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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 2:15 and 2 Baruch 57:2

New Testament · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

In Romans 2, Paul describes Gentiles who follow the Torah without possessing it. 2 Baruch similarly says people know when they act unjustly, connecting both passages with moral understanding that does not depend on knowing the written Torah.

Passages

Romans 2:15

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

2 Baruch 57:2

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch
1 And after these waters you saw bright waters: this is the fount of Abraham, also his generations and advent of his son, and of his son’s son, and of those like them. 2 Because at that time the unwritten law was named among them, And the works of the commandments were then fulfilled, And belief in the coming judgement was then generated, And hope of the world that was to be renewed was then built up, And the promise of the life that should come hereafter was implanted. 3 These are the bright waters, which you have seen.
70–135 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Baruch

References

"... The phrase ἔργα νόμου [works of the law] occurs only eight times in the Pauline corpus, always in Galatians and Romans (Galatians 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10; Romans 2:15, 3:20, 28 ... The lexical evidence for ἔργα νόμου is scarce. There is similar language in the Dead Sea Scrolls, including the phrase “the doing of the Torah” (4QMMT), which refers to halakic obedience (see J. C. R. de Roo, “Works of the Law” at Qumran and in Paul, NTM 13 [Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2007]). In LXX Exodus 18:20 the Mosaic law reveals “the works, which they [Israel] will do [τὰ ἔργα, ἃ ποιήσουσιν/המעשה אשר יעשון].” Additionally, Paul uses νόμος and ἔργα νόμου interchangeably (e.g. Galatians 2:21; 3:11, 12; 5:4), describes the necessity of doing (ποιέω) the ἔργα νόμου (Galatians 3:10–12; see also Romans 4:10–12) and ὅλον τὸν νόμον (Galatians 5:3). Paul also refers to circumcision in association with keeping (φυλάσσω) the νόμος (Galatians 6:13). de Boer concludes “For Paul ‘the works of the law’ are the actions performed or carried out in obedience to the many commandments of the Mosaic law as preserved in the Pentateuch” (Galatians, 146). See also 2 Baruch 57:2 ..."
Tyler Allen Stewart, “‘The Present Evil Age’: The Origin and Persistence of Evil in Galatians” (diss., Marquette University, 2019), 221.

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 2:15 and 2 Baruch 57:2

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