To the Jew First, Two-Part Romans: A Structural Game Changer?

To the Jew First makes the case that Paul wrote Romans 1-8 to Jewish believers, and Romans 9-16 to Gentile believers. Evidence for this claim emerges from an analysis of Paul's pronoun use, along with their antecedents in Romans.From the Author: To the Jew First investigates the possibility that Romans was written by Paul as a single letter, addressed to two audiences, namely, Jewish believers and Gentile believers, both comprising the Roman church. This thesis alone is not new; scholars have long recognized that the Roman church was comprised of both Jews and Gentiles, and that Paul was likely writing to both groups in the letter. What is seldom considered is the possibility that Paul may have written the first half of Romans to Jewish believers predominately or exclusively, and then the second half predominately, if not exclusively, to Gentile believers. If the paradigm suggested here elicits new insights and leads to a new understanding (or at least broader understanding of Romans), then this work will have fulfilled its purpose. To this end, perhaps the church and the academy will benefit from this contribution.