Romans 2 Essay

One of the key socio-cultural issues that must be considered in light of this chapter is the role of the Jewish Law in early Christian churches. As discussed in the previous paragraph, Romans 2 introduces the reader (both the believers in Rome and modern-day readers) to Paul’s covenant theology (i.e. how he views the pact made between God and the Jewish people and salvation). Jewish Law in antiquity was viewed by Jews as agreement between God and the people whom He had chosen to protect; in return for God’s favor, the Jewish people would obey His laws. As such, it was commonly viewed by Jews as a symbol of the status that the Jewish people held in God’s eyes (Ehrman 2016). Paul, however, has an opposing view. Paul uses the second chapter of

Despite what opponents may argue, Paul does not expressly state that the Law was not given to the Jews as a symbol as God’s favor, nor does he state that those who can follow the law are not given salvation. Rather, Paul argues that Jews do not follow the law perfectly, and, as such, they are all unlawful (Wright, 1996; Lamp, 1999). Jews, according to Paul, are guilty of immoral acts such as stealing, committing adultery, and overall dishonoring God by failing to practice their own teachings (2:22-24). Thus, even if Jews do have the Law, the covenant between them and God is null if they do not even follow it (2:25). Merely hearing the Law and claiming to be Jewish is not enough to Paul and, as a result, “God shows no partiality” to the law-breaking Jews (2:11). It is probable that this argument was what led to Paul’s labeling as a heretic by Jewish groups in antiquity. However, Paul is not divorcing the connection of righteousness and obedience to the Jewish Law, but stating that the Jewish people are not perfectly obedient. As a result, all Jewish people, who fail to keep the Law, are just as condemned as the Gentiles described in chapter one.

Another socio-cultural feature of early Christianity that Paul reveals in Romans 2 is the relationship between Gentile and Jew in the newly forming religion and