Pistis and the Righteous One: A Study of Romans 1:17 against the Background of Scripture and Second Temple Jewish Literature
Overview
Many regard Romans 1:17, which contains Paul’s own declarative statement and its scriptural proof from Habakkuk 2:4, as the thesis of Romans. How the passage is read therefore determines how the whole letter is interpreted. The traditional Lutheran understanding is that the passage introduces and provides a framework for the doctrine of justification by faith, where the ‘righteous one’ in the Habakkuk citation (Rom. 1:17b) represents a person who was ungodly but is now justified or declared righteous through his or her own faith. This understanding has been challenged by some who have offered a christological reading where the person of the citation is taken to be Christ, hence one’s justification depends chiefly on Christ’s faithfulness. The study in this book adjudicates mainly between these two interpretative categories through thorough and comprehensive exegetical considerations of internal texts and comparative analyses of scriptural and Second Temple Jewish backgrounds. The result shows the internal coherence and cogency of the christological interpretation while acknowledging the validity of the traditional-Lutheran understanding of the passage.
Key Features
- Considers Paul's use of the Greek pistis from the view point of Second Temple literature
- Presents contemporary views on Paul’s thought and theology
- Argues for a more comprehensive approach to examining Second Temple Judaism in the study in Paul's theology
Contents
- Analyses of Existing Interpretations
- Background: Interpretations of Hab 2:3-4
- Christology in the Immediate Context of Rom 1:17b?
- Ο ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣ: Generic Individual or Messianic?
- ΕΚ ΠΙΣΤΕΩΣ: Christological or Anthropological?
Product Details
- Title: Pistis and the Righteous One: A Study of Romans 1:17 against the Background of Scripture and Second Temple Jewish Literature
- Author: Desta Heliso
- Series: Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (WUNT)
- Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
- Publication Date: 2007
- Pages: 292
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Pauline Studies
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
Reviews
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Rev. Delwyn X. Campbell Sr
2/12/2018
The premise of this book is flawed. The Lutheran understanding of Justification is that it IS based upon Christ's faithfulness, not on yours. YOUR faithfulness is a gift from God. CHRIST'S faithfulness is the ground upon which everything rests. See Augsburg Confession IV - [IV. Concerning Justification] [1] Furthermore, it is taught that we cannot obtain forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God through our merit, work, or satisfactions, but that we receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God out of grace for Christ’s sake through faith [2] when we believe that Christ has suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us. [3] For God will regard and reckon this faith as righteousness in his sight, as St. Paul says in Romans 3[:21–26*] and 4[:5*]. Robert Kolb, Timothy J. Wengert, and Charles P. Arand, The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2000), 38–40.