Year of Paul

A few years ago I was in an Amsterdam art museum that featured Rembrandt’s works. As I came into the main exhibition area, my eyes were immediately drawn to Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. The museum curators had displayed this gigantic canvas in such a way that it compelled my attention. It was only after I had taken in the spectacular beauty and achievement of The Night Watch that I went around the museum to see and enjoy other works by Rembrandt.

I think my experience with Rembrandt’s The Night Watch may be similar to the experience many Catholics have with Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Of the many verses in this most brilliant and influential of all of Paul’s writings, the church’s lectionary highlights only certain passages. During the Easter Vigil the church focuses our attention on Romans 6: We have been baptized into Christ Jesus and his death. During a funeral, the church draws us into the consoling truth of Romans 14: Christ Jesus is Lord of both the living and the dead. At times of national crisis and crises of faith, the church inspires us with the hope of Romans 8: Nothing whatsoever can snatch us away from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. The church’s selective presentations of Romans are similar to what the Dutch museum curators did with Rembrandt’s The Night Watch as they directed patrons’ attention on one masterwork before inviting them to view other notable paintings.

During the course of Cycle A, the church presents us with 24 readings from Romans, so that we might draw nourishment and inspiration for our faith from its riches. This first of four articles on Romans is an overview of the structure, themes and purposes of Romans.

We can easily divide the 16 chapters that comprise Romans into doctrine, exhortation and conclusion. In Romans 1–11 Paul lays out doctrine. Exhortation is the dominant feature of Romans 12–15. Romans 16 consists of greetings and the conclusion.

There are multiple themes in such a long letter as Romans. From the very beginning of Romans, Paul makes it abundantly clear that Jesus Christ and faith in him is key: Paul’s Gospel is that Jesus Christ, from the seed of king David, is powerful Lord. That is, Jesus the Messiah stands at the end of God’s promises to Israel and through his resurrection from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit is manifested as Lord over all.

Paul will use different images in Romans to make this same christological point. In Romans 1–4, he draws upon the imagery of the law court to emphasize God’s covenantal fidelity or righteousness to God’s creation and to God’s elect people. In Romans 5–8 he displays the cosmic dimensions of Jesus Christ’s power as Lord, for the risen Jesus Christ is Lord over sin, flesh and death — powers that think they are lords and try with ultimate vigor to separate us from God. Romans 9–11 is not “an appendix” to Paul’s doctrinal chapters. Rather it is the goal toward which all of Paul’s arguments in Romans 1–8 have been leading. In Romans 9–11, Paul boldly, torturously and in a faith-filled way addresses the question: How can God be Lord, faithful to covenantal promises, conqueror of flesh, sin and death, if the chosen people, the Jews, who largely have not heeded the Gospel, are not ultimately saved? Sample Romans 9:2–3: “I have tremendous sorrow and unrelenting anguish in my heart over this question. For I could even wish that I myself be accursed and wrenched from the Messiah for the sake of my brothers and sisters of Israel.” And Romans 11:29: “For God’s gift and call are irrevocable.”

Paul sends his letter to Jewish and gentile Christians he has not evangelized to show them the nature of his Gospel. He is convinced that they will accept the authenticity of his Gospel and provide personal and financial assistance for his planned evangelization work in Spain. But Paul also writes Romans, his “last will and testament,” with an eye to his upcoming trip to and potential conflict in Jerusalem over his Gospel. Will the Jerusalem Christians accept the monetary gift of the gentile Christians and Paul’s law-free Gospel of a salvation that is inclusive of Jew and gentile? Paul’s petition in Romans 15:30–31 is gripping: “Join me by your prayers in my upcoming struggle in Jerusalem over the faith, so that . . . my ministry may be acceptable to the saints.”
ML

Robert J. Karris, OFM, is a professor at St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, N.Y., and a New Testament scholar. His latest book is St. Bonaventure’s Commentary on the Gospel of Luke Chapters 1–8 (Franciscan Institute of St. Bonaventure University, 2001).