Semantic collisions at the intertextual crossroads:: a diachronic and synchronic study of Romans 9:30-10:13

Abstract

This thesis examines Romans 9:30-10:13 with a concentration on Paul's citations of the Old Testament. A critical review of the theory of intertextuality, including a critique of its application by Richard Hays, begins an adaptation of the theory for a methodology which is labelled herein as Intertextual Semantics. Intertextual Semantics describes the meaning of the text through its points of continuity between itself and its source, but also its discontinuity and the processes which have contributed to their lexical, syntactical, discursive, rhetorical, and cultural differences. Transformative factors may be evident from a synchronic perspective, but when considering Paul’s historical position in relation to Judaism and Israelite religion, a diachronic perspective is also valuable. The thesis devotes considerable space to the history of the texts which Paul quotes in Romans 9:30-10:13. It contributes new readings of Isaiah 28:16, Leviticus 18:5, and Deuteronomy 30:12-14 in their respective literary and historical contexts. From such 'original' contexts to other allusions or quotations in the Old Testament or in non-canonical Second Temple Jewish literature or in other New Testament writings, these intertexts are followed and described as part of this diachronic analysis. Disrupting or colliding with the continuity of meaning across changes of time, languages, and cultures are the exigencies facing each new generation. In the synchronic analysis, and in response to the relative neglect that Romans 10 suffers in relation to chs. 9 and 11, this study demonstrates that concerted attention to Romans 10 pays dividends for inquiries into the coherence, purpose, and function of chs.9-11 as well as for important topics such as Paul's conception of his own ministry, comparisons of Pauline religion with historical Israelite religion, and rhetoric in this letter.