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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
The second step in our search for what Paul was intending to say to the Romans in Rom. 1.16–4.25 is to identify as precisely as possible his purpose in writing. This will help us to see the text in its original context, so that our attention is directed to those elements of its meaning that are what he intended to say. It will help us to develop empathy with the nature of the text, so that we respond appropriately. It is important for developing a reading that will account for all of the text.
Our question is, What response was Paul trying to elicit from the audience he was addressing in Rom. 1.16–4.25? We shall try to discover what response he was seeking with the letter as a whole, and then consider how his purpose in our passage contributes to it. Did he want his hearers to understand and approve his theology? To give him help? To be guided in handling a problem of their own? Something else altogether? Our work in this chapter is limited by the fact that we have not yet identified the audience or the nature of the text, but by the time we are ready for the detailed teleological reading, we shall have a working hypothesis about Paul's purpose.
We are asking what response Paul was trying to elicit from the people he was addressing.
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