THE ADAMIC BACKDROP OF ROMANS 7 A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary Wilmore, Kentucky In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Committee: Dr. Ben Witherington III Dr. Joseph R. Dongell Dr. Ruth Anne Reese By Robert Brian Kidwell September 2012 UMI Number: 3537129 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ttswwioft FtoMsh«i UMI 3537129 Published by ProQuest LLC 2013. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Copyright 2012 Robert Brian Kidwell All rights reserved ABSTRACT The Adamic Backdrop of Romans 7 This dissertation is a study of the Adamic backdrop of Rom 7. While much has been written throughout church history regarding the identity of the “I” in 7:7-25, this dissertation contends that Paul is using the Greek rhetorical device of impersonation to speak of himself as Adam. That this is the case is evidenced by the vocabulary and imagery of Rom 7. This conjecture is further supported by the significant role the Adam story plays in both Judaism and early Christianity and especially in Paul. Moreover, the dissertation demonstrates that Adam imagery is distinctly evident in several passages in Romans and that the structure of the book clearly links 7:7-25 back to 5:12-21 where Adam is plainly contrasted with Christ. This contrast is maintained throughout Rom 5-8 and thus the two epochs of Adam and Christ are what drive the content of these chapters, further supporting the view that Rom 7 is Paul’s impersonation of Adam. The approach is intended to be comprehensive and selectively unites together various components of this argument: history of interpretation; Jewish and NT background; employment of the Adam narrative in the Pauline epistles, especially the Corinthian letters and Romans; the structure of Romans; and the exegesis of Rom 7. The goal is to provide an understanding of the “I” which recognizes that Adam alone harmonizes with many of Paul’s statements in Rom 7 and, thus, in order to be consistent, one must follow this association throughout the entire passage. At the same time, this interpretation still allows Paul to address an important message to the Roman church, that is, that only the Spirit, not the Law, provides victory over indwelling sin. Kidwell ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION......................... 1 CHAPTER 1 - HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION..........................................................7 Early Church Fathers ................................................................................................ 7 From Augustine to the Reformers ...........................................................................18 The Modem Period................................................................................................. 27 CHAPTER 2 - THE HERMENEUTIC AND RHETORIC OF PAUL............................ 45 Hermeneutics .......................................................................................................... 46 Rhetoric....................................................................................................................57 Diatribe ....................................................................................................... 64 Synkrisis...................................................................................................... 71 Impersonation............................................................................................. 74 Text Critical Issues .....................................................................................81 CHAPTER 3 - THE ADAM STORY IN JUDAISM........................................................88 Old Testament......................................................................................................... 92 Intertestamental Literature ....................................................................................100 CHAPTER 4 - THE ADAM STORY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT............................128 Synoptic Gospels.................................................................................................. 128 Johannine Literature .............................................................................................. 135 A cts........................................................................................................................141 Jam es......................................................................................................................142 Pauline Letters 147 Kidwell iii CHAPTER 5 - THE ADAM STORY IN ROMANS ...................................................... 172 Rom 1 - Exchanging Glory for Corruption ........................................................ 173 Romans 2 ............................................................................................................. 188 Romans 3 ...............................................................................................................190 Romans 4 ................................................. 193 Romans 5 - Adam and Christ Contrasted ........................................................... 195 Romans 6 - The Contrast Continues ................................................................... 205 Romans 8 - Glory Regained................... 209 Romans 9 through 15 .......................... 214 Romans 16:20 - Protoevangelium Fulfilled ........................................................215 CHAPTER 6 - STRUCTURAL ARGUMENTS ............................................................ 220 The Purpose of Romans ........................................................................................220 Paul’s Audience .................................................................................................... 222 Outline of Romans ................................................................................................ 226 Contrast in Romans............................................................................................... 235 CHAPTER 7 - ADAM IN ROMANS 7 .................................................................. 250 Paul’s View of the Law .........................................................................................250 “I” as Autobiography ............................................................................................253 “I” as Every M an.................................................................................................. 255 “I” as Israel........................... 260 “I” as Adam........................................................................................................... 264 CHAPTER 8 - CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................288 BIBLIOGRAPHY 300 Kidwell iv DEDICATION Tell me the old, old story, Write on my heart every word. I have sung those words nearly my entire life, and from my earliest memories, many have told me the story of Jesus. Beginning with my grandmother and continuing on through Sunday school teachers, pastors and friends, I have been privileged to hear that narrative many times. It is to these faithful witnesses that I first dedicate this work for without them I would not know the wonderful story of redemption. This dissertation, however, is not primarily about the 2000 year old story of Jesus’ death on the cross but rather is concerned with an even older narrative that goes back to the dawn of creation. It concerns the story of the first man, Adam, whose sin necessitated the coming of the second Adam, Jesus, in order to deliver us from the sin and death which the first Adam ushered into the world. That most ancient of stories has been told to me many times as well. Indeed, my committee members are not only responsible for helping to finalize this work but have also sown the seeds which initiated the thought process that led up to it. It was in one of my first classes in the doctoral program with Dr. Ben Witherington that I first began to examine the idea that Paul was impersonating Adam in this text. Indeed, those structural arguments I presented in a paper for that class comprise much of the substance of one of the chapters in this dissertation. Moreover, in Greek class Dr. Joe Dongell noted that where most English translations have “a lie” in Rom 1:25, the original actually employs the definite article and in the creation context of Rom 1, this almost certainly points to the original lie of Satan in the Garden. This led to further exploration of other texts in Kidwell v Romans for an Adamic backdrop. Finally, in Corinthians class with Dr. Ruth Anne Reese, I was able to explore how profusely Paul employed the Adam story in those epistles. Thus, thanks must go out to all three members of my committee for not only helping to finalize this project but also for contributing to its inception as well. Many thanks also go to my editor, Sue Liubinskas, for greatly improving the flow of my writing. Although she also did much to raise the level of my writing, the pastoral, familiar style which remains is my own. Furthermore,