Paul's use of scripture

The thesis which is argued has two basic elements. First, it is asserted that the methods of using scripture which Paul exhibits in the epistles are largely adaptations of methods found in a wide range of early Jewish sources. Second, it is argued that Paul's method of scriptural interpretation and argumentation is fundamental to the theological development of the discussion in Romans 9-11. In contrast to the types of investigations which focus on specific and in some cases isolated aspects of the use of scripture in the epistles in relation to Jewish literature, a comparative method is employed in this thesis in order to relate the structural, verbal, thematic, and interpretative characteristics of Paul's manner of using biblical quotations to a wide range of Palestinian Jewish sources. With regard to Romans 9-11, the objective is the examination of Paul's method of arriving at a theological statement. Thus, the theological concepts and ideas expressed in chapters 9-11 are viewed in light of the method which Paul has used to construct a response to a troublesome issue in the early church. It is argued that the discourse in these three chapters of Romans has its coherence in the method of scriptural argumentation which Paul has used. Furthermore, it is asserted that the theology reflected in chapters 9-11 is in part the product of scripture's verbal and thematic contribution to the discussion