To the Jew First: Two-Part Romans: A Structural Game Changer?

by David L. Allen

To the Jew First makes the case that Paul wrote Romans 1-8 to Jewish believers, and Romans 9-16 to Gentile believers. Evidence for this claim emerges from an analysis of Paul’s pronoun use, along with their antecedents in Romans.From the To the Jew First investigates the possibility that Romans was written by Paul as a single letter, addressed to two audiences, namely, Jewish believers and Gentile believers, both comprising the Roman church. This thesis alone is not new; scholars have long recognized that the Roman church was comprised of both Jews and Gentiles, and that Paul was likely writing to both groups in the letter. What is seldom considered is the possibility that Paul may have written the first half of Romans to Jewish believers predominately or exclusively, and then the second half predominately, if not exclusively, to Gentile believers. If the paradigm suggested here elicits new insights and leads to a new understanding (or at least broader understanding of Romans), then this work will have fulfilled its purpose. To this end, perhaps the church and the academy will benefit from this contribution.

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 27, 2024

Reviews

[Max Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great book for looking at scripture from an angle which you have probably never seen it from before. Dr. Allen does a great job examining scripture carefully and really trying to understand how the people that received it would have understood it. The only thing lacking in this book is an assessment of the theological implications that follow from this view of Romans. However, as I understand it, Dr. Allen is soon releasing a book about just that.