Strategien konformer Ethic im Neuen Testament am Beispiel von Röm. 13. 1–7

It is hardly necessary to emphasise the problematic nature of this passage. Its tragic misuse, in past and present, in the interests of supporting oppressive regimes and suppressing protest can neither be denied nor condoned. It is easy to lay the blame for such abusesat the door of non-contextual literalism, with its hidden agenda of endorsement of the status quo. Liberal interpreters, however, also work with a hidden agenda and cannot be allowed to assume that they know from the outset the ‘right’ interpretation of the passage.That is why we have described it as a test case for New Testament interpretation. It is not simply that the passage is being tested. Thetest is whether New Testament hermeneutics is able to handle acase as difficult and controversial as Rom 13. 1–7 while remaining true to its principles and without resorting to emergency procedures, such as drastic surgery!

Romans 13.1–7: A Test Case for New Testament Interpretation

McDonald¹

1989

Rethinking Romans 12–15

Moiser

1990

The bulk of these chapters is invariably understood as a general, or as it were abstract, exposition of Christian virtues, without particular reference to a situation at Rome. We read in Luther, for example, that ‘the apostle is about to teach a Christian ethic’ when he begins chapter 12. Nygren states that none of Romans is aimed at circumstances peculiar to Rome, and that chapters 12–13 contain Paul's ‘central view of the ethical life of the Christian’. Käsemann regards 12–13 as general exhortation, only 14.1–15.3 being directed at problems in Rome. According to E. P. Sanders, nothing in Romans is called forth by the situation of the letter's recipients. ‘It seems best’, he writes, ‘to view Romans as being Paul's reflection on the problem of Jew and Gentile, in the light of the coming encounter in Jerusalem’. There are, however, several difficulties with this view. One is that the chapters do not include areas of Christian ethics with which we know Paul was concerned, such as marriage (1 Cor 7; Col 3.18 ff.), slavery (Col 3.22 ff.; Phlm), slander (1 Cor 6.10), suffering for Christ (2 Cor 1.7), generosity (2 Cor 8.6 ff.), avoiding witchcraft and gluttony (Gal 5.20; Phil 3.19), working hard (1 Thess 4.9–11). If Paul were writing a deliberatelygeneralethic, we should have expected perhaps more system and certainly a greater range of items.6More importantly, the view leads to fussy, artificial or disjointed divisions of the chapters into a multiplicity of exhortations which fail to grasp the broad sweep of Paul's thought. In particular the precise relevance of 13.1–7 is left obscure.

Wehrlosigkeit Oder Selbstschutz? Aspekte Zum Verständnis des lukanischen Schwertwortes

Heiligenthal¹

1995

Ein dunkles, viel umrätseltes und mißdeutetes Wort nennt Walter Schmithals den kurzen Abschnitt von den zwei Schwertern (Lk 22.35–8), der die testamentarische Rede Jesu in Lk 22 abschließt:(35) Und er sagte zu ihnen: ‘Als ich euch ohne Geldbeutel und Vorratssack und Sandalen aussandte, hat euch jemals etwas gefehlt?’ Sie antworteten: ‘Nichts’. (36) Er aber sagte zu ihnen: ‘Jetzt aber, wer einen Geldbeutel hat, nehme ihn und ebenso einen Vorratssack und wer nicht hat, verkaufe sein Obergewand und kaufe ein Schwert. (37) Denn ich sage euch: dieses Schriftwort muß in mir erfüllt werden; “Und er ist zu den Gesetzlosen gezählt”; denn, was mir bestimmt ist, kommt zu seiner Vollendung.’ (38) Sie aber sagten: ‘Herr, siehe, hier sind zwei Schwerter.’ Er aber sagte zu ihnen: ‘Es ist genug.’