Transcendence and Fulfillment. Benjamin W. Farley

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      This brings us to an investigation of Paul’s use of the Septuagint.

      By the time we come to Paul’s letters—Galatians or 1 Thessalonians, whichever epistle was first—Paul had already achieved a theological synthesis of sorts, though not in the form of dogma. I say “of sorts,” inasmuch as Paul shaped his messages in accordance with each community’s needs. Only occasionally does he repeat his message’s principal themes. Nonetheless, the central tenets of what to make of the historical Jesus were clear in his mind. After all, Paul had been mulling and reshaping them since his Arabia hiatus, as well as proclaiming them for over eleven years. What were these tenets? That Jesus was God’s “Son,” sent to fulfill the ancient promise made to Abraham, who by means of his faith was deemed “righteous” before God. Now, through Christ’s death and resurrection, this righteousness pertains to all who, by their faith in Christ, qualify to become Abraham’s offspring—whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free person. Since the Law enjoined death for the unrighteous, God’s heaven-sent Son paid that penalty, thus justifying all who accept him, inasmuch as his crucifixion represents theirs. The latter was an act of atonement, which came at a high cost. What solidifies the truth behind Jesus’ cross is the resurrection—the “fact” that God raised him from the dead—not that Jesus was immortal, thus manifesting that the Galilean Jesus was God’s “Son,” his “Suffering Servant,” and “Savior [soter]” of the world.

      Paul’s introductory paragraph to the Romans hones his message even further: