| Rather than reading Romans as a compendium of Paul's doctrine on 'justification by faith,' or opposed to Judaism's 'work-righteousness,' this project adopts a 'political-ideological' strategy to interpret Paul as taking an adamant stand against Rome's imperial ideology. The socio-historical survey on the tripartite interactions between Judaism, the nascent Christian movement and the imperium shows that 'religion' and 'politics' were one and the same entity in antiquity. Roman ideology and cultural values embedded in the Emperor Cult had, by the time Paul wrote, permeated the Christians in Rome who were of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds and who met in different house-churches. The adverse effect is evidenced in their exclusion of one another (Rom 14-15).; Though in line with the Jewish apocalyptic worldview, Paul's 'theological politics' is profoundly Christocentric---it centers on Paul's conviction that God's apocalyptic action in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has 'intruded' and defined the telos of not only human but also the cosmic history. This blatantly challenges Rome's claim to be the culmination of human history. Five areas are surveyed: (a) Vis-a-vis the Caesar, Paul portrays Jesus as the Lord (kyrios), the Son of God whose rule brings true justice, and who deserves the 'obedience of faith' from all the nations. (b) Against Rome's pax Romana by means of suppressions, Paul claims that God's salvific act in Jesus Christ has initiated peace between God and humankind, as well as between themselves. (c) Viewing 'honor-shame' value as causing conflicts, Paul advocates 'boasting in God' as its antidote. (d) Against the hegemonic patronage and power relations of the familia Caesaris, Paul teaches 'mutuality in love' in God's oikos. (e) Paul offsets Rome's 'Golden Age' with a Christocentric eschatology.; Ultimately, what Paul envisions is not only an alternative politics for the Christian community that resists Rome's ideology; but to enlist them as active partakers in his mission plan to Spain. This project then draws some implications on how Paul's theological politics in Romans can speak cross-culturally to the Chinese Christian communities in Malaysia. |
