Introduction to Romans-The Pauline Authorship

Tuesday May 1, 2007

Romans: The Pauline Authorship of the Book of Romans

Lesson # 1

Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 13:13.

This evening we will begin a study of the book of Romans, which is the greatest and most influential of all the Pauline epistles.

Throughout the history of the church, lives have been radically transformed through the impact of Paul’s epistle to the Romans.

For example, Augustine, in 386, was sitting in the garden of a friend, weeping, as he considered making a radical change in his life.

The words of a young neighborhood child singing a tune reached his ears, words which invited him to “Take up and read.”

He took up the scroll nearby, a scroll which contained these words from Paul’s Roman epistle: Romans 13:13-14, “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Augustine later wrote about his response to these words from the pen of the apostle Paul: “No further would I read, nor had I any need; instantly, at the end of this sentence, a clear light flooded my heart and all the darkness of doubt vanished away (Confessions, viii. 29).”

Then, in November of 1515, Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk who was a professor at the University of Wittenberg, began to expound the Book of Romans to his students.

The more he studied Romans, the more he recognized that the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith was central and crucial to the argument of the epistle but he found himself struggling to understand it.

He describes his struggle with Romans and his dramatic conversion when the message came clear to him, he writes, “I greatly longed to understand Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, ‘the righteousness of God,’ because I took it to mean that righteousness whereby God is righteous and deals righteously in punishing the unrighteous … Night and day I pondered until … I grasped the truth that the righteousness of God is that righteousness whereby, through grace and sheer mercy, he justifies us by faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before ‘the righteousness of God’ had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gateway to heaven.” (F. F. Bruce, The Epistle of Paul to the Romans; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, [photolithoprinted] 1969, p. 58. Cited from Luther’s Works, Weimar edition, volume 54, pages 179ff., by Bruce, page 59.)

Luther, in his preface to the Roman letter, wrote, “This Epistle is the chief book of the New Testament, the purest gospel. It deserves not only to be known word for word by every Christian, but to be the subject of his meditation day by day, the daily bread of his soul … The more time one spends in it, the more precious it becomes and the better it appears.’ He spoke of it as ‘a light and way into the whole Scriptures.’” (Cited by David N. Steele and Curtis C. Thomas, Romans: An Interpretive Outline; Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, page 1)

Over two-hundred years later, John Wesley was transformed by this same epistle, he wrote in his journal that he “went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans … About a quarter before nine while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for my salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken my sins away, even mine; and saved me from the law of sin and death.” (Cited from Works, volume 1, page 103, by Bruce, page 59)

Calvin said of it “when any one understands this Epistle, he has a passage opened to him to the understanding of the whole Scriptures.” (Cited by David N. Steele and Curtis C. Thomas, Romans: An Interpretive Outline; Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, page 1).

This evening we will begin an introduction to the book of Romans, which will be presented in five installments and will deal with the following subjects: (1) Authorship of Romans (2) Recipients of Romans (3) Date and Place of Origin of Romans (4) Occasion and Purpose of Romans (5) Thematic Overview of Romans.

This evening we will note the Pauline authorship of the book of Romans.

Now, as was the common practice in letter writing in the first century, the epistle to the Romans opens with a statement identifying the author.

Romans 1:1, “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.”

Romans has been credited to the apostle Paul from the post-apostolic church to the present day since the language and style of the epistle is consistent with that of Galatians and 1 and 2 Corinthians, which are accepted as being written by Paul.

The early church fathers regularly included Romans in their list of authentic documents.

For example, Marcion, the Muratorian fragment, and a steady stream of patristic writers beginning with Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus all assume its Pauline authorship without defense.

The epistle of Romans echoes much of what Paul wrote in his earlier writings.

For example, the doctrine of justification by faith appears in both Galatians 2:16 and Romans 3:20-22, and the church as the body of Christ representing Him and serving Him through the function of various spiritual gifts is taught in both Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.

Also, the collection for the destitute believers at Jerusalem is referred to in Romans 15:25-28 and 2 Corinthians 8-9.

Paul makes more references to himself and his readers in 1 and 2 Corinthians and Galatians since he founded those churches whereas in Romans he makes fewer references to himself and his readers because he did not establish that church.

Though Paul makes only one reference to himself by name, the internal evidence supports Pauline authorship.

First of all, he claimed to be from the tribe of Benjamin in Romans 11:1, which is confirmed by Philippians 3:5.

Then, he sent greetings to Priscilla and Aquila in Romans 16:3 whom Paul met at Corinth according to Acts 18:2-3 and left Ephesus on his second missionary journey according to Acts 18:18-19.

Paul referred to his journey to Jerusalem with a gift from the churches in Macedonia and Achaia according to Romans 15:25-27, which is confirmed in Acts 19:21, 20:1-5, 21:15, 17-19 and in 1 Corinthians 16:1-5 and 2 Corinthians 8:1-12 and 9:1-5.

He mentions several times his desire to visit Rome in Romans 1:10-13, 15; 15:22-23, which is confirmed in Acts 19:21.

Therefore, a comparison of these passages supports Paul as the author of Romans.

The only legitimate question about the Pauline authorship of Romans is related to the role of Tertius who in Romans 16:22, writes, “I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.”

We know that in the first century an “amanuensis” was employed in letter writing, which refers to someone who was hired to write from dictation and write it down in longhand immediately.

At other times they would use a form of shorthand (tachygraphy) to take down a letter and then later write it out in longhand.

Sometimes, the amanuensis would get the gist of what a person wanted to say and then be left to relate the ideas in a letter without any help.

This third option would not apply to the work of Tertius in Romans unless he was the amanuensis for all of Paul’s unquestioned letters.

The stylistic and semantic similarities with Paul’s other letters calls for a stricter control on what was written down and so it is very doubtful that Paul would have turned over such an important task to Tertius.

The name “Paul” in the Greek is the proper name Paulos (Pau=lo$), which means, “little.”

Paul had two names, his Jewish name “Saul” and his Roman name “Paul” and he was born and raised in the city of Tarsus.

Tarsus was the principal city of the Roman province of Cilicia in southeast Asia Minor, which is now Turkey (Acts 9:11; 22:3) and was located on the Tarsus River and 12 miles from the Mediterranean coast.

The city also welcomed Gaius Julius Caesar with open arms when he visited it in 47 B.C. and after the assassination of Caesar, Antony gave Tarsus the status of a free city in 42 B.C. and it was also the scene of the famous meeting between Antony and Cleopatra.

Its free city status meant that Roman citizenship was to be given to the leading citizens of the community, which of course meant many of the Jews.

Tarsus was a center of Greek culture, ranking next to Athens and Alexandria and the people of Tarsus were known for the zeal for learning and philosophy surpassed only by Athens and Alexandria.

Tarsians who studied in their own city were known for completing their education abroad and then making their home in Rome or elsewhere rather than returning to Tarsus.

Paul was born a Roman citizen so therefore his father was a Roman citizen.

His father probably acquired his Roman citizenship through his trade as a tentmaker and quite possibly his father or grandfather was granted Roman citizenship by one of the Roman generals, namely Pompey or Antony.

A skenopoioi, “tentmaker” was very useful to a Roman general such as Pompey or Antony.

Paul’s native Cilicia fell within the province of both Pompey and Antony during the 1st Century B.C.

Both these generals were invested with imperium by Roman law and could grant Roman citizenship to whom they desired to give it to, thus, we can deduce that this probably was the case with Paul’s father or grandfather.

His Roman citizenship was quite useful in his ministry and he appeals to his rights as a Roman citizen on more than one occasion during his ministry.

Because Paul was born a Roman citizen, his father would make a declaration in the appropriate record office that his child was a Roman citizen.

This was called civem Romanum esse professus est in the Latin and was recorded in the official register and his father would receive a copy in diptych form, which was more than likely certified by witnesses.

Paul more than likely carried this declaration around with him in written form to substantiate his claims of Roman citizenship.

Paul’s excellent education in Tarsus and in Jerusalem coupled with his tremendous study habits and genius IQ made him a great scholar.

He was fluent in Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek and Latin and his genius can be deduced from his tremendous vocabulary, which he displays in his epistles along with a complete command of the Greek in all its dialects.

Paul communicated in Doric Greek, Ionic Greek, Aeolic Greek, Attic Greek, Hellenistic Greek, and the Koine Greek and his epistles also display Hebraicism’s and Latinism’s.

He was a classical Greek scholar as witnessed to the fact that he quotes 2 minor Greek poets in Acts 17:28 and a Cretan poet in Titus 1:12.

Quoting Plato or Homer was not significant but quoting minor poets reveals a comprehensive knowledge of Greek literature.

Paul was also a Hebrew scholar and studied alongside the greatest Rabbi in Israel in his day, Gamaliel, who taught in the famous Hillel school according to Acts 22:3.

In Philippians 3:5-6, the apostle Paul gives a composite character sketch of himself prior to salvation, which marked him out as the top young rising star in Judaism.

Philippians 3:1, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.”

Philippians 3:2-6, “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

Corrected translation of Philippians 3:4-6:

Philippians 3:4-6, “Although I myself having confidence in the flesh, if anyone of the same race (i.e., Jewish) claims to have confidence in the flesh and some claim to have confidence in the flesh, I more. With respect to circumcision: eighth day, descended from the nation of Israel, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew (speaking Jew) from Hebrews (Hebrew speaking parents), legalistically: a Pharisee, zealously persecuting the church, self-righteously religious: I conducted myself irreproachably!”

The first four pre-salvation distinctions were inherited by Paul through physical birth and the last three were the result of his own actions.

The 1st credential mentioned is “with respect to circumcision: eighth day” demonstrates that Paul’s parents were neither proselytes nor descendants of Ishmael.

It refers to the literal ritual surgical procedure performed on a Jewish boy 8 days after his birth and signifies that Paul and his parents were members of the new racial species called the Jews.

The 2nd credential mentioned is “(descended) out from the nation of Israel” demonstrates that Paul was a member of the nation of Israel and emphasizes that he is a direct descendant of Jacob and is a title of nobility and denotes Paul’s theocratic privileges as a citizen of the nation of Israel.

The 3rd credential mentioned “a member of the tribe of Benjamin” denotes the fact that Paul was a member of the one of the greatest warrior tribes from the nation of Israel, which also produced the first king of Israel, “Saul”.

The 4th credential mentioned “a Hebrew (speaking Jew) from Hebrews (Hebrew-speaking parents)” denotes the fact that Paul was an orthodox Jew and that he spoke Hebrew, which distinguished him from his fellow Hellenized countryman and also denotes that his parents spoke Hebrew as well.

The 5th pre-salvation credential mentioned “legalistically, a Pharisee” denotes the fact that Paul was an interpreter of the Mosaic Law.

Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines the noun legalism, “strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.”

Paul’s pre-salvation experience as a Pharisee was that of strict adherence to the letter of the Law rather than the spirit of the Law.

He was Parash or a Rabbi and thus a mark of distinction among his countrymen.

Paul pursued a relationship with God through legalism because He did not know the Lord Jesus Christ Who is end of the Law for everyone who believes in Him (Rm. 10:4).

He did not know the Lord Jesus Christ as His Savior; therefore, he was opened to the deception of the kingdom of darkness resulting in his zealous persecution of the church of Christ.

The Law cannot justify an individual before God (Rm. 3:20-28; Gal. 2:16) and could not provide eternal salvation for men (Gal. 3:21-26) and could not solve the problems of the old sin nature (Rm. 8:2-3).

Faith alone in Christ alone is the only means of providing salvation for all men (John 3:16, 36; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9).

The 6th pre-salvation credential “zealously persecuting the church” indicates before salvation Paul or Saul of Tarsus belonged to the strictest sect of the Jews, the Zealots and thus reveals his uncompromising patriotism.

Acts 7 presents Paul as leading in the execution of Stephen, the first martyr of the church and Acts 8 records Paul heading to Damascus Syria with authority from the Jewish leaders to persecute Christians and imprison them.

The 7th pre-salvation credential “self-righteously religious: I conducted myself irreproachably!” denotes that Paul was a religious person prior to salvation meaning that before salvation, the apostle Paul was scrupulously faithful and conscientious in adhering to the oral traditions of the Pharisees.

Theologically, religion is the antithesis to Biblical Christianity in that it is the ignorant, presumptuous, vain and arrogant attempt by man to gain the approbation of God by depending upon a legalistic, meritorious system of human works rather than the impeccable Person and Finished Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s conversion to Christianity took place on the road to Damascus.

Acts 9:2 records that he had letters of extradition signed by the high priest and was bent on arresting Jewish Christians and taking them back for trial and punishment.

Paul thought he was serving God by persecuting Christians (1 Tim. 1:14).

His plans to go to Damascus to persecute Christians were upset when he encountered the risen Jesus (Acts 9:1-16).

He was called as an apostle to the Gentiles by the Lord Himself and not the other apostles (Acts 9:15; 22:21; Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:16) and he knew the other apostles (Gal. 1:17) and knew Peter and John by name (Gal. 2:9).

He knew our Lord’s brother, James (Gal. 1:19) and he saw the risen Christ on the road to Damascus therefore qualifying him to be an apostle and was blinded by the Lord for three days and Ananias took him into his home.

Paul recovered his sight and spent several days with the disciples in Damascus (Acts 9:18-19) and he immediately began preaching Jesus in the synagogue that He is the Son of God (Acts 9:22).

The Jews then plotted to kill him and he had to be let down in a basket outside the walls of the city so that the Jews would not see him leaving (Acts 9:23:25).

In Jerusalem, he tried to associate with the disciples there but they were afraid of him because of his reputation as a violent persecutor the church (Acts 9:26) and Barnabas finally acted as a mediator and brought him to the disciples (Acts 9:27).

He did not go to the other apostles to receive instruction upon his conversion but went to Arabia where he studied the Scriptures (Gal. 1:16-17).

He received direct revelation from the Lord Himself (Gal. 1:12) and in fact, he was caught up to the third heaven and saw things that no human being has ever been privileged to see (1 Cor. 12:1-10) and because he received such tremendous revelation from God there was a demon assigned to him to protect him from arrogance (1 Cor. 12:7-10).

Paul wrote half the New Testament and is the principle expounder in the Greek New Testament of the mystery doctrine for the church age and had four missionary journeys during his ministry.

He was the most well traveled man in the Roman Empire not to mention the Church and was responsible for numerous churches rising up throughout the Roman Empire.

He studied more than the other apostles and thus knew the mind of Christ better than any of them (1 Cor. 15:10) and suffered more for Christ than any of the apostles (1 Cor. 11:24-33).

The apostle who never walked with the Lord turned out to be the greatest.