From a Broken Covenant to Circumcision of the Heart: Pauline Intertextual Exegesis in Romans 2:17–29 (SBL Dissertation Series)

This book proposes an intertextual methodology designed to identify those unquoted Old Testament references that are the exegetical basis of Paul’s theological themes in Romans 2. Prophetic texts in Jeremiah 7:2–11; 9:23–26; and Ezekiel 36:16–27 are applied by Paul to interpret the narrative texts of Deuteronomy 29–30 and Genesis 17. Paul’s exegesis of these texts provides the basis of his conclusions regarding the sinfulness of the Jews, the redefinition of a Jew in spiritual terms as one who is circumcised inwardly, and the possiblility of Gentile inclusion in God’s salvation. These intertextual references in Romans 2:17–29 are an integral part of the larger web of texts and themes underlying the entire epistle.