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‘The Offering of the Gentiles’ in Romans 15.16

Princeton Theological Seminary PO Box 821, Princeton, NJ 08542-0803, USA, david.downs{at}ptsem.edu

The phrase (see pdf for character) in Rom. 15.16 is typically read as a genitive of apposition and seen as a reference to Paul’s symbolic offering of the Gentiles themselves. This article contends, however, that the phrase (see pdf for character) should be taken as a subjective genitive and therefore as a reference to an offering given by the Gentiles, namely, the collection for the saints that Paul discusses specifically in Rom. 15.25-32. This reading helps to explain the concentration of cultic metaphors in Rom. 15.16 and Rom 15.25-32. Paul uses cultic language to map his priestly ministry as caretaker of the relief fund onto the Gentiles’ priestly participation in the collection. In doing so, Paul frames ‘the offering of the Gentiles’ as an act of cultic worship, underscoring the point that the fulfillment of mutual obligations within the Christian community results in praise to God.

Key Words: Collection • metaphor • Paul • Romans

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