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An Intertextual Commentary on Romans 12:1–16:27

An Intertextual Commentary on Romans 12:1–16:27

Last updated on: September 6, 2026 at 6:16 pm by B. J. Oropeza

An Intertextual Commentary on Romans 12:1–16:27 2026-09-06T18:16:16-07:00 B. J. Oropeza

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It is my pleasure once again to interview Dr. Channing Crisler, who recently completed his final volume to his commentary entitled, An Intertextual Commentary on Romans (Eugene: Pickwick, 2026). I have interviewed him in the past for volume one, volume two (pts. 1,2, and 3) volume three (pts. 1 and 2). His fourth and final volume covers Romans 12:1–16:27, and that is the topic this week.

Channing L. Crisler, Ph.D., is Professor of New Testament at Anderson University. Apart from his intertextual commentary on Romans, he is the author of A Synoptic Christology of Lament (Lexington), Echoes of Lament and the Christology of Luke (Sheffield Phoenix 2020), and Reading Romans as Lament (Pickwick, 2016). He is also the co-author of The Bible Toolbox (B&H Academic, 2019) and the coeditor of Always Reforming (Lexham, 2021). And he has contributed articles to the Scripture, Texts, and Tracings series edited by Andrew Das, Linda Bellevile, and me (B. J. Oropeza).

So, without further delay, here is the interview:

Picture is mine of my own copy.

An Intertextual Commentary on Romans (vol. 4, Rom. 12-16) – Channing Crisler

**The Interview: An Intertextual Commentary on Romans, volume 4**

Oropeza

In Romans, Paul not only alludes to Scripture but also to sayings of Jesus, as Michael Thompson demonstrates, especially in Rom 12. Intertextuality, in my view, extends beyond merely New Testament references to the Old Testament. What do you think about this issue?

Crisler

I agree that Romans 12 likely alludes to Jesus’s teaching. It is an exciting time to revisit the exegetical and historical implications of the interplay between Paul’s letters and the Gospels. As James Barker has recently suggested, “New Testament scholarship has become too siloed with specializations in the Synoptics, John, or Paul. But it’s increasingly clear to me that all four canonical gospels were already in dialogue with Paul. Besides studying John’s relation to the Synoptics, then, we need to reexamine the Gospels’ relation to the Pauline corpus” (Barker, Writing and Rewriting the Gospels, 148). Unfortunately, I did not have space to engage this suggestion in the commentary. However, I can offer one thought on the matter here.

Oropeza

I see some examples of Paul “echoing” Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount in Romans 12:17–21.

Crisler

As your rightly point out, BJ, Paul’s intertextually-laden admonition that the Romans should trust in God’s eschatological vindication rather than take matters into their own hands (Rom 12:17–21) evokes Jesus’s well-known command to offer both sides of one’s face to one’s enemy (Matthew 5:38–42).

Similarly, Paul cites an often-debated proverb which commands that one give a drink to a thirsty enemy which in turn heaps coals of fire on the latter’s head (Rom 12:20; Proverbs 25:21–22). Both Jesus and Paul urge kindness over retaliation, but not indefinitely, which is in keeping with Israel’s Scriptures. In fact, the Beatitudes frame Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount and include the assurance, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:10).

Moreover, Jesus’s larger teaching in Matthew includes the scriptural promise of messianic and eschatological vindication for his disciples: “Behold my servant with whom I am pleased, my beloved in whom my soul delights; I will set my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice (κρίσιν) to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1; Matt 11:18). Paul, likewise, prefaces his command for kindness with the scriptural assurance, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Deut 32.25; Rom 12:19).

Oropeza

I like how you bring out the Beatitudes. Speaking of persecution related to Romans 12:17–21, Paul is writing his letter to the Romans around 57 CE. At that time, Emperor Nero was not systematically persecuting Christians in Rome yet. Is there a suffering situation in Rome? If so, what did it involve? Or, do texts like this one reflect more what Paul himself has experienced?

Crisler

To be sure, Nero’s persecution of Christians in Rome had not yet begun at the time of the letter. However, for Paul and other New Testament writers, persecution represents one form of suffering for those in Christ, albeit one of the more tragic forms in antiquity and today.

Along these lines, I find in Romans that Paul addresses various sources of suffering which are interrelated and, in fact, they give singular coherence to the multiple historical purposes behind the entire letter.

Oropeza

What are those sources of suffering?

Crisler

They include—an ongoing struggle with sin (Rom 6–7); forces that threaten to separate the Romans from God’s love in Christ (Rom 8); questions about the efficacy/trustworthiness of God’s saving word in the Gospel given Israel’s unbelief in it (Rom 9–11); a rift between the “weak” and “strong” with genuine eschatological implications (Rom 14), and; the uncertainty of Paul’s impending trip to Jerusalem (Rom 15). Paul even tosses in false teachers and Satan towards the end (Rom 16).

Indeed, within this morass of afflictions, to finally answer your question, Rom 12:17–21 has some relationship to both the experiences of the apostle himself and the expectation and/or actualization of similar experiences for the Romans. Paul had countless enemies whom he could have surely slotted for “heaping coals of fire” such as those who stoned him, beat him, robbed him, and the like (e.g., 2 Corinthians 11:22–33).

It is not as clear to me what specific affliction of the Romans stands behind Rom 12:17–21. The text itself offers few historical clues. Perhaps this is pastoral preparation on Paul’s part. After all, he prefaces his remarks in verses 17–21 with the explicit imperative, “Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse” (Rom 12:14). In any case, I will defer to you, BJ, given your extensive research in this area which readers should apprise themselves of.

Oropeza

I suppose one could surmise that less than a decade earlier, Jewish Jesus believers seem to have been banished from Rome under the previous emperor, Claudius (c. 49 CE). They have apparently returned to Rome after his death, which occurred just a few years before Paul writes this letter. However, that persecution would seem to have targeted Jewish rather than non-Jewish members of the Jesus community in Rome. In a recent article, I argue that Paul is writing both to Jews and non-Jews in Rome in this letter.

So, I concur with you on the lack of clarity of a specific affliction. The banishment under Claudius at best might have contributed to, but it does not fully explain, the suffering mentioned in this passage. As I work through a second draft of my Romans commentary, I’ll keep our conversation in mind when revisiting Rom 12:17–21!

Next question—How does intertextuality add insight into the issue of table fellowship in Romans 14?

Crisler

Various exegetical issues arise in Romans such as the identity of the “strong” and “weak,” the precise nature of the dispute which Paul describes, the possibility that the text reflects a clash between gentile Christians and Jewish Christians returning to Rome after the expiration of the Claudian edict, and the like. There are a few ways that my focus on the intertextual qualities of Romans 14 may inform our understanding of these types of questions and others. My analysis yielded several insights which are discussed at length in the commentary (particularly, in chapters 8 and 9). Here I will highlight a few points directly related to table fellowship.

First, the echo of Isaiah’s “stone” metaphor in Rom 14:13, which occurs in Rom 9:30–33, makes the point that in their judging of one another, the “strong” and “weak” are in danger of usurping the role of God, who made Christ a “stumbling” block for the unbelieving. Ironically, their preferred expression of faith in Christ threatens to make Christ himself a cause for stumbling in faith. They are then in danger of treating one another like enemies in the vein of LXX Psalm 68:23 (69:22 MT),* where the petitioner asks God to make their enemies stumble. Both sides see themselves as righteous in their estimation of their enemies, just as the psalmist petitioner. However, the difference between the two groups and the petitioner is that they are not giving deference to the one who judges righteously.

Second, Paul’s use of ἐκ πίστεως (“by faith”) in Rom 14:23 recalls once again Habakkuk 2:4 (from Rom 1:17), and Abraham further underscoring the point that expressions of faith should not be tinged with doubt (Rom 4). Just as Habakkuk and Abraham expressed their faith in the divine promise without doubting those expressions, the “strong” and “weak” should do the same.

Finally, the citation of LXX Ps 68:9 (69:9 MT)* in Rom 15:3 deserves considerable attention given its implications for the table fellowship issue. In short, Paul keys the “strong” in Rome to both the psalmist and the crucified Christ. Christ in fact speaks to the strong in Rome via the psalm, and he speaks as one who himself suffered insult. Jesus endured insult from the cross, and by doing so he completed his saving work on behalf of the weak. The “strong” in Rome are to do the same.

Note

* LXX stands for the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament). MT stands for the Masoretic Hebrew text. Most English translations of the Bible follow the Hebrew text. For an English translation of the Septuagint, see e.g., the Lexham English Septuagint (second edition).

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About B. J. Oropeza

B. J. Oropeza, Ph.D., Durham University (England), is Professor Emeritus of Biblical and Religious Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Seminary. Among his many publications include The Gospel of Paul (Eerdmans, forthcoming), Perspectives on Paul: Five Views (Baker Academic), Practicing Intertextuality (Cascade), The Gospel of Paul (Eerdmans, forthcoming), and editor and contributor to the Scripture, Texts, and Tracings series (Fortress Academic): 1 Corinthians (vol. 1), Romans (vol. 2), 2 Corinthians & Philippians (vol. 3); and Galatians & 1 Thessalonians (vol. 4). He participated on Bible translation teams for the NRSV (updated edition), Common English Bible (CEB), and Lexham English Septuagint (LES). He also has commentaries on 1 Corinthians (New Covenant commentary series: Cascade) and 2 Corinthians (longer work—Rhetoric of Religious Antiquity: SBL Press; shorter work—Wesley One-Volume Commentary). His current specialties include Romans, intertextuality, and Perspectives on Paul. He can be followed on X-Twitter (@bjoropeza1) and Instagram (@bjoropeza1). You can read more about the author here.

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