LA GEOMETRÍA DE LAS MOLÉCULAS

Rather than allowing a prior text to narrowly control and dictate what a text means, I have chosen to adopt a more dynamic and broader approach to

192 _{Gen 3:14, 17; 4:11; 5:29; 9:25; 12:3; 27:29; 49:7; Num 5:18–19, 22, 24, 27; 22:6,}

12; 23:7; 24:9; Deut 27:15–26; 28:16–19; Josh 6:26; Judg 5:23; 21:18; 1 Sam 14:24, 28; 26:19; 2 Kings 9:34; Psa 118:21; Job 3:8; Mal 1:14; 2:2; Jer 11:3; 17:5; 20:14–15; and 31:10. The exceptions are Ex 22:27; Josh 8:25; and Mal 3:9.

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understanding the intertextual relationship between what Paul says in Rom 9:3 and the Septuagint, which he and his readers share as a textual resource, in the sense that, to a greater or lesser degree, their cultural code has been shaped by the Septuagint. While successive generations of interpreters may not be totally incorrect to pinpoint Ex 32:32 as the alluded text, the proposal is that there is a lot more that is going on in Rom 9:3 than just Ex 32:32 alone.

The fact that there are some major differences between Rom 9:3 and Ex 32:32 should also caution us against making a rigid connection between the two texts, missing out on the other significations that Paul may be drawing upon (whether consciously or otherwise) as he shares his anguish over his fellow countrymen with his readers. The willingness of Paul to suffer anathema (not just a ‘curse’, for which a word like kata¿ra would otherwise be used) and forfeit his own eternal salvation for the sake of his fellow Jews speaks a great deal about how he sees himself in relation to them and the gospel. It extends the picture of the prophet that is evident from the beginning of this text (Rom 9:1-2).

Just as significant, Paul’s use of a key term (aÓna¿qema) in Rom 9:3 is distinctly dependent on the Septuagint as the prior text, contrary to the other usages in the Second Temple writings (e.g. Josephus, Philo and certain NT passages). While Paul’s use of Scripture is sometimes mediated by Second Temple Judaism (as in my discussion of Rom 9:4-5 later), there is little evidence of that being the case here.

5 Conclusion

Taken as a whole, Rom 9:1-3 forms a distinct picture reminiscent of a prophetic frame of mind that is present in the OT. Paul apparently sees himself, not so much as an apostle to the Gentiles, but as one who comes to Israel in the tradition of the prophets. At the verbal level, there is hardly any precise verbal correspondence between the OT texts and Paul’s words in Rom 9:1-3. Yet, the

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intertextual references are quite unmistakeable, when we look at these from the perspective of themes, motifs and posture.

Recognising that his message of the gospel (Romans 1–8) marks a radical shift from that which his fellow Jews have been brought up to think and believe, Paul begins the section (Romans 9-11) by making emphatic assertions with regards to the truth (Rom 9:1), that he is feeling great pain for them (Rom 9:2), because he wishes that he would be able suffer God’s wrath in their stead, if at all possible (Rom 9:3). Nothing can be more emphatic than to say that he is speaking truth in Christ, not lying and that his conscience in the Holy Spirit is bearing witness to what he is saying.

In so doing, Paul not only appeals to the provision of the Torah with respect to having witnesses—not to bear testimony to a crime—but to validate the truth of what he is saying. Paul also comes, not as a false prophet who tells lies, but as a true prophet of God who is faithful in delivering the truth to his people. Yet his heart is suffering anguish because, like the OT prophets, he sees the reticence of his people in responding to the grace of God. While this emphasis may directly focus on his feelings for his fellow countrymen and may serve an apologetic function in answering those who may accuse him of having turned away from his own Jewish roots, it ultimately (albeit indirectly) underscores the fact that what he has been saying in Romans 1–8 is the God-given truth. This image of an apostle who comes as a prophetic figure to the Jews is further reinforced in Rom 10:1 when he says, Δ∆Adelfoi÷, hJ me«n eujdoki÷a thvß e˙mhvß kardi÷aß kai« hJ de÷hsiß pro\ß to\n qeo\n uJpe«r aujtw◊n ei˙ß swthri÷an (‘Brothers, indeed the prayer and desire of my heart to God is for them to be saved’). His hope is that they would turn to Christ and be saved (cf. Rom 10:1-4).

This reading is facilitated by investigating the intertextual connections that stand behind what is written in Rom 9:1-3. The analysis shows that there is a web of scriptural texts that form an intertextual matrix to Paul’s words, serving as an

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ideational resource through which his more cognizant readers would grasp the finer overtones. Of these, as we have seen, various texts in Jeremiah stand out. In highlighting the book of Jeremiah, I am not saying that Paul’s words in Rom 9:1-3 are to be traced to specific passages, like what is to be expected in an actual allusion (or even echo). What the study has shown, rather, is that Paul’s words have underlying connotations that go back to the Old Testament, with the book of Jeremiah being the key in this particular instance. The significance here is not so much the particular passages that are referred to, but the cultural code that is represented by these texts collectively, and derived from Scripture as an ideational resource, to communicate ideas, nuances, and feelings.

The study shows that there is a broader intertextual connection between Rom 9:1-3 and the Old Testament than what Hays’ framework is likely to detect. These intertextual connections may be more subtle or implicit, but they are just as crucial for our ability to perceive the full import of Paul’s words in the ears of readers who are attuned to the language of the Septuagint. The latter functions as an ideational resource that facilitates their communication.

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CHAPTER 3

THE USE OF THE NARRATIVE SUMMARY AS A LITERARY DEVICE

1 Introduction