Texts in Conversation
Sirach and Romans both teach that rulers serve a role within God’s plan to maintain order. Sirach says leaders rise and fall under God’s control and must care for their people. Romans echoes this by treating governments as guided parts of society.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 10:4
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
2 As is the judge of his people, so are his officials. As the city’s ruler is, so are all those who dwell in it. 3 An undisciplined king will destroy his people. A city will be established through the understanding of the powerful. 4 The government of the earth is in the Lord’s hand. In due time, he will raise up over it the right person at the right time. 5 A man’s prosperity is in the Lord’s hand. He will lay his honor upon the person of the scribe. 6 Don’t be angry with your neighbor for every wrong. Do nothing by works of violence.
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Romans 13:1
New Testament
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 2 So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment 3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation 4 because it is God’s servant for your well-being. But be afraid if you do wrong because government does not bear the sword for nothing. It is God’s servant to administer punishment on the person who does wrong.
Date: 55–58 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Summary Description of the Ethic of Subordination: The government is understood to be a gift of God, divinely established for the common good. Its God-given purpose is to encourage and maintain what is beneficial for our life together, and to discourage what is harmful and disruptive. Or, put another way, the state is God’s instrument in the human community to preserve law and order and to promote justice and peace. Its power consists in its responsibility to exercise its authority toward these beneficial ends. Christians, in turn, owe to the government their loyalty and respect. Because government is a divine gift they support its preservation of the good and opposition to evil, pray for those in authority, pay taxes, and try to live as model citizens of human communities. In so doing, they act in accordance with God’s intent. Conversely, to resist the state is to risk both punishment and divine disapproval. Key Texts Expressive of the Ethic of Subordination: Sirach 10:4, Romans 13:1-6, Titus 3:1-2, 1 Peter 2:13-17 ..."
Mark Allan Powell, Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2018), Supplement 13.18.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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