Scholars often find structural and/or logical deficiencies in Rom. 7.1-6 and 7.7–8.39. Such findings often lead to confusion regarding the argument of Rom. 7–8. Bruce Longenecker’s identification of chain-link construction in 7.7–8.39 convincingly resolves many problems, but 7.1-6 remains in the lurch. A similar examination of 7.1-6, however, clarifies the structure and argument of that passage, its relationship to 7.7–8.39, and the argument of Rom. 7–8 as a whole. Indeed, 7.1-6 anticipates the structure and content of 7.7–8.39 through its own miniature chain-link construction. This provides not only additional but significant evidence for the rhetorical function of 7.1-6, the argument of Rom. 7–8 and the identity of the infamous ‘I’ in Rom. 7.7-25.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.