Published: 2019-12-30

Aesthetic Contemplation of the Holy Scripture on the Example of Ps. 67 and Selected Pericopes from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans

Grzegorz Rafiński
Gdańsk Studies
Section: Artykuły
https://doi.org/10.26142/stgd-2019-020

Abstract

The reception of biblical texts should not be limited only to aconceptual analysis. The Bible is a literary work and we have the right to receive it sometimes as one receives a work of art that evokes the effect of aesthetic contemplation. With this assumption in mind, in this article I have analyzed Psalm 67 (called the Menorah Psalm in the Kabbalah) and selected pericopes from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, in which the Apostle cites the texts of the Old Testament (Romans 3:10-20, 4:1-25, 9: 6-29, 15:7-12) from the aesthetic perspective. Illustrative diagrams are also provided. From the comparative analysis, the conclusion is drawn that St. Paul knew and used methods of interpreting the Old Testament texts that functioned within diaspora circles (for example, the rules: "gezera shawa", "yelamdenu rabbenu"), but he adapted them to the priority of preaching the Gospel. Paul imposed on himself formal limitations in his teaching, " lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power" (cf. 1 Cor 1:17), by avoiding "lofty words or wisdom" (cf. 1 Cor 2:1).

Keywords:

St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, Ps. 67, Menorah, Kabbalah

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Citation rules

Rafiński, G. (2019). Aesthetic Contemplation of the Holy Scripture on the Example of Ps. 67 and Selected Pericopes from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Gdańsk Studies, 45, 33–56. https://doi.org/10.26142/stgd-2019-020

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