The Ἰουδαῖος in Romans: First to the Gentile-Become-Jew, Then Also to the Gentile-as-Gentile

Abstract

Abstract: Pauline scholars have read  ὁ Ἰουδαῖος in Romans as a native-born Jew who stands over and against τὰ ἔθνη ("the nations," or "gentiles"). The ethnonym   Ἰουδαῖος, however, applied also to proselytes, to non-Jews who became Jews. Paul lived in a world in which Ἰουδαῖος applied to people Paul did not accept as Ἰουδαῖοι. In Paul's view, being a  Ἰουδαῖος is an immutable, genealogical identity unavailable to anyone not born a Ἰουδαῖος. In some cases, the Ἰουδαῖος in Romans 1–3 is a so-called (or self-styled) "Jew." Paul demonstrates how gentiles' efforts at becoming a Jew ( sans scare quotes) nevertheless leaves them closer to the gentile-as-gentile than to the native-born Jew.