After spending a whole four posts on four short (though dense) verses, today we’re finally able to move on to the next section of text. In it, Paul says more about his relationship with the Roman churches and what he ultimately wants for them.
Let’s look at the text.
Text
[8] First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faithfulness is proclaimed across the world world. [9] For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, is my witness, that I make constant remembrance of you [10] always in my prayers, asking that by God’s will I might somehow succeed in coming to you. [11] For I yearn to see you so that I might transmit to you some spiritual gift so as to strengthen you — [12] That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faithfulness, both yours and mine. [13] I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have intended to come to you many times, but have been hindered until now, so that I might have have some fruit among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. [14] I am a debtor to both Greeks and barbarians, the wise and the foolish — [15] hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you in Rome also.
Experience
When I read this passage, I’m reminded that I’m reading a letter, and that Paul is trying to establish the good will of his readers. This could come across as crass and manipulative, but for me it seems more like he’s trying to lay the groundwork of his pre-existing deep respect for the churches of Rome so they might be more likely to hear the more challenging themes of the letter to follow. Paul even seems to go out of his way to suggest a collaboration of equals with them. It’s therefore interesting that he uses the verb ‘to proclaim good news’ as an intention for his trip to Rome since he’s writing to people who are already Christ-followers. It suggests a broader meaning for evangelizing than we typically use today. With all this in mind, the bit at the end about his indebtedness to “Greek and barbarians, the wise and the foolish” seems a bit out of place, and I wonder what he might intend by it.
Encounter
Here we have the author Paul, together with his cohort of colleagues and patrons in Corinth, and audience, the members of the churches in Rome. It’s clear from this passage that Paul has heard great things about the Roman churches and holds them in high regard. Even though he doesn’t know most of them, he prays for them and has long wanted to visit them.
Explore
This passage seems fairly straightforward, but these steps have raised a few questions to guide today’s study:
- Where exactly are we in the letter, and does this inform what Paul is doing?
- What might Paul mean by his indebtedness to Greeks, barbarians, the wise and foolish?
- What does Paul want from his relationship with the Roman churches?
Literary Form
As we’ve seen, the basic structure of a Roman letter looked like this:
- Exordium (Opening)
- Salutatio (Greetings)
- Thanksgiving or Check in
- Thesis / Statement of Purpose
- Narratio (Body)
- Peroratio (Conclusion)
- Exhortation
- Summary
- Final Greetings
The verses we’re looking at today seem clearly to occupy the 1.2 position of thanksgiving and checking in with the recipient. It’s part of the letter form intended to establish or re-establish the relationship with the letter’s readers, and bring them on board with what’s to come. And that fits well with what we see here. Paul doesn’t know the Romans as much as he knows ‘of them’, so he speaks of their glowing reputation and his good will towards them, as represented by his thanksgiving and prayers on their behalf and desire to visit them (Eberhart).* As Eberhart notes, Paul’s pre-existing relationship with Prisca and Aquila makes his comments about how much he’s heard about the Roman churches more likely to be truthful.
Paul’s Feeling of Indebtedness
Much of the scholarship on this passage comments on the weirdness of Paul’s expression of being indebted here (e.g., Eberhart; Jewett (2016) 17; Stott 59; Keesmaat & Walsh 18). The general (though not entirely satisfying) consensus is that, while Paul has certainly not borrowed anything that must be repaid, be feels a deep responsibility and obligation to share the riches of his gospel (Stott 59; Jewett (2016) 17; Schreiner 55). The pairings of ‘Greek’ and ‘barbarian’ and ‘wise’ and ‘foolish’ were conventional — particularly in non-Jewish settings. Within these conventions, ‘Greek’ and ‘wise’ represented the privileged, ‘cultured’, ‘civilized’ and educated, and therefore honoured, classes, and barbarians and the foolish represented the marginalized, ‘uncivilized’ and uneducated, and therefore shameful, masses (Keesmaat & Walsh 18). For Paul to put these groups on the same rhetorical level here, and even place himself below the marginalized groups says a lot about the leveling nature of his gospel.
Jewett, among others who emphasize the importance of recruiting support for the Spanish mission in Paul’s intention in writing the letter, also notes that the peoples of the Iberian peninsula were known for their fierce resistance to being assimilated and were therefore the most notorious of the foolish barbarians (Jewett (2016) 17).
Paul’s Intent for the Roman Churches
Paul notes a few intentions in this passage for his relationship with the Roman churches:
- to transmit some spiritual gift
- for them to be strengthened
- for his and their mutual encouragement
- to bear fruit among them
Because his Roman audience are largely strangers to him, Paul chooses his approach and words carefully, not focusing here on his apostolic authority (which as he’d just pointed out in 1.1 would be his prerogative), but coming at them as their equals (Barrett 26; Schreiner 52; Eberhart). Yes, he believes he has something to offer them, but he frames it in terms of mutual encouragement. He even minimizes his potential offering by talking about wanting to share “some” (tis, which we might translate as ‘any old’) gift with them and bear “some” fruit among them (Tonstad 71).
He summarizes all these hopes for his relationship with the Romans within his desire to proclaim the gospel — to evangelize — them (v.15). This suggests a richer meaning of evangelism than what we typically use: not just the initial proclamation leading to acceptance of the message and faith, but also including the whole process of discipleship and maturation in faithfulness. Just as the Reformers once said that the Church must be reformed and is always in need of reform, we might say that in Paul’s usage, Christians are evangelized and always in need of evangelism. It seems clear that as far as Paul is concerned, the Romans’ internal divisions on ethnic and cultural grounds are evidence of their continuing need to metabolize and embody the gospel and its consequences (Witherington 45; Gorman).
Challenge
The uncharacteristic hesitancy of Paul’s language here shows that he knows he’s on shaky ground in writing to these churches, who were established and have until now been thriving without any help from him. Upon receiving a letter from Paul, their first thought could easily have been “Who does this guy think he is?” And of course, as we’ve seen, he goes out of his way in these introductory fifteen verses to explain who he is, the basis of his apostolic authority, the nature of his gospel, and here, his deep respect and desire for only good things for them. It’s a reminder to watch our attitudes and words about others lest our best intentions not come across and be misunderstood.
Connected to this, while Paul is clearly using conventional language to describe the people living within the Empire, this language is also ‘othering’ and stigmatizing. It’s unlikely the Iberians would have recognized themselves in the words “barbarians” and “foolish!” Of course Paul is writing himself from the double consciousness of being both ‘Greek’ — in that he was to some extent Hellenized, able to work, teach, and move with ease across the Mediterranean world — and barbarian — being a member of a conquered, ‘foreign’ people. And the whole spirit of the letter that follows undermines all such divisions. But it’s still good to be mindful of the language we use to describe others.
Expand
Because this passage is mostly about Paul and his relationship with his first-century audience in Rome, there isn’t much for us to take away for our own growth and edification. But I do find his expansive understanding of evangelism helpful, and rather beautiful: The work of the gospel is not complete until it works its way through every facet of our lives, relationships, and communities.
Summary & Conclusions
In this passage, Paul attempts to bring his readers on board with the letter and his purpose in writing it. He is establishing a relationship grounded not only in their shared faith but also in their strong reputation. In writing about his intentions, he expresses himself with uncharacteristic humility, approaching them more as his collaborators and colleagues than as potential disciples. At the end of the day, his aim is to see the gospel work its apocalyptic, world-altering wonders in the life of the Roman churches. Like the leaven in the dough of Jesus’ parable, the gospel has to permeate every facet their community life, and by extension, ours.
* For full references, please see the series bibliography
Matthew Root 