In Romans 9–11 the Apostle Paul claims that many from Israel have become hard hearted, rejecting the gospel about their Messiah, Jesus. At the same time, many gentiles have believed this message. In Romans 11:25–26, however, we learn that Israel’s hardening is only temporary. Once the “fullness” of the gentiles comes in (i.e., they get saved), “all Israel” will be saved. Several interpretations of “all Israel” are possible, but a prominent position these days is to interpret “Israel” in Romans... Read more
Reading Romans 6-8 Intertextually: Exile and the Slaughterhouse
What do the topics of exile, renewal in the Spirit, the Abba cry, and believers as metaphorical sheep for the slaughter all have in common? They are all mentioned in the Romans 6-8 and involve intertextual echoes from the Old Testament. Intertextuality has to do with the presence of a text in another text. In the New Testament we find numerous text presences that frequently originate from the Old Testament or traditions originating from Jesus. For our study we... Read more