Jews and Non‐Jews: Paul's Ethnic Map

Abstract

Pauline scholarship has typically downplayed Paul's ethnic language, masked it as something else, or juxtaposed ethnic particularity with a universal faith in Christ. This chapter offers an examination of Paul's “us/them” language and shows how ethnicity, far from being invisible or irrelevant in Paul's thinking, organizes his religious categories. Paul employs oppositional ethnic construction (a phrase borrowed from Jonathan Hall) to contrast the plight of the gentiles (before Christ) with the Jews. This juxtaposition highlights the primary problem he seeks to address: gentile alienation from the God of Israel. The chapter concludes with a survey of Paul's ethnic terminology, which is often presented in the form of oppositional pairs: Jew/gentile, Jew/Greek, circumcised/foreskinned, etc. These pairings highlight the “otherness” of non-Jews on Paul's ethnic map.

The Rhetoric of Abraham’s Faith in Romans 4

“…53 The construction of how realities are construed is organised in terms of "cultural frames, which Lakoff calls ICMs and which this book calls rhetorolects." 54 According to Fauconnier and Turner, conceptual blending or integration involves a minimum of four spaces: "two input spaces, a generic space, and a blended space." 55 Robbins conceptualises rhetorolects in the following way:…”

“…Matthew T. Bliss, Annemiek the main arguments of the rhetoric and to move the audience emotionally to assent to the rhetoric. 54 Thus, the exordium and peroratio carry interpretive weight in constructing the rhetorical situation. 55 Rom 1:1-15Several observations converge to indicate that 1:1-15 forms the exordium of Romans.…”

“…This input fits the firstspace of apocalyptic rhetorolect. 54 Furthermore, Abraham inheriting the world hints at the eschatological age and fits the thirdspace of apocalyptic rhetorolect.…”

“…Jewett,Romans,325. 59. Citing Byrne,Romans,152;contra Gaston,Paul,[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63]who rejects this position. 60. This is consistent with its other occurrences in Romans 4 (4:2, 3, 9, 14, 15).…”