Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 67:3 (Sep 2024)
Article: More Rhetoric At The Boundaries: Additional Evidence For A Chain-Link Transition At Romans 7:25
Author: Murray Vasser

JETS 67:3 (September 2024) p. 531

More Rhetoric At The Boundaries: Additional Evidence For A Chain-Link Transition At Romans 7:25

Murray Vasser*

* Murray Vasser is assistant professor of New Testament at Wesley Biblical Seminary. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: The ordering of Paul’s statements in Romans 7:25 has long puzzled commentators. In a 2005 monograph, Rhetoric at the Boundaries: The Art and Theology of New Testament Chain-Link Transitions, Bruce W. Longenecker proposes that in Romans 7:25 Paul employs an ancient rhetorical device to transition from one section (A) to another section (B). This chain-link transition described by Longenecker follows an A-b-a-B pattern, in which a summary of the first section (a = 7:25b) follows a brief introduction to the second section (b = 7:25a). In addition to 7:25, Longenecker presents three other passages from Romans that purportedly display the same chain-link interlock: 10:16–17, 12:14–16, and 13:13–14. This article supplements Longenecker’s argument by providing two additional examples: 1:24–25 and 3:21–23. The article concludes that Paul clearly employs this rhetorical device in Romans, and that the use of this device is the best explanation for the ordering of his statements in 7:25. This conclusion undermines the common claim that the placement of 7:25b after 7:25a indicates that 7:14–24 describes the Christian experience.

Key words: Paul, Romans, rhetoric, transition, chain-link interlock

One of the most prominent debates in the interpretation of Romans concerns Paul’s exclamation in 7:25a. Here Paul clearly anticipates deliverance from the condition described in 7:14–24. However, is this deliverance available in the mortal life, or is it realized only in the final transformation of the body (see 1 Cor 15:49–57; Phil 3:20–21)?1 O...