We are currently doing a study of the Book of Romans via Google Meets, which I intend to post to our parish channel on YouTube. Unfortunately, I didn't hit the record button for the last session, which went back over a few things from chapter 1, and then covered chapter 2. Here is a summary of a few things covered in that session:
In our first session, we discussed the fact that St. Paul is largely concerned with the problem of the relations between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. In the second session, I pointed out how the expulsion of the Jews from Rome under Claudius probably forms the backdrop of this problem. Suetonius records that Claudius ordered all the Jews to leave Rome, because they were rioting over a certain "Chrestus." This most likely means that the Jews in Rome were having violent disagreements about whether Jesus Christ was the Messiah. So while all the Jewish Christians, including Ss. Priscilla and Aquila (cf. Acts 18:1-18), were gone, the Roman Church became a Gentile Church over night, but when Claudius died, the Jews were allowed to return, and so Jewish Christians, who had been running things in the Church would likely have had some difficulties adjusting to a now Gentile Church. We know from the final chapter of Romans that St. Paul knew many of these Jews, and no doubt heard about these problems from them, and so this was at least in large part the occasion for St. Paul writing this letter.
I also went back and talked a but about Romans1:17, because I was side tracked in first session, by my microphone problem, and so forgot to point out a few things.
Romans 1:17 says:
"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
This is a quotation from Habakkuk 2:4, which neither follows exactly the Septuagint or the Masoretic Hebrew text.
The Hebrew text of Habakkuk 2:4, as we now have it, reads:
"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith" (KJV)
The Septuagint Greek text reads:
"If he should draw back, my soul has no pleasure in him: but the just shall live by my faith" (Brenton LXX).
One other thing I pointed out is that one could translate the Hebrew text as the NET Bible does:
"Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, but the person of integrity will live because of his faithfulness."
St. Paul phrases the text in such a way that it could be taken in both senses -- that the righteous is justified by his faith, and by God's faithfulness. And it also could be understood to encompass both that the righteous man is justified by faith, and by being faithful. We will be getting into this in more detail later, when we talk about the relationship between faith and works.
On Romans Chapter 2, I have preached three sermons which cover some of the same ground I covered in session 2:
To the Jew first, and also to the Gentile (Romans 2:1-11)
Conscience (Romans 2:12-16)
Circumcision of the Heart (Romans 2:17-29)
You can also read St. John Chrysostom's Fifth and Sixth homilies, which cover Romans 2.
