THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH IN THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS Part I: The Meaning of hupakoe pisteos (Rom 1:5; 16:26) D. B. GARLINGTON UNIQUE to the whole of pre-Christian Greek literature and to Paul

UNIQUE to the whole of pre-Christian Greek literature and to Paul himself, the phrase u[pakoh> pi<stewj, occurring in Rom 1:5 and 16:26, 1 gives voice to the design of the apostle’s missionary gospel. Within Romans itself the phrase is invested with a twofold significance. For one, against the backdrop of faith’s obedience in Jewish literature, these words assume a decidedly polemical thrust: the covenant fidelity of God’s ancient people (Israel) is now a possibility apart from assuming the identity of that people. Dunn then is right that the phrase neatly summarizes Paul’s apologetic in the Roman letter. From another point of view, Rom 1:5 can be looked upon as a programmatic statement of the main purpose of the Roman letter. For this reason Dunn again is correct in writing: “To clarify what faith is and its importance to his gospel is one of Paul’s chief objectives in this letter.” In order