An Atheist Explores the Bible Part 216: Some Peace and Love Hippy-Style Christianity (Romans 11-16)

Romans 11-16
Some Peace and Love Hippy-Style Christianity.

Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version).

In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.

For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT

For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP

And now:

Romans 11

“Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?”

Paul compares the faith of Gentile Christians with the Jews, interpreting the prophecies of Isaiah to mean that the “remnant” of the Jewish people that will be saved means those Jews who have become Christians.

He goes on to say that the fact that many Jews have not turned to the new religion is an advantage to the Gentiles, in effect allowing them “space” in the new church. He uses a (fairly tortured) analogy of grafting fruit trees, in particular olive trees. The Gentile Christians are the grafted branch onto the rootstock (or as is amusingly translated in the KJV, “the lump”) and they flourish despite being “foreign.” However, you could also, argues Paul, re-graft the severed branch of non-Christian Judaism onto the olive tree of Christianity and it would flourish, perhaps better.

Which is fine, really, as it goes. But then Paul seems to infer that this is all just a game played by God. “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.” God makes people not believe in Him, so He can forgive them when they believe in Him. Which apparently is okay because “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?”

Romans 12

“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

This chapter, I really can’t disagree with. Paul is telling his audience to live peacefully with one another, to “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” and to generally live equitable and agreeable lives. Perhaps I personally do not see the benefit of “continuing instant in prayer” but the rest, I can get behind. Paul also is pretty fair about people each having particular gifts and abilities, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us”.

At first it seems that Paul is only really talking about Christians dealing with other Christians, creating a brotherhood (or perhaps a cult), but he also includes others – “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head”; a message not unlike that given to Jesus concerning turning the other cheek and the parable of the Good Samaritan.

This chapter also includes the line about “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord”, which in context here is an admonishment from God that taking vengeance is infringing on God’s territory. “Mine, and only mine”, it should read.

Romans 13

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”

This is a short chapter but it seems a good summation of the Christian creed, at least that espoused by many Christians. It starts with some Submission to God stuff, about how everyone should submit to God or face “damnation”, then tempers this by saying that “rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil”, so good people have nothing to fear and/or lose by doing so. This sounds a little like the argument for increased government surveillance in the name of “security” – only those with something to hide need worry. Which is fine, as long as the things you need to hide are things that are widely considered to be criminal by all.

However, after this rather worrying beginning, Paul then gets into the happy love stuff, saying that “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” He adds in some of the Ten Commandments (which as we recall are never flagged as that), but only “Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet”, saying that if we all love one another that no-one will break those rules anyway. Well, perhaps the adultery. It depends which type of “love” he’s talking about.

The chapter ends with a kind of affirmation and statement of faith by saying that the day is at hand, and to “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof”. Its not clear here what Paul means by “the day”, if he’s looking at an imminent day of Judgment or is simply saying that it’s time to become Christians, I’m not sure. But that’s the chapter in a nutshell – God is all powerful, love one another, put your faith in Jesus.

Romans 14

“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's”

Paul’s quite clever in this chapter. He equivocates over religious practices, so in that sense he’s trying to compromise between Jewish and Gentile followers, but he also pitches it that these quibbles are nothing to God. For example, “one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.” Paul’s saying it doesn’t matter to God if you’re vegetarian or not (well, that might be interpretation of eating herbs…), so don’t go around criticising the practices of others. Except that Paul calls the herb-eater “weak” and so undermines his point somewhat.

Paul also sees to not be too concerned about the Sabbath –“He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.”. In other words, if I go to the garden centre on Sunday, I’m going to the garden centre For God, whether I know it or not. But I quite like this chapter – don’t go around telling other people that their choices are right or wrong. Only God decides that (and, one assumes, those self-righteous pillocks who deign to talk for God), and life is too short for such things anyway.

Romans 15

“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”

The chapter starts with a continuation of the previous chapter, an exhortation to help others less able, and then segues into Paul re-stating his reasons for teaching the Gentiles using scriptural sources to back him up, including “Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust”. Actually Isaiah 11:10 says “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious”. I’d have to go back to check the context.

And that’s about it, in terms of any kind of spiritual message, the last few verses are more like the end of a letter – “I’ll be over your way soon, hope to see you then. Got some business in Jerusalem first, see ya” kind of stuff.

Romans 16

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”

This is mostly the acknowledgements section of the epistle, where Paul commends various other church members to the Romans or asks for their prayers. Notably, the letter is carried by Phebe (Phoebe?) who Paul says that “ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also”. With Phebe are Priscilla and Aquila, so it’s evident here that women were originally very important in the Christian community, such the Phebe carries and important missive and has Paul’s backing to conduct church business however she sees fit in Rome. Interesting. (A note added on editing – going back to Acts I notice that Aquila is a man, probably the husband of Priscilla. But my point still stands).

There are a few more homilies scattered before the sign off, including the quote given above which says “don’t listen to people who disagree with you” because “they serve only their own belly”. Or they might talk you out of it, or stop you sending us your money. No, that’s cynical of me…

I noted also that “I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord”. I went back and checked, and the opening definitely implies that Paul is the one sending this letter (and also the references to travelling the world teaching the Gentiles), so evidently Paul was dictating to Tertius (“Number Three”) who inserted his own little greeting here. And then Phoebe took it to Rome.

And thus for Romans, the first (at least in publication order) of the Epistles. It’s a bit of a mish-mash and doesn’t follow a coherent progression of ideas, but if the Tertius thing is right and it was dictated, that makes more sense, in Paul extemporising to a scribe. It starts with bile and anger towards all sorts of “degenerates” but ends with an exhortation to love one another and not to judge other people for their life choices, touching on the way on a bit of equivocating about the relationship between Gentile and Jewish Christians. The Gentiles are less than the Jews because they are not the first, but they are the equals, but they are better because they come from a different background. Or something, it’s all a bit confusing, like the rest of this book.