Intersecting Cultural Identities In Saint Paul's Epistle To The Romans

Saint Paul is an interesting figure in that he has several intersecting cultural identities - he describes himself as a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” while being educated in Greek and holding Roman citizenship. (Philippians 3.5) He continually makes reference to Jewish traditions and scriptures in his Epistle to the Romans - for example, he writes that “a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal.” (Romans 3.28) This assertion references the Book of Jeremiah, which also discusses “circumcision of the heart”; this is often viewed as a symbolic representation of a covenant with God.

In addition to this, Paul notably makes his points in terms that the Romans would sympathize with - for one, at the beginning of the epistle, he writes that he is “a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians…hence [his] eagerness to proclaim the gospel to [those] also who are in Rome” - and generally makes his civic identity quite clear. (Romans 1.14-15) The Romans had a tendency to generalize groups that were not, in fact, Roman (or Greek) under the label “barbarian.” As a whole, his tone is indeed “eager,” as he states, in the sense that his message comes across as rather urgent and extreme, reflecting the somewhat common stereotype of a “fire and brimstone”