Published: 2025-12-23

Hebrew Hermeneutics and Rhetorical Devices in the Letter to the Romans: An Analysis of the Parenetic Function in St. Paul’s Interpretation

Zbigniew Krajewski
Gdańsk Studies
Section: Artykuły
https://doi.org/10.26142/stgd-2025-012

Abstract

This article addresses the parenetic image of the Christian in the Letter to the Romans, presenting it from an interdisciplinary perspective: hermeneutical, rhetorical, and theological. The Pauline text is embedded in the Judaic-Hellenic dialogue, allowing us to grasp the creative use of exegetical traditions and rhetorical tools in the service of the Gospel. Rhetorical analysis reveals the function of figures such as irony, diatribe, and peroratio, which shape the identity of the addressees and stimulate their existential response.  

The hermeneutical grounding of Paul’s paraenesis in Scripture discloses the unity of doxology and ethics, where the theology of salvation is inseparably linked to the praxis of Christian life. In synthesis, the Christian is portrayed in three dimensions: existential-soteriological (justification and participation in the paschal mystery), ethical-paraenetic (witness of love and solidarity), and ecclesial-missionary (unity of the Church and building of peace). Thus, the Letter to the Romans emerges not merely as a theological treatise but as a formative act, wherein Paul articulates a vision of life wholly rooted in Christ—one that continues to shape contemporary theological reflection on the identity and mission of the Church. 

Keywords:

paraenesis,, Pauline rhetoric, biblical hermeneutics,, Christian identity.

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Krajewski, Z. (2025). Hebrew Hermeneutics and Rhetorical Devices in the Letter to the Romans: An Analysis of the Parenetic Function in St. Paul’s Interpretation. Gdańsk Studies, 57, 23–41. https://doi.org/10.26142/stgd-2025-012

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