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Romans 12.4–8: One Sentence or Two?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2006

KENNETH BERDING
Affiliation:
Talbot School of Theology/Biola University, 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, CA 90639, USA

Abstract

Is Rom 12.4–8 to be read as one sentence or as two sentences – do verses 12.6–8 form a different sentence from Rom 12.4–5, or does the sentence begun in v. 4 continue all the way through to the end of v. 8? One initial difficulty when considering this problem is that grammarians and commentators discussing this issue usually comment on one or two (or none) of the seven or so pertinent issues in the passage and then offer their opinion as to whether this is one sentence or two. Romans 12.4–8, however, features a number of difficult issues that must be held together in order to arrive at an adequate understanding of what Paul intends. The goal of this short study is to consider each of these issues and to argue that a one-sentence reading is the most satisfying option.

Type
SHORT STUDY
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Special thanks are due to Brian Asbill, my research assistant, for his help on this article, especially on the secondary literature search, and to my colleague, Alan Hultberg, for dialoguing with me on a number of grammatical issues in this passage.