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102 Paul and the Gospels faithfulness to his people (9:1­5), and explaining the rejection of the gospel by Israel in various ways. Essentially Paul, without rejecting Israel, declares Israel in the wrong. Not rejecting means not only affirming his commitment to Israel (9:1­5; 10:1; 11:1, 14) and warning the Gentiles against pride (11:18), but affirming God's commitment to his people and expressing his hope— not just his wish—that all Israel— not just a remnant (11:5­7)—will be saved (11:11­36). In other words, Paul, although he has to affirm his stand over against the opposition of his people, refuses to write Israel off from his missionary aims (11:14), from the Gentiles' concern, and most deci­ sively, from God's love. He does not speak of a new Israel either. In fact there is no word for the Christians as a group, except perhaps "the saints" (1:7; 15:25, 26, 32). 12:1­16:23: Exhortation and Conclusion There is not much to say about 12:1­15:13 from our point of view, since the Jews are no longer directly in the picture, only perhaps that the paraenesis is not an unexpected feature in an epideictic discourse, as Wuellner has shown.9 To confirm the Gentile Christians in Rome in the gospel isalso to show them the ways to be an acceptable offering to God (15:16). The conclusion of this section (15:8­13) is heavily oriented towards the Gentiles, as is to be expected, although in verse 8 the priority of the Jews is discreetly maintained. In the peroratio (15:14 to the end) Paul talks about the danger he faces in Judaea on the part of the unbelievers. It is not surprising, but worth noting, that he does not call them "the Jews." Nor, however, does he call the believers there "the church," but "the saints." The word ekklesia ("church") seems to have its simple meaning of assembly: it is not the opposite of "Israel." Conclusions We have placed Romans in the epideictic genre of rhetoric. Paul shares with his audience some of the essential values they have in common. To be more precise, we have concluded that the Apostle to the Gentiles is here writing to Gentile Christians and providing them with the grounds for their kauchesis in the "hope of God's glory" (5:2), for the confidence which finds its expression in 8:32­39, and for their reasons to praise God. The definition of the Gentiles, quite naturally, is reached within Paul'sJewish frame of reference. But this does not mean simply the use of theological vocabulary or categories of thought. What Paul is pre­ 9 Wuellner, "Paul's Rhetoric," 346­49. The Rhetorical Function of the Jews in Romans 103 senting are the arguments for the entry of the Gentiles into God's plan of salvation which originated in Israel. In "both Jews and Gentiles" there is a priority of the Jews which is a presupposition of the argu­ ment. We have argued that in the chapters on justification by faith (1:18­4:25) Paul presents to the Gentiles the kind of argument hewould have with another Jew when arguing for a gospel of justification by faith that would allow for the entry of the Gentiles. He shows how justification by faith and not by works of the law makes sense by recognized Jewish standards ofjudgment. The argument presupposes faith in God's intervention in Jesus Christ. It is essentiallya theological justification of the Christian faith and experience post factum. But it shows how important it was for Paul to provide the Gentiles with the rationale of their position inJewish terms, even if, or preciselybecause, they were rejected by Israel. From the way the argumentation is conducted in the first chap­ ters, then, Romans could not appear more pro­Jewish. Paul the Jew is talking to another Jew and finding the arguments tojustify his position. It isan intra­Jewishdiscussion.The Jew addressed by Paul, however,is asked to surrender a position characterized by the importance of the law, for one characterized by faith. Inasmuch as the first position is held by the majorityof the Jews and isallowed to stand as a definitionof Judaism, Paul is actually proposing a redefinition of Judaism. Paul's argument for the legitimacyof his position inJewish terms stands only by hisdefinition of Judaism, determined by his faith in Jesus Christ. It is also...

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