Paul's 'Spirit of Adoption' in its Roman Imperial Context (The Library of New Testament Studies)

"Robert Lewis examines Paul's use of the phrase “Spirit of Adoption” in Romans 8:12-17 against the background of its Roman Imperial context in order to shed light on interpretation of Paul's Letter to the Romans. Whereas other scholars have explored what Paul may have meant when he uses the term “adoption” Lewis instead explores the reasons behind Paul's coupling of it with the term “spirit”. Having examined theories for a possible Jewish antecedent for Paul's use of this phrase, and found them less than persuasive, Lewis unlocks the data within the term's Roman Imperial context that significantly clarifies what Paul means when he uses the phrase “Spirit of adoption". Lewis shows that when Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, adoption had become a feature of Imperial succession. Roman religion gave a great deal of prominence to the Roman family spirit - the genius. The Emperor's genius became identified as a deity in Roman religion and its veneration was widespread in Rome as well as the provinces. When Romans 8.12-17 is read against this background, a very different kind of exegetical picture emerges" Cover Half-title Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations Chapter 1. ‘A Spirit of Adoption’ Introduction Methodological considerations Determination of influence: Echoes, allusions and overlaps A new assessment of Paul’s argument given the destination of Paul’s letter The plan for the work ahead ... Conclusion Chapter 2. Paul, Rome, Politics, and Religion Modern scholarship on Paul and Romans 8 Modern scholarship on Paul and politics in the first-century Modern scholarship on Roman religion Studies on Paul and the metaphor of adoption in Romans Modern scholarship on Pauline pneumatology Conclusion Chapter 3. The Roman Imperial Context: Politics, Religion and Family Introduction Adoption and family in the Roman Imperial context From Julius Caesar to Octavian: Divine honours, adoption and Imperial strategy Adoption to Augustus, the political and religious reconstruction of Augustan Rome Adoption and a plan for succession Genius and Numen in Roman religion The genius in Roman religion and the Imperial cult The representation of genius in Roman art Numen Roman household religion: A social location for Paul Sources for Roman domestic religion A description of Roman domestic religion Other domestic religious imagery Civic Imperial Iconography Roads and city design The Res Gestae Temples, inscriptions and dedications to the Imperial cult in Rome Numismatics as a testimony to Imperial ideology Conclusion Chapter 4. Romans 1–5 and Paul’s Imperial ‘Household’ Introduction Identifying Paul’s gentile readership for his Roman letter Reconstructing the origins of Paul’s Roman audience Reimagining the Roman household The literary context of Romans and Paul’s audience Paul’s gentile audience in Romans 1–3 Abraham: The forefather of Jews and Gentiles The advent of peace and representative figures Chapter 5. Romans 6–8.11: Paul’s household metaphors Romans 6: Co-burial and co-crucifixion: Slaves in Imperial context Co-burial and funerary arrangements Co-crucified: A slave’s punishment Manumission and the household Romans 7: A wedding, a funeral, and a desperate situation Paul’s Language about the Law in Romans Romans 7.1- 6, a wedding and a funeral Adultery and Augustan values Adultery on the grandest stage and the smaller stage Romans 7.7-25 and the plight of the gentile God-fearer Paul’s use of the term ‘flesh’ in Romans The foundation for legitimacy in Romans 8 Conclusion Chapter 6. ‘The Spirit of Adoption’ in its Roman Imperial Context Introduction Paul’s use of πνεῦμα Romans 8.12-17: The spirit of adoption New indebtedness Romans 8.13: The choice between life and death Romans 8.14: The leading of the spirit as a key to new ‘family’ status Romans 8.14 and the Imperial household Romans 8.15: A spirit of slavery or a spirit of adoption Romans 8.16: A witness Romans 8.17: Fellow heirs in glory Conclusion Romans 8.18-30: The Future aspect of the present adoption Conclusion Bibliography Index of Ancient Sources Index of Modern Writers