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Romans 2

Romans 2
Fragment c to h containing parts of the Epistle to the Romans in Papyrus 40, written c. AD 250
BookEpistle to the Romans
CategoryPauline epistles
Christian Bible partNew Testament
Order in the Christian part6

Romans 2 is the second chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It was written by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD,[1] with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who adds his own greeting in Romans 16:22.[2] Biblical scholar William Sanday observes that although "the main theme of the Epistle [is] the doctrine of justification by faith", in verse 6 Paul "lays down with unmistakable definiteness and precision the doctrine that works, what a man has done, the moral tenor of his life, will be the standard by which he will be judged at the last day".[3]

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 29 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

Romans 2:12–13 on Papyrus 113 (3rd century).

Old Testament references

  • Romans 2:6 references Psalm 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12[4]
  • Romans 2:24 references Isaiah 52:5 and Ezekiel 36:20,23[4]
  • Romans 2:29 references Deuteronomy 10:16 and Deuteronomy 30:6

New Testament references

Analysis

Paul's rhetoric style here and in other parts of the epistle (cf. Romans 3:1-9; 3:27–4:25; 9:19–21; 10:14–21; 11:17–24; 14:4–12) resembles the diatribe,[5] a form of argumentation by 'debating' with an imaginary opponent (as common among Cynic or Stoic philosophers), such as responding to objections using the expression "by no means!" (me genoito; cf. Romans 3:4, 6, 31; 6:2,15; 7:7,13; 9:14; 11:1, 11) to 'pull' the reader into the 'conversation' on Paul's side. Unlike in Romans 2:17–3:20 where Paul plainly addresses a Jewish interlocutor, the dialogue partner in verses 1–16 is not explicitly identified. The Jerusalem Bible states that the opening verses are addressed to the Jews,[6] while Craig Hill observes that the whole of Romans 2:1–3:20 "speaks to perceived Jewish attitudes".[5]

God's righteous judgment

Verse 2

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.[7]

Sanday notes Paul's assumption that this statement "will be acknowledged as a general principle by his readers, whether Jew or Gentile".[3]

No partiality with God

Verse 11

For there is no partiality with God.

— Romans 2:11, New King James Version[8]
  • Cross-reference verse 11 with Deuteronomy 10:17[9] and Acts 10:34[10]

Verse 16

On that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.[11]

This is the only reference to Jesus Christ after Paul's initial thanksgiving in Romans 1:8 until his reference to faith in Jesus Christ in Romans 3:22-26. Hill finds "almost nothing" to be "distinctly Christian" at this point in Paul's letter.[12]

Verse 17

Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,[13]

The Textus Receptus (1550) reads Greek: ιδε συ ιουδαιος επονομαζη,[14] ide su ioudaios eponomazē, which was translated in the King James Version as "Behold, thou art called a Jew". But many translations read "If you call yourself a Jew".[15] Antoine Augustin Calmet lists "many manuscripts, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, St. Ambrose, Sedulius Scottus, Theophylactus, and the Latin Vulgate as reflecting the latter reading.[16] Sanday calls the King James reading "corrupt" noting that the reading "but if" reflects "a decisive consensus of the best manuscripts".[3]

Circumcision

Paul refers to circumcision as a physical mark of Jewish identity, but for a Jew who breaks the law it becomes a sign of contradiction: "your circumcision has become uncircumcision" (Romans 2:25).[17] The prophet Jeremiah had spoken of those who were "circumcised yet uncircumcised" (Jeremiah 9:25).[18] Paul reiterates the teaching of Moses that:

He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter

— Romans 2:25, New King James Version[19]

drawing on Moses' words in Deuteronomy 30:6:

The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

— Deuteronomy 30:6, New King James Version[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hill 2007, p. 1084.
  2. ^ Donaldson, Terence L. (2007). "63. Introduction to the Pauline Corpus". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 1077. ISBN 978-0199277186.
  3. ^ a b c Sanday, W. (1905), Romans 2 in Ellicott's Commentary for Modern Readers, accessed on 5 September 2016
  4. ^ a b c d "Biblical concordances of Romans 2 in the 1611 King James Bible".
  5. ^ a b Hill 2007, p. 1091.
  6. ^ Jerusalem Bible (1966), footnote 2 at Romans 2:1
  7. ^ Romans 2:2: King James Version
  8. ^ Romans 2:11NKJV
  9. ^ Deuteronomy 10:17
  10. ^ Acts 10:34
  11. ^ Romans 2:16: English Standard Version
  12. ^ Hill 2007, p. 1090.
  13. ^ Romans 2:17: NKJV
  14. ^ Romans 2:17: Textus Receptus
  15. ^ Romans 2:17: New American Bible Revised Edition
  16. ^ Haydock, G. L., Haydock Catholic Bible Commentary on Romans 2, accessed on 26 September 2024
  17. ^ Romans 2:25
  18. ^ Jeremiah 9:25
  19. ^ Romans 2:25
  20. ^ Deuteronomy 30:6

Sources
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