sections Paul reminds the Roman Christians of things
about which they are in complete agreement and take
for granted (i.e. standard critique of pagan
immorality in 1:18-32, and traditional language and
imagery about Christ’s death in 3:21-26, 5:1-21,
8:1-30). “These expositions of shared beliefs serve as
a basis for the much more argumentative sections which
follow” (p 88), diatribes which revise (or reverse)
Paul’s earlier positions. Rom 8:1-30 thus sets the
stage for 8:31-11:36. Again, this makes sense from a
literary perspective if not necessarily from a
thematic one.

In any case, this is a very good book on Romans,
ranking alongside those by Esler, Nanos, and Dunn for
asking sharp questions and making us think outside the
box.

Loren Rosson III
Nashua NH
http://lorenrosson.blogspot.com/




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