Christ est-il appelé Dieu en Romains 9:5 ?

Abstract

When working on Rom 9:5, exegetes face a crucial punctuation issue. The challenge consists in determining whether the expression ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας (9:5b) should be read as an independent clause, or, rather, as a relative clause attached with ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα (9:5a). According to the first option, Paul merely concludes his development with a doxology to God the Father. Following the second line, however, the apostle would make a Christological claim by asserting that Christ is God. The stakes are high since Paul nowhere else in his letters makes a clear claim that Christ is God. This article aims to reconsider this famous crux interpretum in light of ancient colometry, taking into account the principles of colometric structuration described in Greek and Latin rhetorical treatises. Specifically, the author argues that the combined presence of the three so-called Gorgianic figures (parisosis, paromoiosis, and antithesis) supports the case of light punctuation (a comma) between v. 5a and v. 5b, which in turn suggests reading v. 5b as a relative clause that qualifies Christ.