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Romans

About this book
Chapter 2

1 Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?⁠ 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath,⁠ when God’s righteous judgment is revealed!⁠ 6 He will reward each one according to his works:⁠ 7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, 8 but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness. 9 There will be affliction and distress on everyone who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.⁠ 12 For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous.⁠ 14 For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves.⁠ 15 They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them,⁠ 16 on the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus. 17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relationship to God 18 and know his will and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind,⁠ a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth— 21 therefore you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law!⁠ 24 For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”⁠ 25 For circumcision has its value if you practice the law,⁠ but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 And the physically uncircumcised man, by keeping the law, will judge you to be the transgressor of the law, even though you have the letter and circumcision! 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the letter.⁠ This person’s praise is not from people but from God.

Texts in conversation

Compare Romans 2:13 and Shabbat 88a

New Testament · Rabbinic

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Summary

In Romans, Paul uses language also found in Rabbinic tradition about “hearing” and “doing” the Torah. In both, hearing means study and doing means practice, and Paul uses this to say that Gentiles can live rightly even without having the Torah.

Passages

Romans 2:13

New Testament
12 For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. 14 For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. 15 They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them, 16 on the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
55–58 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Romans

Shabbat 88a

Rabbinic · Babylonian Talmud
Rabbi Simai taught: When Israel accorded precedence to the declaration “We will do” over the declaration “We will hear,” 600,000 ministering angels came and tied two crowns to each and every member of the Jewish people, one corresponding to “We will do” and one corresponding to “We will hear.” And when the people sinned with the Golden Calf, 1,200,000 angels of destruction descended and removed them from the people, as it is stated in the wake of the sin of the Golden Calf: “And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward” (Exodus 33:6). Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: At Horeb they put on their ornaments, and at Horeb they removed them. The source for this is: At Horeb they put them on, as we have said; at Horeb they removed them, as it is written: “And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb.” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: And Moses merited all of these crowns and took them. What is the source for this? Because juxtaposed to this verse, it is stated: “And Moses would take the tent [ohel]” (Exodus 33:7). The word ohel is interpreted homiletically as an allusion to an aura or illumination [hila]. Reish Lakish said: In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will return them to us, as it is stated: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads” (Isaiah 35:10). The joy that they once had will once again be upon their heads.
450–550 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Shabbat

References

"... 'Hearers ... doers of the Law': Compare Exodus 19.5, Matthew 7.17, James 1.22, 1QS 9.5, 11.2, Sifre Bechuck.110c, Numbers Rabbah 14.10 ... Paul appeals to the traditional rabbinic debate over the respective merits of 'wisdom' (Torah-study) over 'deeds' (Torah-observance); 'hearing' was one of a number of terms used to contrast 'study' over 'deeds,' 'Talmud-Torah' over 'derekh eretz,' and 'wisdom' over 'practice' ..."
Joseph Shulam and Hilary Le Cornu, A Commentary on the Jewish Roots of Romans (Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish, 1998), 90.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Romans 2:13 and Shabbat 88a

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