Redefining Relationships in Romans: A Socio-Historical and Political Reading

Identities and roles play an important part in Pauline epistles, especially in Romans. Paul emphasizes on the believers identity and role as members of the believing community, and of the larger society. Such demands a need for redefining relationships. To this end, this book investigates the roles of the believers in Christ in Romans 12-13 and Romans 15:7-13.

Insights from historical, sociological and political approaches are employed in order to bring out a richer understanding of the texts in the context of identities and roles. The book situates Romans within the Roman Imperial context and then locates Paul's exhortation in Romans 12-13 and 15:7-13 within the said historical context. It examines the identities and roles and interprets it in an attempt to establish the importance of redefining relationships. The book then brings an interpretive framework for redefining relationships in Romans. Such exploration of Romans allows us to bring Paul's teachings in the context of the internal and external aspects and to conclude that Paul is attentive to the context in which he finds himself.

Zakali Shohe is Associate Professor of New Testament at Trinity Theological College in Dimapur, Nagaland. She is the author of Acceptance Motif in Paul: Revisiting Romans 15:7-13 published in 2017 by Peter Lang, Frankfurt, Germany. She has also contributed chapters in several monographs and articles in international and national Journals.

In this fine study, Zakali Shohe re-reads Paul's Epistle to the Romans in a relational perspective. She analyses how Christ believers of different origin and status constituted faith communities, and how they are related to each other within the wider context of the values and structures of the Roman Empire. Her approach to Paul is well informed by the so-called New Perspectives on Paul. This sharpens her analysis of Pauline passages for their societal dimensions and for the essential social dimension of the gospel of Christ. Situating the Epistle to the Romans consequently within Roman society brings this ancient letter back to life. Her approach enables her to draw conclusions from her study for tackling burning issues of present times, that is in Northeast India and the global COVID-19 pandemic. As much as Romans were relevant to Paul's particular addressees in the first century and at certain junctures in history, as much it is still inspiring for facing today's challenges, in both local and global perspectives.

In Pauline Epistles he brings fundamental insight into the meaning of gospel as the message of Christ that puts into effect the crossing of societal boundaries that divide people of different status and origin. A common text is Galatians 3:28. The usual translation of the verse, however, is misleading and clouds the intended meaning: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (RSV). In the context of the discussion in Galatians, this rendering does not make good sense. For in Antioch (Gal 2:11-21), as in the Galatian communities, there were Jews and Greeks, slaves and free persons, men and women. Their distinctness is not transcended. The question at stake in these faith communities was how their members as Jews and Greeks, slaves and free persons, men and women could constitute a faith community that makes transparent dikaiosynetheou, that is, the justice of God who is not partial, but who, in Christ, has included all of humanity in His covenant with His people. In order to bring out the meaning of Galatians 3:28 in the narrow context of verses 25-29, I render itas follows:

(25) Since the faith has come, however, we are no longer under a custodian. (26) For you all are sons (and daughters) of God by means of the faith (that you have) in Christ Jesus. (27) For as much as you have been baptized into Christ, you have put on Christ-(28) regardless if as Jew or Gentile, as slave or free person, as male or female. For you all are (joined together as) one in Christ Jesus. (29) But since you belong to Christ, it follows that you are progeny of Abraham, that is, heirs according to the promise.

**Contents and Sample Pages**