The Early Jewish Abraham Tradition as a Primary Source of Theocentric Universalism in Romans: Paul’s Argument in Rom 4:2–17a; 8:32, and 15:7–12

The Abraham tradition in the Old Testament is considered a source of Pauline universalism. The outstanding contribution made by early Jewish interpretations of Abraham, however, has been largely overlooked to date. Hymnal and liturgical texts of early Judaism provide further background about this character. Therefore, three central aspects of the apostle’s theocentric universalism will be discussed: ecclesiological (Rom 4:2–17a), christological-soteriological (8:32), and eschatological (15:7–12). The role that Gen 22 played in Jewish interpretation not only for Rom 8:32, but also for Rom 4, which has hardly been considered or discussed in detail to date, will be central. The Abraham tradition is also in the background in Rom 15:7–12 and 13, which is sometimes seen as the sum of Romans. Read in this context, a new approach to solving the linguistic problem of 15:8–9, which is often perceived as difficult, also emerges.